Asia Startup Pulse

This week, we shall continue with the second part of Chinaccelerator 8X8 Speakers Series with Lu Guo, Founder and CEO, USHOPAL, Jane Lin-Baden, Managing Partner of APAC, Publicis Group and Yintao Feng, Founder of MIXPACE.

What does it take to be a capable CEO? Lu recalled how she had to raise a few hundred million RMB within a period of 12 months during her coldest winter. Despite all those setbacks, she managed to get the results done and keep the company afloat. Fear of pressure, fear of being unnoticed and fear of falling. Aside from the fear, Jane also revealed to us the secret of flying high above the crowd and bringing out the best quality of yourself even when no one is watching at all. Yintao walked us through the time when he experienced a culture shock after returning back to China. Sharing his transition from corporate to startup, we can get to learn how he adapted to this new environment and what were his techniques in managing and working with people.

Show Notes:

[01:50] Lu Guo’s talk (No slides)

[10:01] Jane Lin-Baden’s talk (Jane’s presentation slide: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DdBZIIsQrai4Bxigr7EB)

[19:22] Yintao Feng’s Talk (Yintao’s presentation slide: https://www.jianguoyun.com/p/DdTJ8uEQrai4Bxikr7EB)

Many thanks to our speakers Lu Guo, Jane Lin-Baden and Yintao Feng, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!

Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

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Last month, we just hosted Chinaccelerator 8X8 Speakers Series where we invited 8 of our mentors - serial entrepreneurs, industry experts, and investors - to share their personal stories about entrepreneurship in Beijing and Shanghai, from where we selected several talks for our podcast listeners who couldn’t join us in person. Today we would like to present the first 3 talks delivered by Dirk Eschenbacher, Co-founder of Zanadu Travel & Media, Rhea See, Co-founder & COO of She Loves Tech and Jaeson Ma, Co-founder of 88rising.

What comes first into Dirk’s mind when he looked back on his startup journey is an important lesson he learned - knowing your customers and focusing on the problem, not the solution. As a female entrepreneur, Rhea zeroed in on the female community and suggested entrepreneurs not to accept the conventional image and sell themselves short. Jaeson Ma brought the house down with his passion and vision to represent Asia media in mainstream culture the right way.

Check out more suggestions they shared in the episode.

Show Notes:

[02:01] Dirk Eschenbacher’s Talk

[09:00] Rhea See’s Talk

[15:50] Jaeson Ma’s Talk

Many thanks to our speakers Dirk Eschenbacher, Rhea See and Jaeson Ma, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!

Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

Email us: [email protected]

What is your first impression when you think of a co-working space? Ricky Adam and Frederic Bazin envisioned it to be an open community of developers in a shared physical space focused on creating successful engineering team.

It may sound ironic but the process of building software would necessitate social activities, and this requires a wide range of talented people. Coderbunker is right now having huge momentum and getting other non-developers into this community as well. The question is: could this business model be happening in other industries and become a game changer in the future of work?

Show notes:

[2:48] How does Coderbunker define community?

[4:36] How to maintain a community

[5:50] Recommended traits for those who want to be in it

[8:52] Take care of the people first, followed by the project

[13:04] Portfolio of people in this community

[14:59] Difficulty in finding project owners

[16:19] Getting the talented people onboard

[18:26] Examples of big companies trying out this working style

[20:54] Is this the future of all work?

[22:47] Working onsite vs working remotely

[26:30] Will this happen in other industries too?

[27:47] Spreading of this model to other areas of a company

[29:11] Growing a worldwide network

[30:57] What about the issue of copycats?

Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken and Oscar Ramos, guest Ricky Adam and Frederic Bazin, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!

Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

Email us: [email protected]

Tencent Music, China’s answer to Spotify, filed for U.S. IPO with its soaring valuation at approximately $20 billion in 2018. What is happening in China music and entertainment industry?

Today we have Kenny Bloom who has 40 years experience in the global entertainment media space as the “Zero-man” for Warner in China to walk us through the history of China music industry from the 1980s until now and share his observations from every angle of the market. Once controlling 85% of the international music market in China and producing the #1 Chinese rock star Cuijian, Kenny is telling us the next big opportunities to succeed in this competitive market.

“If you think you can come to China and become a concert promoter, don’t come; if you want to start a record label, don’t come; but if you get innovative technology, this is a really great place to use as a launchpad to test.”

Show notes:

[2:53] Introduction of Kenny Bloom

[4:42] Reception and Censorship

[7:12] What were the Unique Opportunities that Kenny Saw?

[11:22] Having a Simple Business Model that Actually Works

[15:25] Evolution and Valuation of Baidu and other Big Boys

[21:05] Is there Room for Creativity and Ideas in Today's Music Market?

[24:08] You Just Don't Make Money off the Content

[28:06] Getting Visibility in a Massive Chinese Market

[29:14] Consumer is the Biggest Winner

[31:40] What are the Opportunities in this Industry Now?

[34:07] Chinese Bands and Music Outside of China

Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken and Oscar Ramos, guest Kenny Bloom, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!

Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

Email us: [email protected]

With his five-decade experience co-founding and investing in over 90 IT companies, Yossi is unofficially titled with “Israeli hi-tech godfather” and twice received the Prime Minister Award for life achievements in the high tech area. He is also the creator of ICQ, the world’s first instant messaging company, which inspired many messaging products including QQ in China.

We are honored to have Yossi to be on China Startup Pulse Podcast today where he shared his thoughts about the copycat, innovation, IP protection, Israeli tech ecosystem, and Chinese startups. As he mentioned, “We have to evaluate the whole picture...not just good or bad to be a copycat".

MWC Shanghai 2019 4YFN Startup Event now is opening 1000 free tickets to Chinaccelerator and China Startup Pulse fans! Fill in this form to reserve your seats in advance: www.wjx.top/jq/35116917.aspx

Show Notes:

[01:45] Introduction of Yossi Vardi, Founder of ICQ

[02:26] Transition from a Geek to an Investor

[05:02] What is ICQ?

[07:40] Why is ICQ so Special?

[10:15] Is Copycat a Cause of Concern for Ecosystem in China?

[13:00] How much can We Protect Companies that are Trying to Create New Things?

[15:11] Make in China, Clone for Others?

[17:51] Israel & its "Deep Complicated Technologies"

[20:54] Barriers for Startups Entering China & How to Overcome Them

[25:11] Further Expansion of Chinese Startups Across the Globe

[27:51] The Impressive Chinese Phenomenon

[28:30] Essential Fundamentals of an Economy in the Long Run

[29:44] Future Plans by Yossi Vardi

Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Yossi Vardi, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!

Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

Email us: [email protected]

247tickets is a leading social commerce platform for entertainment in China, which just secured $2M in Series Pre-A led by Artesian Venture Partners with the participation from SOSV and Haitao Capital, and the company’s annual revenue in 2018 reached $4.9M. Greig Charlton, CEO at 247tickets and alumni of Chinaccelerator, joined us to share 247’s growth story today. After listening to this episode, you will understand how the new idea was born, how to deal with your competitors, the biggest challenge to run a business in China, and also how difficult it is to fundraise in China. In the future, 247tickets plan to utilize AI technology for personalizing the user experience.

Show notes:

[1:15] Introduce Greig and 247

[2:54] How did 247 start in Shanghai

[6:30] Why those existing platforms couldn’t solve the problem

[10:40] Traditional e-commerce VS Social Commerce

[12:50]Why social commerce has been more successful in China

[14:30] The market was too niche?

[17:53] User profile

[20:17] The team behind the product

[21:50] Find the right people to join your team

[24:10] Challenges to run business in China

[29:35] Work with other well-funded competitors

[33:31] Fundraising in China


[38:10] Future for 247

Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Greig Charlton, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!

Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

Email us: [email protected]

95% of exits are acquisitions rather than IPO. Also nearly a half of them are before Series B. In today’s episode, we invited Benjamin Joffe, who is a partner at the leading global hardware accelerator HAX and has made nearly a thousand angel investments, to share his insights about exits. Here you can find out the big differences between exits in China and exits in the rest of the world, how Chinese companies develop the acquisition playbook globally and also for entrepreneurs, how you can plan your exits and the better way to integrate yourself into another corporate body.

Check out Benjamin’s articles about exits: https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/31/what-every-startup-founder-should-know-about-exits/

Show Notes:

[2:02] The reality about exits

[3:00] The big differences between exits in China and exits in the rest of the world

[4:27] Motivations for Chinese companies to start exploring acquisitions

[6:09] Are Chinese companies looking for new things that are not in China

[7:52] Specific phenomenon across Chinese M&A activities

[11:20] Chinese acquisitions in China

[13:09] How founders plan exits

[15:28] How founders should change the strategies based on the feedback

[17:56] The typical exits happen before Series B

[19:19] Sell your company before you close the round or do it right after

[21:30] Competitions and options among corporates

[24:42] Chances of International corporates seeking M&A opportunities in China

[28:27] Founders’ challenges about potentially selling a company to Chinese buyers

[32:03] Founders should be careful about the information disclosure in the due diligence process

[35:19] How founders make themselves visible to potential buyers

Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Benjamin Joffe, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review and share with your friends!

Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

Email us: [email protected]

One way for startups to grow or even exit is to work with corporates. Are corporates looking for financial return or strategic values while working with startups? For entrepreneurs, what are the challenges and opportunities to have corporates as their shareholders? How do overseas corporates see the chances in China? In this episode, we invited Andrew Gaule who has almost 20 years experience in Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) to analyze both sides of the table and delivered insights and suggestions for corporates and startups.

Show notes:

[1:10] Introducing Andrew Gaule

[4:57] The land of corporate venture capital (CVC)

[7:50] Challenges to have corporates as shareholders

[11:13] The motivation of CVC - financial return and strategic values

[19:15] How to protect startups’ advantages

[21:50] Things that CVC are doing wrong when approaching startups

[24:10] Corporates to think about China

[28:30] How to leverage the innovation in China for the rest of the world

[32:40] Challenges of CVC in China

[38:08] Concerns for startups to work with Chinese investors

[39:24] The impact of Trade War

Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Andrew Gaule, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review on the podcast platforms and share with your friends!

Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

Email us: [email protected]

Many people don't believe that the senior care is a big healthcare need in China. Our guest for today, Mark Spitalnik, CEO of China Senior Care, is actually one of the first movers in this area from 2009 to educate the market, bring the international experience to China and also localize the product for the aged in China. As he mentioned, the fact is “Chinese customers don’t know what senior care is” rather than “they don’t want it”.

In addition, he also shared how he started the company, the initial challenge he was facing and also the untouched opportunities to look at in China.

China Senior Care provides senior healthcare services to promote the health, happiness, and independence of residents in China. It offers geriatric care services for the aged. The company was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Hangzhou, China.

Show notes:

[1:30] Introduction and Mark’s experience in China

[4:30] How the single child policy influenced the China society

[5:10] Introduce China Senior Care

[6:18] First challenges Mark had to face while building up China Senior Care

[9:10] How Mark introduced the product to Chinese customers even though people did not believe senior care is a giant healthcare need in China

[12:00] How to educate the market

[15:14] How localized the product is

[16:00] How the dynamic of the team helped with the product and service

[19:10] The biggest needs coming with more Chinese people saving money

[24:00] The opportunities that are untouched in China to look at

[26:20] Contact Information and sign off

Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken, guest Mark Spitalnik , editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.

If you like us, please give us a 5-star review on the podcast platforms and share with your friends!

Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/

Email us: [email protected]

The second episode of the 8X8 Speakers Series is about lessons learnt from failures from the perspective of an investor, a successful entrepreneur and a tech expert.

The first talk in this episode is delivered by Sophie Yao, China Regional General Manager of Fenox Venture Capital, who shared 3 most “effective” ways to screw up a startup based on her experience working with startups. Problems include no market needs, wrong timing, management issues and also the way you spent the money, etc.

We also have Gen Kanai who used to grow communities of tens of thousands of Firefox users across Asia, to share the lessons he got from Firefox’s failures. Currently, he works as the Director Of Strategic Partnerships at Animoca Brands.

Prakhar Khandui (PK) is a serial entrepreneur who sold his company Pulse to Tencent-backed Hike Messenger in India. He also delivered 2 mistakes and 3 failures he learnt in this episode, for example, selling the startup too early is not a good choice.

Chinaccelerator’s 8X8 Speakers Series invite 8 of Chinaccelerator mentors - serial entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors - to share their personal stories about entrepreneurship twice a year in Beijing and Shanghai.

Show Notes:

Many thanks to our speakers Sophie Yao, Gen Kanai, and Prakhar Khanduj (PK), editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com.