Explore every episode of the podcast Asia Startup Pulse
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASP精选VC对谈：Wei Hopeman深度颇析中国金融科技发展趋势 | 22 Nov 2021 | 00:31:31 | |
Final call for signing up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 on Eventbrite. We will soon be back with the brand-new season. Until then, stay tuned. Fintech has come a long way in China, from barely being recognized to one of the fastest growing markets in the region. As the world’s leader in Fintech technology, China is a breeding ground for Internet finance companies, and accordingly, investment in the industry. With millions of users and an ever-growing number of fintech unicorns, the future of Internet finance looks exceedingly bright in China. Today, ASP selected the special episode that Oscar Ramos sat down with venture capitalist and fintech investor Wei Hopeman. After beginning her career in financial services and investment banking, Wei co-founded Arbor Ventures in 2013, the first VC fund specialized in fintech in the Asian ecosystem. She talks to us about the growth of fintech, the benefits of corporate VCs, and how founders and corporate VCs can improve their interactions with each other. Show notes: 2:07 How Wei got into financial services 5:46 Going into investment banking 7:30 The growth of fintech in Asia 9:32 The lack of infrastructure in financial services 12:18 Launching fintech in China 15:18 Benefits of corporate VCs 17:08 Key questions a founder should ask corporate VCs 18:31 Key difference between types of VCs 21:02 Educating corporates in working with startups 23:17 Women in VC 30:16 The future of Arbor Ventures thanks to our host Oscar Ramos, guest Wei Hopeman, editor David and Geep, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website at Chinaccelerator Website Follow us on LinkedIn: Asia Startup Pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| ASP精选VC对谈—Peng T. Ong分析东南亚地区科技技术化崛起 | 18 Nov 2021 | 00:34:07 | |
Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at: As we're gearing up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day, we will be back with brand-new season. Until then, stay tuned. In this episode, we talk about Peng’s journey as an investor and how he perceives the great potential in Southeast Asia. More importantly, he summarizes a very important trend in SEA’s startup ecosystem, "Technification". We also talk about the impact that China's Internet giants have on SEA through investments and M&A. Shownotes 2:26 Peng’s journey as an investor Many thanks to our guest Peng T.Ong; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| ASP精选VC对谈—Sanjay Nath看印度SaaS企业如何走向国际市场 | 11 Nov 2021 | 00:48:04 | |
Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at: We will come back with the brand-new season soon. Until then, stay tuned. ASP Selection: Inside the VC Mind (II) In today’s rebroadcast, Inside the VC Mind Part II, we invite Sanjay Nath, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture funds. Sanjay also represents Blume on the boards of Arka Venture Labs and the Draper Venture Network. Blume focuses on Seed to Pre-Series A stages of funding and has made over 100 investments across its 10-year history across multiple funds. Sanjay has invested in and advises a wide portfolio of startups including GreyOrange Robotics, Dataweave, Locus, Tricog, LBB, Lulu, Lambdatest, TapChief (acquired by Unacademy), Nektar.ai, and Obviously.ai amongst others. What is the trajectory for Indian startups expanding abroad? How do they start in India and move to the US and SEA? How can startups build and sell remotely and operate in a virtual world? What are the repercussions of localization when internationalization? Sanjay, as an active investor in the space, brings his experience in answering all these questions and more! Show Notes 02:10 Introduction to Sanjay Nath Many thanks to our guests Sanjay Nath; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com | |||
| ASP精选：对话James Tan：理解Marketplace商业模式的基本要素 | 04 Nov 2021 | 00:42:20 | |
Asia Startup Pulse Selection: Examining the Fundamentals of the Marketplace Business Model with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures. As we're gearing up for our Demo Day, we will soon be back with a brand-new season next month. Sign up for Demo Day Nov 24 to meet the 10 startups chosen for our latest cohort. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcast Today, we are going to dig deeper into marketplaces again with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures. Prior to this, James was co-founder and COO of 55tuan, a NASDAQ listed e-commerce group that grew to more than 200 cities and 5,000 employees across China. Show notes: 2:43 - Introduction to James Tan Related Episodes Building the Biggest Used-car Marketplace in SEA, with Aaron Tan, founder of Carro (Ep 159)
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| 与Johnson Yeh 对谈－全球性循环经济下的计画性报废 | 03 Nov 2021 | 00:34:51 | |
Having accomplished his goal of transforming the gaming industry, Johnson Yeh is now turning his attention to his long-time passion: circular economy and sustainability. He founded ROEHL to provide consumers with a more sustainable and convenient lifestyle, starting with a subscription-based home appliance service. Johnson recently sat down with Oscar Ramos in our Shanghai recording studio. Listen for their discussion on: Why Johnson left his job at the summit of the gaming industry to pursue this mission What we can do in a world of planned obsolescence Economic benefits to a circular economy How ROEHL is speeding up the rate of green-tech adoption, starting with air-purifying products China’s leading position in green technology The most exciting opportunities for new companies in the sector About the speaker: Johnson Yeh is the founder and CEO of ROEHL, the world’s first Lifestyle-as-a-Service (L.a.a.S) company. Before founding ROEHL in 2019, Johnson led Riot Games in China, Southeast Asia, and Japan. Under his leadership, LPL and e-sport went through a formidable transformation, becoming China's biggest spectator sport, with viewing numbers increasing by 15 times in 5 years. In 2019, the total number of hours watched reached 4 billion in China alone, surpassing CSL, NBA, and other traditional sporting events. Many thanks to our guest Johnson Yeh; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com. To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com | |||
| 与Aerodyne 创办人 Kamarul Muhamed 对谈－观察无人机科技的现代化趋势 | 14 Oct 2021 | 00:38:12 | |
EPISODE SUMMARY We sat down with Kamarul Muhamed, founder and CEO of Aerodyne Group, a world-leading drone-based enterprise solutions provider, to talk all things drones, the Uberization of agritech, how drone tech has created a new market for technology talents. We also discussed why Southeast Asia, once dominated by traditional agriculture, is so bullish on new technologies, and the wonderful future of the region’s home-grown unicorns. EPISODE NOTES “Drones, in itself, is just a dumb flying platform. What makes it intelligent is the analytics and smart sensors; and how that can be disruptive in providing real value to our enterprise clients,” said Kamarul Muhamed, who founded Aerodyne in 2014 and has grown the company into a world-leading drone-based enterprise solutions provider and, more importantly, a pioneer in the use of AI for large-scale data operations and process optimization. Today, we sat down with Kamarul to talk all things drones, the Uberization of agritech, how drone tech has created a new market for technology talents. We also discussed why Southeast Asia, once dominated by traditional agriculture, is so bullish on new technologies, and the wonderful future of the region’s home-grown unicorns.
Kamarul Muhamed left the corporate world to pursue his passion in technology and digital innovation, founding Aerodyne in 2014 with a specialty in aerial imagery. The company has since pivoted to data intelligence, integrated solutions and now, Drone Tech, Data Tech and Digital Transformation (DT3). Ranked second in the world by Drone Industry Insights of Germany, Aerodyne has over 400 drone professionals operating in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAS) services sector, managing more than 300,000 infrastructure assets with 110,000 flight operations across 35 countries globally. Show notes: 01:39 Introduction to Kamarul Muhamed and Aerodyne Group To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com | |||
| 加密收藏品之外，NFT的下一个风潮在哪？- Animoca Brands执行长 Robby Yung | 07 Oct 2021 | 00:38:35 | |
EPISODE SUMMARY The World Wide Web was the first big tech revolution. Mobile was the second and we think blockchain is now the third. This is a period where we're going to have a solid 10-year run of tremendous growth and adoption of this new technology. It's going to bring enormous changes to all sectors that the technology touches upon: entertainment, financial services, e-government, and more. EPISODE NOTES Robby Yung is the CEO of Animoca Brands, the developer of a broad portfolio of blockchain games, traditional games, and other products, many of which are based on popular global brands including Formula 1®, Marvel, WWE, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Doraemon. Animoca Brands is also a prolific investor with more than 50 investments in NFT-related blockchain companies, including Sky Mavis (Axie Infinity), Dapper Labs (CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot), OpenSea, Harmony, Bitski, and Alien Worlds. Yung previously was the co-founder of Redgate Media, acquired by Inno-Tech Holdings Limited. Yung recently sat down with Oscar Ramos to talk about all things NFT, digital entertainment, and what excites him about the future of blockchain. Show Notes 02:35 How Animoca made its foray into blockchain games with Dapper Labs and CryptoKitties
To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com | |||
| 与PingCAP亚太区负责人Neil Han对谈 - 理解开源软件背后的商业模式 | 30 Sep 2021 | 00:31:34 | |
The open-source model has been a big catalyst for technology businesses across the world. While it is clear how they fit into other business models, it is still unclear what the business model behind an open-source business is. In this episode, we aim to answer that and more. We invited Neil Han, Head of APAC and EMEA for PingCAP, the first open-source unicorn in China, which raised 340million USD in total. Neil is a hardcore software person and a well-connected professional in the software industry across the globe with great operations and management skillset, looking forward to working with a fast-growing company and great leadership team to grow together. PingCAP raises $270M in Nov. 2020 to develop core technologies and advance the global expansion of its offerings! PingCAP is founded by the team that built TiDB, a world-leading open-source, cloud-native, distributed SQL/NewSQL database for elastic scale and real-time analytics, which is compatible with MySQL and enables companies to painlessly scale their business while keeping the underlying infrastructure simple and serve as a one-stop solution for all online transactions and analysis. PingCAP is the most valued NewSQL company on the planet! EPISODE NOTES The open-source model has been a big catalyst for technology businesses across the world. While it is clear how they fit into other business models, it is still unclear what the business model behind an open-source business is. In this episode, we aim to answer that and more. We invited Neil Han, Head of APAC and EMEA for PingCAP, the first open-source unicorn in China, which raised 340million USD in total. Neil is a hardcore software person and a well-connected professional in the software industry across the globe with great operations and management skillset, looking forward to working with a fast-growing company and great leadership team to grow together. Show Notes: [1:26] Introduction to Neil Han [2:39] PingCap’s value proposition [5:14] Companies that best leverage PingCap’s services [8:05] The business model behind an open source business [12:08] Where the community contributors come from [15:05] Where the customers come from [17:29] Experience of selling the service to Chinese customers [2200] Customers as contributors to the product: A case of Square [26:38] The scope of growth for open-source software in APAC [30:16] Connect with Neil Many thanks to our guests Neil Han; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Blume Ventures管理合伙人Sanjay Nath：印度SaaS企业如何走向国际市场 | 22 Jul 2021 | 00:47:31 | |
India today is home to some of the most innovative and valuable startups in the world. With a thriving startup ecosystem that is seeing more and more foreign capital injection and innovation across the board from tech to business models, Indian startups are well positioned to take on the global startup ecosystem. Although the domestic market is already huge enough, more Indian SaaS startups are venturing out and expanding across borders. In today’s episode, we invite Sanjay Nath, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India’s leading early-stage venture funds. Sanjay also reprerepresents Blume on the boards of Arka Venture Labs and the Draper Venture Network. Blume focuses on Seed to Pre-Series A stages of funding and has made over 100 investments across its 10-year history across multiple funds. Sanjay has invested in and advises a wide portfolio of startups including GreyOrange Robotics, Dataweave, Locus, Tricog, LBB, Lulu, Lambdatest, TapChief (acquired by Unacademy), Nektar.ai, and Obviously.ai amongst others. What is the trajectory for Indian startups expanding abroad? How do they start in India and move to US and SEA? How can startups build and sell remotely and operate in a virtual world? What are the repercussions of localization when internationalization? Sanjay, as an active investor in the space, brings his experience in answering all these questions and more! Show Notes 01:35 Introduction to Sanjay Nath 02:20 Sanjay’s transition from consulting to VC 07:06 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas 10:54 Overcoming the barriers of cross-border expansion 16:03 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices 23:35 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 1 27:47 Popular revenue models among Indian startups 30:29 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion 37:47 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China 40:30 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe 44:42 Sanjay’s final thoughts Many thanks to our guests Sanjay Nath; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话和玉资本管理合伙人Chris Lerner：如何在中国创立一家VC | 09 Jul 2021 | 00:43:35 | |
What does it take to launch a VC fund in China? What are the differences between RMB funds and USD funds? And how can VC funds exit themselves? We invited Chris Lerner, Managing Partner at MSA Capital, to join us to share his experience on starting and running a successful venture fund, and also how MSA Capital has supported startups to grow and expand to different markets. Founded in 2014, MSA Capital is an independent global private equity and venture capital firm with over $1.5 billion assets under management. Most notably, 60% of its 26 early stage investments have become super unicorns. We also extended the conversation from a “cross-border” perspective by discussing about the potential opportunities for foreign startups and foreign VCs to enter China. Show Notes: 2:48 Introduction to MSA Capital 5:22 What has kept Chris Lerner living in China 9:12 What makes the Chinese VC industry different 13:10 The DNA of Chinese corporate VCs (CVCs) 15:13 Conflicts happen when startups work with different CVCs 17:38 What takes to launch a VC fund 19:57 Who is investing in VC funds in China 24:40 The difference between RMB funds and USD funds 27:44 How VC funds can exit themselves in China 31:38 The trends of consolidation for financial returns 33:18 What support MSA Capital provides to startups 38:13 Potential opportunities for foreign startups to enter China 41:18 The opportunity of foreign VCs to enter China 42:32 How to contact Chris Lerner Many thanks to our guests Chris Lerner; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Pathao创始人Hussain Elius：在孟加拉国打造估值1亿美金的国民超级应用 | 06 Jul 2021 | 00:39:31 | |
While Southeast Asia remains one of the hottest markets in the region, South Asia is also catching up, especially with the likes of Bangladesh and Pakistan. The region is also home to some of the fastest-growing tech startups, and today, we venture down south to Bangladesh and talk to the co-founder and CEO of Pathao, Bangladesh's largest tech company which is valued at over $100 million. Pathao is the leading ride-sharing, on-demand logistics, and food delivery platform in Bangladesh. Today, its motorbike and car-hailing vertical alone serves five million riders across five cities in Bangladesh and Kathmandu in Nepal. How did Pathao come into existence? For a market with typically no culture of motorcycle-taxis, how did you create the need in the market? How did they manage to stand out from the competition even against the likes of Uber? How has their journey been moving from an app to a super app? We talk about all these and more, in today’s episode. Show Notes 02:20 Introduction to Hussain Elius 03:22 How Pathao came into existence 05:48 What the status quo was before Pathao 08:21 Inspiration behind founding Pathao 11:10 The competitive landscape for Pathao 13:50 The competition against Uber 17:20 Understanding why the “Uber-way” was not the way to go 22:37 Lessons learned from Gojek 25:30 Pathao’s expansion to Nepal 29:05 Evolution of Hussain’s role 32:43 Does mentorship matter? 36:03 Final thoughts Many thanks to our guests Hussain Elius; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Grab社会影响团队顾问：如何在新兴市场做影响力投资 | 11 Jun 2021 | 00:44:58 | |
The increased showboating and “greenwashing” of the term “Impact Investment” has virtually led to the term being thrown around loosely: especially, as it is hard to gauge the tangible impact sometimes startups working in this domain bring. But, what exactly is impact investment? How different is the understanding of the term in developed countries compared to emerging markets? How can startups working in this domain find the sweet spot between profitability and impact? Is tangible impact more valuable than intangible ones? Or the other way around? These are some of the many questions that arise while trying to understand the impact of investment space. And in this episode, we bring a prominent guest whose experience across Asia and the US in the impact investment space makes her the perfect guest to answer these questions and more. In this episode, we are joined by Ilaria Chan, Group Advisor on Social Impact Investment for Grab, one of Asia’s most prominent tech unicorns. Having started her career in investment banking with Goldman Sachs, today Ilaria is a global keynote speaker, private investor, and serves on the Board of Trustees of several humanitarian organizations. We talk all about impact investment and socially conscious startups and the investment ecosystem that revolves around them. SHOW NOTES 03:14 Introduction to Ilaria Chan 07:04 Ilaria’s expertise in Impact Investment 09:32 Understanding the reality of Impact Invest and Difference between East & West 14:50 Impact vs Profitability: The quandary for social entrepreneurs for raising funds 20:09 How Tech Unicorns are making social impact a big of their proposition 26:05 Tangible impact vs Intangible Impact: Is one less important than the other? 30:22 The “green-washing” trend in impact investment 34:41 Flow of innovation from East to the West 43:44 Connect with Ilaria Many thanks to our guests Ilaria Chan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话AppsFlyer亚太区董事总经理Ronen Mense：中国出海企业背后的数据引擎 | 28 May 2021 | 00:43:18 | |
Chinese companies going global is not a new phenomenon today. But there was a time when this was relatively unheard of. And today, we talk to the man behind AppsFlyer, the company that essentially fuelled Chinese companies’ ambitions for global expansion by providing them much needed analytics and data in a mobile-frenzy world. Why was AppsFlyer pivotal to Chinese companies? What strategic value did China possess for AppsFlyer? In a market known for intense competition, how did AppsFlyer manage to thrive unscathed and become the market leader? In today’s episode, we invite Ronen Mense, President and Managing Director APAC for AppsFlyer, to help us answer these questions and more. In the last 7 years with AppsFlyer, Ronen has managed to grow the mobile analytics platform from newcomer to market leader in APAC achieving 70% market share, triple digital revenue growth year on year, and building an amazing team of 175+ across 7 offices in the region. Show Notes: 02:12 Introduction to Ronen 03:13 What is AppsFlyer 05:03 China’s strategic value for AppsFlyer and vice-versa 11:04 AppsFlyer’s value proposition for Chinese startups expanding overseas 14:53 What made AppsFlyer special: The need for independent analytics 20:59 Dealing with competitors: How to create moats? 23:56 Localizing product to suit the China market 27:41 How AppsFlyer stays independent in the Age of Splinternet 34:05 The Success Playbook for AppsFlyer 37:08 Ronen’s Mantra for Success 42:05 How to contact Ronen Many thanks to our guests Ronen Mense; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn: Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Quest Ventures管理合伙人James Tan：理解Marketplace商业模式的基本要素 | 21 May 2021 | 00:41:47 | |
Marketplace is one of the most common business models in Southeast Asia nowadays. In one of our previous episodes, we talked to Aaron Tan, founder of Carro, about how he has built one of the biggest used-car marketplaces in Southeast Asia. Today, we are going to dig deeper into marketplaces again with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures. Prior to this, James was co-founder and COO of 55tuan, a NASDAQ listed e-commerce group that grew to more than 200 cities and 5,000 employees across China. In this episode, we talk about all the business fundamentals of building a marketplace: from the advantages and challenges of building a marketplace to how to manage or control it, to the importance of timing in expanding to multiple markets. A someone who has built a successful e-commerce marketplace himself and invested in several more, James also shares the most innovative marketplace models in the market and how he believes the business model can be innovated. Show notes: 2:10 Introduction to James Tan 3:48 Transition from startup founder to venture capitalist 5:35 Introduction to Quest Ventures 6:50 Most rewarding achievements of running a marketplace 8:40 What James was excited about marketplace 11:50 The advantages that a marketplace has to serve customers 15:08 How to manage or control your marketplace 17:00 The most innovative marketplace models that James has seen 19:22 Is a marketplace in Southeast Asia a regional business? 22:48 The timing for marketplaces to internationalise the business 25:00 How to localise in Indonesia? 30:58 The next market that Indonesian companies expand to 33:40 When should companies reconsider expansion 34:35 How to innovate the marketplace revenue model? 39:38 Does “marketplace” have a higher valuation multiple compared to ecommerce? Many thanks to our guests James Tan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. | |||
| 对话Dragonfly Capital合伙人Mia Deng：聊聊大火的NFT加密艺术和背后的专业投资机构 | 14 May 2021 | 00:39:46 | |
NFTs in 2021 has become what ICOs were in 2017: the biggest buzzword in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. Even though NFTs as a concept is not something entirely new, it is only now that they have become more hyped. But what exactly are NFTs? Why are they gaining so much popularity today? Which industries stand to gain the most with the rise of these non-fungible tokens? How will this industry evolve? And most importantly, is this another bubble ready to burst? For this special episode, we invite Mia Deng, Partner at Dragonfly Capital and Co-founder of NFT marketplace TR-Lab, to dive deeper into the NFT space and also talk more about Dragonfly Capital’s latest $225 million fund, primarily focused on DeFi and NFTs. We also cover topics around the evolution of the crypto industry and the synergies between traditional VCs and crypto VCs. Show Notes: 1:29 Introduction to Mia Deng 4:12 How the narrative around the crypto industry has evolved 6:48 Introduction to Dragonfly Capital and their unique proposition 9:19 How traditional VCs are working with crypto VCs 11:10 Crypto is Global from Day 1! 13:21 How crypto VCs work with founders 16:17 Understanding the intricacies of Sequoia China as an LP in Dragonfly Capital 21:14 Building in the bear market 24:14 What is NFT? 25:34 Why are NFTs booming now? 28:39 What industries will adapt NFTs? 32:38 The inefficiency in the NFT infrastructure space 35:12 Is NFT the next ICO? 36:35 NFT in China 38:09 How to reach out to Mia
Many thanks to our guests Mia Deng; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. To subscribe to our newsletter, please visit www.asiastartuppulse.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 八分之约活动实录2/2：提升消费者信任度 & 什么是非市场战略思维 | 30 Apr 2021 | 00:21:44 | |
Welcome to another episode of the Asia Startup Pulse! This week, we will continue with our 8x8 Global Speaker Series and bringing talks from two exceptional speakers from diverse backgrounds to share some interesting brain food for founders. First up, we have Victoria Hoang, Data Partner at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she counsels teams on data privacy and cybersecurity law. In her 20+ years of experience in life sciences and management consulting, she has served on several innovation programs working closely with startups. In today’s talk, she covers one of the most important pre-requisite for startups, which is building trust. Our second speaker for today is Jack Ren, Managing Director of Eminence Ventures where he is responsible for the firm’s cloud and IT infrastructure investments. Over the course of his career, he has spearheaded China Mobile’s One NET IoT platform and worked for some of the biggest tech corporations including Samsung and Sony. In today’s talk, Jack shares insights around non-market strategic thinking and how firms should factor it in their decision-making. Show Notes: [01:43] Victoria Hoang: How to Build Trust with Customers [13:41 ] Jack Ren: Non-market Strategical Thinking Many thanks to our guests Victoria Hoang and Jack Ren; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. | |||
| 八分之约活动实录1/2：中国品牌出海 & 创业公司应如何运用投资人资源 | 27 Apr 2021 | 00:30:48 | |
Welcome to another episode of the Asia Startup Pulse! Today, we have a special episode from our 8x8 Global Speaker Series where we bring 8 notable speakers to talk about their experiences in building, operating, and scaling businesses across Asia and beyond. In today’s episode, we are bringing three incredible speakers and seasoned investors: Rui Ma, Kal Patel, and Nichapat Ark, to share their insights on what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur building cross-border businesses. Rui Ma is a former VC-turned independent tech analyst with her experience spanning from seed stage to pre-IPO investing spread between the US and China. She is well versed with the startup ecosystems in the US and China, having previously worked at 500 Startups as an investment partner. In today’s talk, she offers some invaluable insights for startups going across borders and brings light to potential pitfalls that startups must avoid at all costs. Kal Patel is a seasoned investor and the Resident Advisor at Oxford Foundry and has led the expansion of Best Buy in Asia in the past. He brings with him a plethora of experience working with and investing in startups from all around the world. Even startups that have the most groundbreaking technology oftentimes fail to generate interest from investors early on and in his talk, he shares insights as to how early-stage startups can become more investible. Nichapat Ark works extensively with Openspace Venture’s Thailand-based startups as well as startups looking to expand into Thailand. In her talk, she shares insights as to how startups can better leverage their investors, an art that every startup founder must perfect. Show notes: 02:20 - Rui Ma: Important considerations for Chinese startups going global 13:40 - Kal Patel: How can startups become more "Investible" 24:00 - Nichapat Ark: How to better leverage your investor Many thanks to our speakers; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话EVOS Esports市场营销区域负责人Allan Phang：东南亚电竞市场的腾飞时刻 | 22 Apr 2021 | 00:41:25 | |
Esports as a whole has seen tremendous growth in Southeast Asia, especially driven by the growth of the mobile-first economy. In today’s episode, we dig deeper into the esports business in SEA with Allan Phang, the Regional Head of Marketing PR at EVOS Esports and former Head of Esports at AirAsia. We discuss the differences between esports and traditional sports while debunking the common myths about professional esports. Furthermore, Allan talks about his opinion about the roles of different stakeholders in the whole esports ecosystem, the unique proposition of Southeast Asia market in the esports sector, and also the next big thing we can expect in the industry. Show Notes: 02:50 Allan Phang’s experience in esports 09:00 Introduction to EVOS Esports 12:21 Debunking common myths about professional esports 14:08 Career lifespan of professional esports players 17:55 The role of game publishers in the industry 20:40 Ramifications of breaching gaming etiquette and rules 22:15 Other players and opportunities in the esports ecosystem 25:37 The relationship between global game publishers and local tournament event organisers 28:29 Southeast Asia’s unique position in the esports industry 33:10 Brands’ attitudes towards esports events 36:40 Different revenue models in esports 38:32 The next big thing in esports in SEA 39:50 How to contact Allan Many thanks to our guests Allan Phang; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Carro创始人Aaron Tan：打造东南亚最大的二手车平台 | 16 Apr 2021 | 00:42:42 | |
This is a special episode which we recorded live on Clubhouse with our guest Aaron Tan, Founder of Carro, one of the biggest used-car marketplaces in Southeast Asia. A programmer by training and a Venture Capitalist by profession, Aaron founded his first startup at 13 and had already sold two companies before turning 21. Carro, one of the companies he founded, is an automotive marketplace that offers a full-stack service for all aspects of car ownership and is currently present in Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. In this episode, we will mainly discuss about how to build and scale a two-side marketplace in Southeast Asia and Carro’s playbook of expansion across the region. Moreover, we will put the spotlight on how Aaron’s previous experience in venture capital industry has impacted his decisions, and also how he takes inspiration from Chinese business models and applies the insights in an SEA context. *Side note: Aaron and Oscar frequently mention “William” in the conversation. The William they are referring to is William Bao Bean, GP at SOSV and MD at Chinaccelerator & MOX. Show Notes: 0:00 - Introduction to Aaron Tan 1:32 - Aaron’s motivation to founding a startup 6:01 - The supportive ecosystem around Carro 8:19 - The importance of “Trust” in a business 8:50 - The reasons behind starting an automotive marketplace in SEA 13:35 - Inspiration from Chinese business models 19:21 - Understanding the heterogeneity in the markets 21:15 - Aaron’s experience on how copying the same model across SEA doesn’t work 25:39 - How to build and scale a two-side marketplace 30:37 - The role of Carro in the marketplace 35:17 - Carro’s expansion playbook across SEA 44:20 - What the future holds for Carro and Southeast Asia Many thanks to our guests Aaron Tan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Mukesh Bansal和Riaz Mehta：创业者快速迭代实验的实践指南 | 12 Apr 2021 | 00:49:07 | |
The age-old adage, “if at first you don’t succeed, try again,” is applicable to countless scenarios. However, in the startup world, trying new things until becoming successful is only half the story. In the startup world, things move at a rapid pace and ideas alone do not bring success. Success requires implementation and the right implementation process requires different business experiments in order to test and validate those ideas. And today, we invite two successful startup founders to share their journeys on how they’ve experimented with different aspects of their business to reach where they are today. What is experimentation in the startup world? How must startups look at experimenting? And why is experimenting instrumental to a startup’s success? We answer these questions and more! In this episode, we invite Mukesh Bansal, Founder and CEO of Phable, a healthcare startup from India that recently raised a $12 million Series A; and Riaz Mehta, Founder and CEO, of allrites, Asia’s leading B2B marketplace for film and TV content. Our guests bring with them a cumulative 40+ years of building, and running businesses across Asia. We dive deep into what makes experimentation a pre-requisite to running a successful startup and how small changes can have a colossal impact on the business. Show Notes: 2:26 - Introduction to Mukesh Bansal and Riaz Mehta 5:56 - Experimentation in a startup context 9:54 - How the healthcare industry encourage/discourage experimentation 13:08 - Source of inspiration in deciding about what and how to experiment 20:49 - The The Minimum Viable Experiment 25:58 - Framework for prioritizing action items 31:41 - Should founders go against their own beliefs and convictions 41:14 - How COVID has impacted experimentation 46:47 - Actionable advice to aspiring entrepreneurs
Many thanks to our guests Mukesh Bansal and Riaz Mehta; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Global Founders Capital合伙人Shao Lee：2021年中国SaaS将如何发展 | 07 Apr 2021 | 00:44:50 | |
Global Founder’s Capital, in spite of its global presence, has been a late entrant to China. However, in a very short time in the region, they’ve become a force to reckon with investing in some very promising companies. Coincidently, enterprise SaaS in China has been gaining speedy momentum in the recent past. Why is this the right time for enterprise investment in China? Is China still relevant for incoming VCs? Why is enterprise SaaS a must-watch trend for 2021 and what is driving this growth? In this episode, we invite Shao Lee, Partner at Global Founders Capital, who spearheads their China operations. We talk about GFC’s investment thesis and their unique proposition of Geographical Arbitrage. We dive deeper into understanding the Chinese ecosystem and the drivers of enterprise SaaS in China. As a leading investor in the TMT/ SaaS space, Shao shares his insights on how GFC evaluates enterprise SaaS companies in China. Show Notes 01:19 - Introduction to Shao Lee and motivations to become a VC 04:18 - What is Global Founders Capital? 05:53 - Bringing the Rocket Internet model to Asia 10:19 - GFC’s Geographical Arbitrage 13:00 - How to discover new business models? 14:45 - Why is it time for Enterprise investment in China? 17:10 - Trends in Chinese companies overseas expansion 19:00 - GFC’s investment decision-making process 20:34 - Founder’s pedigree in the decision-making process 25:45 - Late entrant to China: Is the market still worth entering for VCs? 27:40 - China’s competitive value proposition in global market 32:24 - VC Trends for 2021: The Rise of Enterprise SaaS 35:22 - The drivers of Enterprise SaaS 38:24 - Evaluating Chinese Enterprise SaaS companies Many thanks to our guest Shao Lee; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Matthew Brennan：关于字节和抖音，你还有什么不知道的？ | 25 Mar 2021 | 00:33:19 | |
The likes of Alibaba, Tencent, and Pinduoduo have managed to rise as tech giants in China but have failed to leverage this dominance and influence to a global scale. One such company that has managed to strip away from that label and is successful in expanding overseas and in branding its product as a global pass is ByteDance. But, what has enabled it to do what most Chinese companies have not been able to do? We dive deep into answering these questions. What is the key differentiator of ByteDance compared to other prominent video-platform players? What breakthroughs has ByteDance overcome to flourish worldwide? What takeaways can be extracted from the gala of TikTok’s global success? In this episode, we invite one of our special friends Matthew Brennan, author of “Attention Factory; The story of TikTok and China’s ByteDance”. He is often featured in global media and has delivered presentations on Chinese digital innovation to global firms such as Google, Tencent, DHL, etc. Having monitored the Chinese tech ecosystem closely for a number of years, Matthew is well-positioned to answer our questions, dig deeper into ByteDance’s remarkable success, and share his insights on the mobile-tech environment in the East and West. We will also discuss the digital marketing schemes partaking in all startups and all kinds of business sizes. Last but not the least, some key insights on future tech innovations that can be observed from the ByteDance case. You can find the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Attention-Factory-TikTok-Chinas-ByteDance/dp/B08L3NW6VM/ Show Notes: 02:09 Introduce Matthew Brennan 03:20 Why ByteDance is able to build a global product, TikTok 05:57 TikTok, the product and technology 09:42 TikTok’s from-zero-to-one journey 16:30 TikTok’s monetization model and their new initiatives 22:20 Lessons from the success of ByteDance 30:40 Contact Matthew Many thanks to our guest Matthew Brennan; host Ryan Shuken; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Monk's Hill Ventures管理合伙人Peng T.Ong：在东南亚投资“Technification” | 14 Mar 2021 | 00:33:34 | |
We are very honoured to invite Peng T. Ong, co-founder and managing partner of Monk's Hill Ventures, to join our first episode of Asia Startup Pulse today. Monk’s Hill Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in early-stage tech companies, primarily Series A, in Southeast Asia. Peng is an industry veteran with over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, founder, and investor in Silicon Valley and in Asia. He is based in Indonesia and is a board member of Glints, ELSA, Finaxar, and Intelligent Video Solutions. Prior to Monk’s Hill Ventures, he was a Venture Partner at GSR Ventures in China. In this episode, we talk about Peng’s journey as an investor and how he perceives the great potential in Southeast Asia. More importantly, he summarizes a very important trend in SEA’s startup ecosystem, "Technification". We also talk about the impact that China's Internet giants have on SEA through investments and M&A. Show Notes: 1:54 Peng’s journey as an investor 3:22 Main differences btw seed round and Series A 9:15 More capital investment in SEA 10:20 The most interesting trend in SEA 10:56 “Technification” in China 12:24 The opportunities of “technification” in SEA 14:33 “There is no way for a company to grow that fast without technology” 17:31 The core DNA of a successful founding team 18:54 China’s role in SEA’s service industry 22:22 The role of Chinese and Japanese corporate venture capital in SEA 26:20 The infrastructure development in SEA 28:25 A hard push on deep technology in SEA? Many thanks to our guest Peng T.Ong; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulse Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Michael Friedman和Aaron Choi：如何从GameStop事件理解区块链新概念DeFi？ | 18 Feb 2021 | 00:38:55 | |
Welcome to another episode of the China Startup Pulse. Today we talk about GameStop, a company that has the global financial markets buzzing. What we’ve seen with GameStop is a very unusual incident and so, we are bringing not one, but two guests on the episode who bring differing perspectives on what happened with GameStop and what it represents. With everything that has happened with the GameStop stock in the last several days, ultimately leading to some brokerages restricting retail investors from buying the stock, an interesting debate around centralization vs decentralization has surfaced. Is the GameStop saga a pivotal moment for DeFi? Do we need more decentralization in the financial markets? Does DeFi have enough merits to transcend the traditional financial markets or is it too early to make that call? And we have the right guests to share their perspectives on this matter! Our first guest is Michael Friedman, CFO of Xinhua Pictures. Mike previously held the position of Director at Shune River Capital where he was responsible for investment, financial analysis, and risk management. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets. Our second guest today is Aaron Choi. Aaron is the VP of Global Business Development for Kava Labs, a blockchain solutions platform providing DeFi services such as stable coins, bonds, and lending to crypto users across many blockchain networks. Previously, Aaron led the International Business for BTCC, one of the earliest and longest-running Bitcoin exchanges. He is an expert in the crypto industry and digital advertising and marketing. He is also an advisor to several blockchain projects where he advises on blockchain, token issuance, and token economy-related matters. Please remember, the views expressed in the episode are strictly for educational purposes and must not be taken as investment advice. Show Notes: [02:43] What happened with GameStop? [13:59] Centralisation vs Decentralisation. Is GameStop the pivotal moment for DeFi? What are its merits and demerits? [34:55] Closing Remarks Many thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 八分之约活动实录 3/3：创业增长思维如何养成 | 30 Dec 2020 | 00:31:28 | |
Today we’re bringing you the final episode of our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Global Speakers Series where we invite some of the most accomplished members of the global startup ecosystem to share key lessons for startups in eight minutes or less. Our first speaker is Yara Paoli. Yara is the former VP of Growth at Skyscanner (acquired by Ctrip) and is currently the Co-Founder and Chief Growth Scientist of Growth OS, a growth enabler company. Having contributed to growing Skyscanner from a 32-employees small startup to a GBP 1.4 Billion valued company with over 1,000 talented people working across 60+ markets, Yara is the perfect guest to talk about growth mindset, which she talks about in this episode. Our next speaker is Adam Najberg, Global Head of Content at Alibaba Group and Former Global Director of Communications at DJI. Having been in the field of journalism and PR for over 25 years, Adam has amassed a wealth of experience in storytelling. Today, he talks about why storytelling is important for startups, and how someone else could tell their stories if startups don't do it themselves. Finally, we have Shamik Talukder, co-founder of Be Tagged, an influencer marketing company, and the founding member of the largest Radio FM Network in India, Radio Mirchi, and former Vice President at Viacom 18 Media. In his talk today, he shares two important lessons that the covid19 pandemic has taught him and how he believes that could help startups. Show Notes: 02:18 - Yara Paoli 11:30 - Adam Najberg 19:27 - Shamik Talukder
Many thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 八分之约活动实录2/3：非技术背景创始人的人工智能之旅 | 17 Dec 2020 | 00:31:36 | |
This is the second episode from our Chinaccelerator 8X8 Global Speakers Series, where we bring 8 influential speakers to share their insights and experiences in 8 minutes. We have some great speakers lined up for this episode. In today’s episode, we bring 3 exceptional speakers with their insights. First up, we have Mikaal Adbulla, co-founder and CEO of 8 Securities, Asia’s first mobile-only investing service and robo-advisor, that was recently acquired by SoFi. For entrepreneurs, constraints are everywhere: from finding capital to finding the right team. But only if you have experienced those constraints, are you able to learn how to be creative, agile and focused. In today’s talk, Mikaal shares how having excess capital could be a constraint for startups. Our second speaker is Lily Liu, an angel investor and also co-founder of fintech startup Earn.com, which was acquired by Coinbase. In her talk, she breaks some of the biggest myths of being a CFO and explains how being a Chief Financial Officer is more about managing risks holistically and their role in a company’s long-term sustainability. Last but certainly not least, we have Vu Van, co-founder ELSA Corp, one of the world’s best and smartest English pronunciation app, powered by AI. Given what the company does, it is easy to assume that Vu Van is a technical genius. But the interesting fact is, Vu does not come from a technical background. She draws from her own experiences to explain why having a tech background is not a pre-requisite to building a tech company and how not having such a background could be a blessing in disguise instead. Show Notes: 02:25: Mikaal Adbulla: Thriving Despite Constraints 08:04: Lily Liu: Managing Risks Holistically 19:57: Vu Van: Building a Successful Tech Startup Without Technical Background Many thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 八分之约活动实录1/3：如何避开企业并购雷区 & 如何投资生活方式类项目 | 09 Dec 2020 | 00:19:49 | |
Welcome everybody to another episode of the China Startup Pulse. We have a special one today. We are back with our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Global Speaker Series with eight influential speakers from all over the world to share their insights for startups in eight minutes. In today’s episode, we bring not one but two incredible investors to share their insights in building and investing in global businesses, bringing different perspectives drawn from their own careers. Stay tuned for insights from Shannon Kalayanamitr and Per Welinder. Show Notes: 02:30: Shannon Kalayanamitr 12:05: Per Welinder Our first guest is Shannon Kalayanamitr, Partner at Gobi Partners. She has made her mark in the tech world building businesses such as Orami/ MOXY, Lazada, and PPTVThailand] and driving the ecosystem through tech investments as CEO of the IKIGAI GROUP and 5GCatalyst Technologies, in Southeast Asia. In today’s talk, Shannon brings a very unique approach to viewing M&As and marriages. Like marriage, M&A is a long-term commitment. And like marriage, M&A also requires a lot of work in order to be successful. Shannon gives some interesting insights that are applicable to both marriages and M&As. Our second speaker is the legendary skateboarder Per Welinder, who many people may know from the movie, Back to the Future. Per is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist focusing on culture, lifestyle, and consumer technologies. He has co-founded influential skateboard and lifestyle brands including Birdhouse, Flip, Baker, etc. In today’s talk, Per shares his story of how he transitioned his career from being a professional skateboarder, starting his own skateboard company, to becoming a venture capitalist and investing in lifestyle companies and the lessons he learned along the way. He is sure to entice the audience with his entrepreneurial insights as he has done with his skills on the skateboard. Many thanks to our 8X8 speakers; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话飞利浦创投创新高级总监曾勇勤博士：健康医疗行业如何拥抱开放式创新 | 30 Nov 2020 | 00:34:21 | |
Today, we have a very special episode we are bringing to you, together with She Loves Tech. She Loves Tech is the world’s largest startup competition for women and technology. During the last 6 years, they have created the environment necessary for female lead startups to thrive. Championing the best entrepreneurs through education and mentorship, to solve the funding gap for women. R&D and innovation are terms very often used interchangeably, especially in the business world. But how do these differ from each other? Do all inventions drive innovation? Does all the innovation require a new invention? And what is the role that startups play in the space? We have the perfect guest to answer these questions and more. Dr. Yongqin Zeng a scientist and engineer today Senior Director of Philips Research & Innovation and Lead at Philips open innovation program for healthcare startups. Her long and rich career has seen her do over a decade of research in academia before joining the private sector where she has done it all. She led multiple research departments in different industries, drove several venture projects that led to the creation of two new business units, and also facilitated over 10 Open Innovation projects involving universities, hospitals, and of course startups. Dr. Zeng’s work on Open Innovation is also featured in the book “Innovation in China” published by MIT in 2016. In this episode, Dr. Zeng helps us dive deeper into innovation and R&D from the perspectives of academia, corporations, and startups. Show Notes 2:24 Introduction to Dr. Yongqin Zeng 3:18 Moving from research in academia to research in the corporate world 4:30 Difference between R&D and Innovation. 7:00 Do all inventions drive innovation? 11:27 How monetization shapes the R&D pipeline for corporates. 18:28 Deep dive into healthcare startup ecosystem: The competitive advantage they possess to deliver results 20:51 Synergies between healthcare startups and hospitals: China trend vs Global trend 23:00 Strength of Open Innovation in healthcare ecosystem outside China 24:55 Models that will shape the future of open innovation 28:16 Open innovation models improving UI and UX in the healthcare industry 32:35 Getting in touch with Dr. Yongqin Zeng
Many thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Loeb & Loeb合伙人Benjamin Qiu：中国资本市场的后疫情复兴时代 | 16 Nov 2020 | 00:26:01 | |
The pandemic has changed the way how we meet, do business and plan for the future, but has it slowed down the pace of Chinese technology companies going public in overseas markets? Absolutely not! Chinese companies are coming out as winners, as now they are looking into overseas markets to secure more financing. In today’s episode, we asked the hard questions. How has the pandemic impacted on global financial markets? What has changed in 2020 when it comes to Chinese technology companies and the relationship between China and other markets? And what do these changes mean from a policy and legal perspective? Today, we will invite one of our old friends Benjamin Qiu, Partner of Loeb & Loeb, an international law firm based in the US and Asia. He has over 15-year experience in working with high growth companies in China and big VC firms such as GGV and Sequoia Capital. He is the perfect person to answer our questions and expand on the future outlook of the post-covid startup world. We will also talk about the relationship between China and other Asian markets including Southeast Asia and India, and how the recent events will change the way that China invests in those regions. Show Notes: 02:01 Introduce Benjamin Qiu 02:41 More Chinese tech companies got listed in overseas markets 05:02 China’s financial policy reforms 08:42 How the pandemic has impacted investors’ investment deals 12:54 Reasons behind the fast market recovery in China 16:05 Trends about China going to Southeast Asia 20:43 The impact created by the geopolitical intensions between China and India
Many thanks to our guest Benjamin Qiu; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 那些投资人们错失的亿级投资机会（分布式资本，远毅资本，SOSV） | 02 Nov 2020 | 00:21:35 | |
Welcome to the second episode of our new series “Inside the VC Mind” where we bring you the professionals from the venture capital world, who will deliver their observations, thoughts, and opinions. Today we are going to talk about those startups that investors missed but would have loved to invest in, with Remington Ong, Partner at Fenbushi Capital, Ray Yang, Partner at Marathon Venture Partners, and William Bao Bean, General Partner at SOSV and Managing Director at Chinaccelerator and MOX. Our guests: Remington Ong Ray Yang Ray is Partner at Marathon Venture Partners, a China-based early to growth stage fund focusing on digital healthcare transformation. Prior to Marathon Venture Partners, Ray was MD at Northern Light Venture Capital and Investment Director at Orchid Asia Group Management. Many of his investments have achieved listings on major stock exchanges or achieved exit via M&A, such as Burning Rock Riotech, a Chinese biotech company went public on NASDAQ. William Bao Bean William is General Partner at SOSV. a US$740m+ venture capital fund known as “the accelerator VC”. He is also the MD at Chinaccelerator, SOSV’s global Internet accelerator and the first accelerator to launch in China in 2010 and MOX, the mobile-only accelerator platform with 130m smartphone users in SE Asia. Before SOSV, William was one of the founding MDs at SingTel Innov8 Ventures and Partner at Softbank China & India Holdings. Show Notes: 01:00 Talk with Remington Ong 06:41 Talk with Ray Yang 14:00 Talk with William Bao Bean Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话前Yoox Net-A-Porter总经理Claire Chung：中国跨境奢侈电商行业的前世今生 | 23 Oct 2020 | 00:41:25 | |
Driven by the rise of China's middle and high-income classes and their crazy pursuit of better products, China is regarded as the engine of the global luxury industry. Brands from all over the world are rushing to enter the market and reach Chinese customers in different ways. E-commerce is something that brands cannot ignore. They have to accelerate the adoption if they want to have a say in this market. Today, we want to look back at the era when China's luxury e-commerce was just emerging. How did vertical e-commerce platforms bring overseas fashion and high-end brands to Chinese consumers? How did they open up a new business battlefield, and how many innovative experiments did they run to do so? After that, we are going to have some hands-on insights to learn what has changed in this industry. Brand attitude? Consumers? Channels? Formats? For example, the rise of e-commerce livestream? We are honored to invite Claire Chung, former China General Manager of Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, former vice president of global business development of Shangpin to join us and talk about luxury e-commerce over the past decade. This is Oscar Ramos, an e-commerce investor myself over the last decade in China, and your host for today. Let’s get a comprehensive understanding of the cross-border luxury commerce today. Show notes: 02:26 Educating overseas brands about the China market in Shangpin 05:03 The reasons why overseas brands rejected Chinese platforms in early days 08:05 Shangpin partnered with banks to build trust with customers 10:30 First time brought Topshop to China’s online space 13:22 Online consumers for high-end brands in China 16:37 The role of Shangpin in providing unique user experience 19:17 The importance of after-sales customer service 22:04 The biggest changes in China’s luxury ecommerce space 28:32 China’s innovation that is brought to the rest of the world 30:53 How the overseas perceives the innovation from China 35:00 The new definition of luxury Many thanks to our guest Claire Chung; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 早期融资时创始人需避免的第一大错误（启明创投、星瀚资本和伟高达创投） | 13 Oct 2020 | 00:18:01 | |
Welcome to the first episode of our new series “Inside the VC Mind” where we bring you the professionals from the venture capital world, who will deliver their observations, thoughts, and opinions.Today we are going to talk about the top one mistake that founders make during the fundraising process, with Helen Wong, Partner at Qiming Venture Partners, Gary Yang, Founding Partner at SkySaga capital, and Jeff Chi, Partner at Vickers Venture. EPISODE NOTES Our guests: Helen Wong Helen is Partner at Qiming Venture Partners and a founding team member at GGV Capital. Qiming is an early to growth stage venture capital firm, which currently manages four USD funds and three RMB funds with over $1.7 billion in assets. Helen’s successful exits at Qiming include Mobike (sold to Meituan), Luojiswei (unicorn valuation, sold to Tencent), and Lagou (sold to 51jobs). Helen was awarded by Forbes as Top100 VCs in China in 2018. Gary Yang Gary is Founding Partner at SkySaga Capital and Director of the China Venture Capital Association. Graduated from Tsinghua University, one of the top universities in China and the world, Gary is an experienced investor who led the investment of dozens of companies, including Yanjiyou, a well-known bookstore chain brand in China, Pencil Media, an upcoming tech media focusing on startup news, and more. SkySaga Capital is an early to growth stage venture capital firm, with a focus on industrial upgrades such as consumption upgrade and supply chain upgrade, and deep tech such as AI and biotech. Jeff Chi Vickers is a global venture capital firm with US$700 million focused on early-stage investments in Asia and beyond. The firm announced in 2017 that it has raised US$230 million to invest in startups around the world, with a particular focus on deep tech across the globe and impact investments in emerging markets. Vickers has 8 offices around the world and is one of the largest venture capital firms in Singapore and Shanghai. Show Notes: 01:04 Talk with Helen Wong 06:14 Talk with Gary Yang 10:19 Talk with Jeff Chi Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Twitter宕机鲸创作者陆怡颖：设计如何赋能科技和跨文化传播 | 19 Sep 2020 | 00:39:03 | |
In the startup world where we value technology and experiments that leverage "quick and dirty" prototypes, what’s the role of art and design? Especially for early stage startups, how should they utilize the power of design for their products or services? If we look at brands who are expanding to different markets, how can they develop a cross-cultural design mindset that helps them gain local recognition and avoid any sensitivities? During this week’s episode, we will discuss the value of design in early technology startups with Yiying Lu, the award-winning artist behind the Twitter Fail Whale and Dumpling emoji, named as “Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business” and Microsoft's “Top 10 Emerging Leader in Innovation”.Yiying has helped hundreds of tech startups build their brand and turn it into a competitive advantage. She believes that for technology companies, they are not B2B or B2C, but human to human, and “art is the best vehicle to communicate the core values of the human behind the technology”. Born in Shanghai China, educated in Sydney Australia and London UK, currently based in San Francisco, Yiying will also share one of her passions about how to leverage art to bridge the east and the west and share some cross-cultural campaigns that she has been involved in the past. Show notes: 02:08 Introducing Yiying Lu 03:00 How design helps with product experience 05:30 The role of emotional needs in design 10:50 Design as a strategic tool for tech companies 14:40 How early stage founders should pay attention to design 19:50 Own a cross-cultural mindset 27:33 Failed campaign examples when foreign companies enter China 31:50 Yiying’s cross-cultural campaign cases Many thanks to our guest Yiying Lu; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话Pegasus Tech Ventures：逆全球化浪潮下的中国IPO | 04 Sep 2020 | 00:40:43 | |
对话者：Oscar Ramos（主持人）& Sophie Yao（Pegasus Tech Ventures中国区总经理） 主题：管理Pre-IPO基金，逆全球化浪潮下的中国IPO趋势。 China is one of the world’s biggest and leading stock markets. As a result, China’s capital markets are gaining more interest from both domestic and international investors. But today, we are not talking a step back from investing in public companies and instead, talking about pre-IPO deals. What are pre-IPO deals? What are the risks and opportunities associated to pre-IPO deals? We also look at the typical range of investment in such deals and how similar or different are pre-IPO investors from investment bankers? We have the perfect guest to talk about the pre-IPO market today. Our guest today is Sophie Yao, the general manager of Pegasus Tech Ventures, which some people may know for their notable investments like SpaceX and Airbnb. Sophie currently manages a $1 billion fund that predominantly focuses on pre-IPO deals. She shares with us what goes on in the background when sourcing and investing in pre-IPO deals. We also touch upon the current economic tensions between the US and China and how that can impact companies looking to go public. Show Notes: 1:48 Introduction to Sophie Yao 2:59 The CVC 4.0 Model 4:33 Rationale behind corporate partnering with single LP funds 6:58 The $1 billion pre-IPO fund, what it is and why Pegasus invests in pre-IPO deals 8:04 Risks associated with pre-IPO deals 9:46 Pre-requisites in a pre-IPO deal. How do you measure returns? 12:28 Role of the pre-IPO investor in supporting companies 13:40 Evaluating potential investments 16.14 Next wave of IPOs from China 20:58 Revenue vs Technology: What matters more in deep tech investment 23:12 Does investor behavior shape the type of companies in China? 24:36 China’s STAR market and how it has performed so far 26:15 Companies doing well in the STAR market 26:45 Alibaba Ant dual IPO: Inflection point in Chinese companies' perspective on IPOs 28:41 Foreign companies listing in STAR market 29:23 US-China deteriorating relations and impact on internationalization of Chinese tech startups 31:29 Luckin’s impact on the perception of listed Chinese companies 34:36 Lessons for Series A or B founders 36:54 Pegasus’ area of investment and how to contact Sophie 37:53 Pegasus’ Incubation program Many thanks to our guest Sophie Yao; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 活动实录｜对话宜家中国、ZTP等：跨国企业如何实现数字化转型 | 17 Aug 2020 | 00:48:44 | |
Data and digitalization are hot topics not only in the startup ecosystem but also in the corporate world. We often hear about legacy businesses looking to transform themselves by using data to improve their business but what is the actual reality of data for businesses today? How are companies building brands based around data? Are the companies ready and are they really aware of how much value they can derive from data? What obstacles stand in their way? To answer these questions and more, we are bringing you today a very special episode that is part of "Pathway2Innovation". A regular online and offline events series initiated by the Corporate Innovation team of Chinaccelerator that will bring together startups and corporates to explore some of the most relevant topics in the open innovation space. In today’s episode we are joined by Kevin Lee, CDO at IKEA China; German Torrado, Managing Director at Genetsis E-commerce; Alexis RICHEZ, Venture Development and Partnerships at ZTP (The innovation arm behind one the largest retails groups in Europe including companies like Decathlon, Leroy Merlin our Auchan); and Abel Zhao, Co-founder and CEO at TravelFlan. Our guests come with a particular angle on data and digitalization. With their wealth of experiences, you will gain insightful learnings on how to use data to innovate within your organization especially in a post-Covid19 world. Show Notes [02:11] Introduction to Kevin Lee and understanding what Ikea is doing with data and insights Many thanks to our guest Kevin Lee, German Torrado, Alexis Richez and Abel Zhao; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| 对话联合创始人Neo Lv：Citybox魔盒如何从2017年无人零售大战中存活并继续增长 | 07 Aug 2020 | 00:39:06 | |
How Citybox Finds Own Position Among Fierce Unmanned Retail Competitions, with Co-founder & COO Neo Lv By the end of 2017, over 200 unmanned store startups were launched in China, which attracted more than US$620 million investment just during that year. However, after the hype faded, only a few companies survived from the fierce competitions, and Citybox is one of them. Citybox started their business on a totally different path. As a result, their smart vending machine solution can be flexibly deployed in different scenarios which allows them to find the right channels for distribution. In 2017 and 2018, Citybox raised Series A and B from top VCs, like GGV, ZhenFund and SIG China. Our guest today, Neo Lv, is one of the company’s co-founders and today’s COO. He will take us back to the initial stage of the company and share how Citybox decided to take a very different playbook in terms of business strategy, coming from a deep understanding of the industry and a very lean startup technology approach. Instead of spending their funding on business development and developing hardware, Citybox concentrated their efforts to automate their operations. Today, Citybox is also a great marketing tool for brands to test and launch new products thanks to the data they can collect from a very loyal customer base. Show Notes: 02:11 Introduction to Neo Lv and Citybox 04:47 Unmanned retail hype in 2017 & what makes Citybox unique 08:54 How Citybox monetizes data 12:51 How Citybox sustainably gets profitable among the strong competitions 18:27 Competitions bring new growth opportunities 24:47 How Citybox built their first generation of the smart vending machines 29:08 The future of unmanned retail 33:45 Compare China with other markets globally Many thanks to our guest Neo Lv; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Demystifying the World of DeFi, with Cao Yin | 31 Jul 2020 | 00:38:40 | |
DeFi or Decentralized Finance has become the hottest commodity in the blockchain space today. The DeFi movement follows a suite of strong hypes in the industry after ICOs, STOs, and IEOs. Today, over $2 billion dollars worth of tokens are locked in DeFi projects. Some of you might be wondering what is DeFi? But once you understand the concept the real questions are: what makes DeFi so different? Is it just another hype in the space? Who are the winners and losers? Chinese investors are among the most active investors in the space, Does this bring additional value or opportunities for Chinese DeFi startups? To help us answer these questions and more, we have invited to the show, Cao Yin, Founding Partner of Digital Renaissance Foundation, a Shanghai-based company that is helping to accelerate the future by consulting, incubating and financing projects in the blockchain ecosystem and investor in the first DeFi project launched in China. Show Notes [1:55] Introduction to Cao Yin [8:46] What makes blockchain so different? Hype vs Reality? [13:15] DeFi use cases [17:10] Winners and Losers from DeFi [21:26] How DeFi affects the government [25:04] Risks of DeFi. What can go wrong? [29:10] China's view on DeFi [32:19] Opportunities for DeFi startups today [33:58] Chinese DeFi investors [36:27] Contact Cao Yin and Digital Rennaisance Foundation Many thanks to our guest Cao Yin; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Building the World's Leading Mobile Analytics Platform from China | 16 Jul 2020 | 00:39:28 | |
How do you build a global business from China? What are the opportunities and challenges for founders operating in multiple geographical locations? Today, we have with us Bertrand Schmitt, Co-Founder & Chairman at App Annie, a leading mobile market data and analytics platform with data on over 8 million apps and thousands of websites. Today, App Annie is one of the most trusted names in mobile data analytics. As someone who entered the world of analytics in the early 2000s, Bertrand is a strong believer in the role of data and metrics in helping businesses build the products their customers want. With the growth of mobile apps, the need for new analytics was the inspiration to launch App Annie. In today’s episode, Bertrand takes us back to the initial stage of development of mobile data analytics with the advent of the iPhone and App Store, and how he identified a problem that was yet to surface and started App Annie. We then dive deep into how he moved to China and ended up launching a global business from Beijing at a time when the company hardly had any tangible China market exposure. Show Notes: 1:53 Introduction to Bertrand Schmitt 4:55 Early days of the mobile ecosystem and the problems within 6:28 Evolution of mobile operators' role in the industry 8:57 Centralization of content distribution in the mobile space 9:59 Apple vs Android ecosystem 10:59 Getting into the world of analytics and inspiration behind App Annie 12:26 Beginning of the China Story 14:55 Deciding to go into entrepreneurship in mobile analytics 16:30 Mobile analytics: Global problem or local (China) problem? 17:37 Perception of AppAnnie in the global market 18:57 Was China a critical element of success? 21:00 Experience of overseas fundraising from China 25:05 What triggered the move from Beijing to San Francisco 28:26 Learnings/ findings working across multiple geographical locations 32:06 Instrumental roles that made a difference to the company 33:12 Critical moment of evolution in China’s mobile industry/ecosystem 37:00 Lessons for entrepreneurs Many thanks to our guest Bertrand Schmitt; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Unraveling Digital Ads: The Cash Cow for Alibaba, with Donna Li | 07 Jul 2020 | 00:38:47 | |
Today we talk with Donna Li, a digital marketing veteran, who was part of the team that launched Alimama, the digital advertisement division of Alibaba, which is also the largest player by revenue in the digital advertising space in China. In this episode, Donna will bring us back to the early days when Alibaba, as an e-commerce company, started to explore the advertising revenue model. Donna will talk about how she worked for Yahoo China, which then became a strategic investor in Alibaba, and how she helped built Alimama. She will also share how she supported Taobao, a C2C e-commerce player, to beat their direct competitor eachnet which at the time had over 90% market share and was owned by eBay. At the end of the conversation, she will talk about the advertisement model in social networks as former CMO of Renren, the largest copycat of Facebook in China, and one of the most influential social networks at that time. Want to learn how Alibaba became successful through advertisement and is Amazon today following a similar playbook? Come join us to enjoy the conversation right now! Show Notes: 02:06 Introducing Donna Li 03:25 How did you get started in digital marketing in China 06:06 Digital marketing in China at around 2010 10:15 Transition from Yahoo to Alibaba 13:12 Advertising: Taobao’s monetization model 18:26 Alimama: Cash Cow for Alibaba 22:15 Is Amazon following a similar playbook? 25:50 New inventor: Bytedance 29:55 Advertisement as a business model for early-stage startups 34:10 Build digital measurement currency at Nielsen 35:42 Challenges for startups Many thanks to our guest Donna Li; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| From Bootstrapping to Being Acquired, with Mikaal Abdulla | 30 Jun 2020 | 00:41:34 | |
Welcome to yet another exciting episode of the China Startup Pulse Podcast. Our guest today is Mikaal Abdulla, Co-founder and CEO of 8 Securities, a zero-commission mobile-only securities platform that was recently acquired by SoFi. From bootstrapping the business to raising an impressive 1st round of $8 million followed by successive rounds to finally being acquired by SoFi in April, Mikaal and 8 Securities have turned a full-circle. In today’s episode, Mikaal shares with us his experience of starting his own business after having worked at eTrade for almost a decade, his motivations, and the highs and lows he has experienced over time. We dive deeper into the lessons he learned from the prototype of the product to successive iterations that followed. We also discuss startup fundraising, learning from competitors, and the importance of taking that leap of faith at opportune moments, which could define the future for a company as it did for 8 Securities. Show Notes: 1:41 Introduction to Mikaal Abdulla 2:31 Motivation to Start 8 Securities 4:12 Raising the first round of $8 million 7:50 How to measure traction 8:52 The importance of understanding customer needs 17:33 Finding the balance between consumers' needs and CEO's expectations 20:38 Going mobile: a pivotal moment 28:10 Surprising discovery entering into new market 32:32 Connection between funding and breakthroughs 34:40 Learning from constraints 38:11 SoFi acquisition 39:50 Advice to founders
Many thanks to our guest Mikaal Abdulla; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Scale WeChat to 1B users with Stephen Wang, User Growth & Engagement Director | 10 Jun 2020 | 00:52:06 | |
What has contributed to WeChat’s massive growth all over the world? What features make WeChat so instrumental for people’s life? Our guest today is Stephen Wang, who co-founded Rotten Tomatoes, a leading entertainment website focused on movie reviews and news, and most recently led the user growth and engagement at WeChat in the past 6 years until 2019. At WeChat, he managed a team of product managers and engineers to help scale WeChat from 300M to 1B users in China and around the world. In todays’s episode, Stephen will give us a deep dive into WeChat as a product and the mobile-only mentality behind it. As a product head in a product-centric company, Stephen shares the metric he cares the most. We will also take a look at the major shift of product management philosophy in China by using Bytedance as an example. Show Notes: 2:15 Welcome Stephen Wang 2:50 How different WeChat is as a product from the western perspective 5:37 What makes WeChat instrumental for people’s life 12:42 Innovation inspired by Tencent team culture 16:10 Product design in China (Examples: Douban, Weibo and Xiaomi) 21:50 What makes China a special ecosystem for digital product development 25:30 WeChat’s killer features: WeChat payment, Red Packets, Mini program 32:35 Balance privacy protection and user growth 39:20 Skills needed for talents in Tencent 43:35 Are Chinese companies hiring more international talents 49:10 The major shift of product management philosophy in China Many thanks to our guest Stephen Wang; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Evolution of Internet in China (1990s-2000s) with Fritz Demopoulos, Qunar.com | 02 Jun 2020 | 00:43:56 | |
With China having the highest number of internet users in the world with more than 750 million users, it is hard to imagine a time when there were only a few hundred users. Fortunately, we do not have to leave much to the imagination. Our guest for today, Demopoulos, has witnessed firsthand the rapid rise of internet development and adoption in China. Before the dotcom bubble of the early 2000s and well before China became the dominant internet economy it is today, Fritz came to China and is one of a handful of experts, who has not only led multinational businesses but also established successful businesses of his own. Fritz Demopoulos has been an entrepreneur and investor in the media and internet industry for over 15 years. He co-founded and exited Qunar.com, China’s largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China’s largest sports internet company. Fritz has also held senior positions at Neteast and The News Corporation. In today’s episode, Fritz dives deep into the early days of the internet in China. He shares his experience working in the media industry in China in the early days when people were still figuring out what the internet was. We also discuss the first-generation of internet entrepreneurs in China: how they started, what made them different, and more. We then move onto his own entrepreneurial journey in China. Starting a business in China as a foreigner is not easy, let alone a successful one. Fritz talks about how he managed to build his business in China by staying ahead of the curve, something that all entrepreneurs can learn from. Episode Notes: 02:30 Introduction to Fritz Demopoulos 03:05 Internet in China in 1997 05:15 How Fritz decided to come to China 05:44 What stood out in the Chinese business environment 07:33 The Dotcom Bubble and its Impact on China 09:12 The Major Driver of Business Growth in China 12:13 The Evolution of Early Internet Businesses in China 13:42 Appetite for Monetization 17:00 Value Addition over Monetization 18:41 User Interface in early 2000s 21:36 The First Generation of Chinese Internet Founders 24:35 Fritz's leap into entrepreneurship 26:48 Differentiating a Business and Standing Out of the Crowd 31:03 Raising Capital as a Foreigner in China 32:58 Inflection Point for China Internet that Changed Everything 35:11 China's Role in Global Tech 39:04 What keeps Fritz busy now 40:00 Fritz's Investment Thesis and Areas of Investment Interest 41:30 How to contact Demopoulos 41:55 Advice to Everyone Many thanks to our guest; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Building from Zero, and Lessons from Storeroom to Super App; 8x8 (3/3) | 25 May 2020 | 00:29:37 | |
Today we’re bringing you the final episode of our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Global Speakers Series where we invite some of the most accomplished members of the China startup ecosystem to share key lessons for startups in eight minutes or less. Our theme for this episode is entrepreneurship insights. Our two speakers today bring with them a plethora of experience to share with our listeners. Stay tuned for the insights from Yaw Yeo, General Manager for International Product and Business for Alibaba Cloud, and Cheryl Goh, Founding CMO at Grab. [01:51] Yaw Yeo [17:30] Cheryl Goh Yaw Yeo is the General Manager for International Product and Business for Alibaba Cloud. Prior to Alibaba, Yaw was responsible for new market expansion in the Asia-Pacific region for Twilio （NYSE:TWLO）. Yaw started wong with Twilio as an investor in 2012. He joined Twilio as employee #1 in Asia-Pacific in 2014 and witnessed Twilio’s growth from a startup of 50 employees to a publicly-traded company of 2,500 employees. Cheryl Goh is part of the founding team at Grab. Starting in Kuala Lumpur as a one-man marketing team, she has set up the marketing practise across Southeast Asia for Grab over the last six years. Today, she leads marketing in over 300 cities, covering all of Grab’s business verticals including transport, food, payments and logistics. She oversees Grab’s marketing efforts across the region, leading a team of over 500 marketers across Southeast Asia. In 6 years, Cheryl has built the Grab brand into a household name across Southeast Asia, and played a critical role in the company’s growth and progression from ride-hailing, into the region’s leading superapp. Under her leadership, the marketing team has led the development of demand shaping platforms which drives Grab’s growth using technology and automation. She also manages Grab’s social impact programme and published Grab’s first social impact report earlier this year. Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Being Focused, The Inspiration for Business, Founders' Mental Health; 8x8(2/3) | 18 May 2020 | 00:33:07 | |
This is the second episode from our Chinaccelerator 8X8 Global Speakers Series, where we bring 8 influential speakers to share their insights and experiences in 8 minutes. We have some great speakers lined up for this episode. [02:50] Patrick Lee [11:48] Fritz Demopoulos [21:54] Patrick Riley Patrick Lee is a serial entrepreneur best known for being a co-founder and former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes (rottentomatoes.com), a leading entertainment website focused on movie reviews and news. He is an advisor to a number of startups including Casetify, ChargeSPOT, Instaread, Kiwibot, Oishii, WePloy, and Zeuss Technologies; and a mentor at a number of organizations including SOSV, Berkeley SkyDeck, Blue Startups, and Founder Institute. Fritz Demopoulos has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 15 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China’s largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China’s largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation. Patrick Riley is the CEO at GAN and Managing Partner and Co-Founder of GAN Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund. Most recently, he was on the executive team at Techstars, where he oversaw its business development. He started his career working for W.L. Gore and Associates and moved into the leadership of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. Patrick left the Red Cross to manage the West Coast sales and operations for a venture-backed healthcare company that had an exit before joining Techstars and GAN. Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Fundraising during COVID19 & Surviving as a Travel company; 8x8 (1/3) | 08 May 2020 | 00:27:40 | |
Welcome everybody to another episode of the China Startup Pulse. We have a special one today. We are back with our Chinaccelerator 8x8 Speaker Series this year with eight influential speakers from all over the world to share their insights for startups in eight minutes. In this week’s episode, our speakers will share their experience and insights as to how startups can weather through the storm that is the Coronavirus pandemic. Our three guests bring different perspectives given their diverse backgrounds. [02:13] Edith Yeung [11:47] Yiying Lu [18:36] Abel Zhao Edith Yeung is a General Partner at Proof of Capital and advisor to 500 Startups. Previously, she was the GM at Dolphin Browser where she helped the company grow from 0 to 150 million app downloads. She has also led operation roles at several Fortune 500 companies. Yiying Lu is one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. She is the artist behind the globally celebrated Twitter Fail Whale and the dumpling emoji. She has worked with hundreds of tech startups and entrepreneurs around the world, sharing her experiences and educating them about creative innovation. Abel Zhao is the co-founder and CEO of TravelFlan, an award-winning AI and big data solutions company, empowering Fortune 500 companies including Samsung and China Mobile. Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| China’s Ambition on Electric Cars and The Brutal Competition, with Tu Le | 02 May 2020 | 00:39:31 | |
With 1.3 billion people, mobility is a massive challenge in china, not just about the intension between traditional petrol cars and new energy vehicles, but also delivery services and mid-volume logistics. What makes China as an early adopter in technology-focused mobility sectors, especially in Electric Vehicles (EVs)? What impacts the adoption of new energy vehicles (NEVs)? Our guest for today, Tu Le is the founder and Managing Director of Sino Auto Insights, a Beijing-based business intelligence and advisory firm that specializes in helping mobility companies develop tech-focused and innovative products and services. With over 20 years of experience in the industry from pure automotive to pure tech and finally combine both experiences together in China, he has very interesting insider perspectives to share with us. During our discussions with Tu Le, we will take a look at how the government has focused on developing NEVs in the past 10 years, analyze the brutal competition between traditional automotive players and new technologies-powered EV brands. We also want to remind everyone that there’s another party who is joining this battle - big tech giants like Apple and Xiaomi. In the end, we shed the spotlight on startups by discussing the new opportunities. Episode notes: 02:03 Introduce Tu Le 03:04 Define Mobility 03:45 How mobility impacts other industries 05:20 How China becomes one of the largest markets for mobility 08:40 More adoption of electric motorcycles in China 12:54 The brutal battle between the traditional automakers and new technologies-powered EV brands 17:53 Xiaomi and Apple to join the competition 20:25 Will few leading players occupy the whole EV market in the end? 22:40 Tesla gets massive support from the Chinese government 24:55 Supply Chain for production 29:00 Startups that traditional automotive players like to work with 34:55 Opportunities to achieve profitability 37:30 Contact Tu Le Many thanks to our guest Tu Le; host Oscar Ramos; producer Eva Shi; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| How Law and Policies Impact China's Internet Economy with Sam Cai | 24 Apr 2020 | 00:36:06 | |
Today’s guest Sam Cai is a legal and policy expert in Internet-related legislation, intellectual property rights and WTO rules, involved in different Chinese and international institutions. Currently he acts as Deputy Director and Chief Researcher of Cyberlaw Center at one of the largest tech companies in China. Episodes Notes: 02:00 Introduce Sam Cai 02:45 What is Prism Think Tank 03:20 How China Internet Policies have evolved 04:53 Three approaches to make policies 08:02 Why China takes a relatively open approach for new things 09:47 What is “Internet +” 12:00 Are policies different for foreigners and local players 13:30 E-commerce cases 15:30 Legal and policy issues around data privacy and Artificial Intelligence 19:04 GDPR’s impact on the industry globally 23:15 Opportunities for foreign companies 26:30 A license-based regulation model 29:10 Future regulations and policies in Europe, the US and China 20:15 New government plan in China - “New Infrastructure” 31:00 The role of regulations in the internationalization of Chinese companies 31:56 Suggestions for foreign companies coming to China 34:34 How to contact Sam Many thanks to our guest Sam Cai; host Oscar Ramos; producer Eva Shi; editors David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Unveil Impact Investing Under COVID-19, with Paul Meyers, Asian Digital Veteran | 17 Apr 2020 | 00:28:57 | |
The general public is increasingly becoming more aware of the value of sustainability. How is the investment world reacting to that? Impact investing - investment that generates positive social or environmental impact alongside financial returns. Today, we have a great conversation about impact investing with Paul Meyers, an Asian digital veteran with over 25 years of experience, who helped set up ADBVentures, the Asian Development Bank’s first emerging market impact fund. Paul explains what impact investing specifically means in emerging markets and extend the conversation to how the current COVID-19 outbreak will make a difference. He also introduces startup cases to illustrate what impact investors are looking at when making decisions. Episodes Notes: 01:50 Impact investing in emerging markets 04:20 How COVID-19 impacts the impact investing 09:48 How COVID-19 impact entrepreneurs to adjust their business 12:30 How startups get the attention from impact investors 15:48 SE Asian startups tend to solve their local Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) problems first 16:53 Impact investing from China to Southeast Asia 18:31 What startups deliver social impact 20:51 Asian organizations with a global vision of gender equality 23:00 What encourages the changes for female entrepreneurs 26:25 How to contact Paul Meyers *About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): “The SDGs, as they’re known, set quantitative and qualitative targets and delivery timelines for impact-focused action through 2030. From eradicating poverty (Goal 1) to ensuring the availability and management of clean water access (Goal 6) to combatting climate change (Goal 13) and others." (Paul Meyers) Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Paul Meyers; producer Eva Shi; editors David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| Investing in Risks with Peter Mao, Co-founder of Panda Capital | 07 Apr 2020 | 00:41:03 | |
Venture Capital is about venture and investing in startups that are doing something that has never been done. Still, a lot of investors think more about the risks associated with new technologies and business models that potentially will work. Today’s guest clearly looks at the risky opportunities, not just as best for investment but the only ones worth considering. Peter Mao is Co-founder and Partner at Panda Capital. During his over 12-year experience in the venture capital firms, he has been part of the investment team behind companies like Xiaomi and more recently Mobike, a bike-sharing company where he led the Series B and eventually exited it at USD 2.7billion within just 18 months. In this episode, Peter will talk about Panda Capital’s three preferred risky areas for investment, their data-driven investment approach and how he evaluates both external factors (e.g. market) or internal ones (e.g. team) during the Due Diligence process. He will also share the most common deal breakers he saw in the past for Series A companies. EPISODE NOTES 01:46 Introduce Peter Mao 03:11 Introduce Panda Capital 05:35 The geographic focus for investment 06:17 How to react to the current downturn 07:49 Is it now a bad timing for deep technology companies? 11:07 The industries that can thrive from the COVID-19 crisis 12:51 The risky companies to invest 14:22 Three types of companies that are risky but full of opportunities 19:17 Are Chinese VCs looking for more obvious winners? 22:21 How to evaluate risks 25:30 How Peter evaluates founders and teams 27:20 The business metrics Peter care about 30:00 Deal breakers for Series A companies 35:50 Why Panda Capital has a different investment strategy 41:05 How to contact Peter Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Peter Mao; producer Eva Shi; editors David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||
| How Snapask Started with a Facebook Page, with Founder Timothy Yu | 30 Mar 2020 | 00:36:37 | |
You don’t need to code to launch a unicorn startup. Through a non-code or low-code MVP (Minimum Viable Product), entrepreneurs can easily validate the assumptions, understand customers’ real pain points and test whether the business model will work or not. That simple lesson is ignored by many founders and is behind the failure of countless business initatives. Today’s guest Timothy Yu, founder and CEO of Snapask, an on-demand tutoring platform labeled as “Uber for Tutors” which just raised $35M in Series B, did not know about low fidelity prototyping. But he used the concept before he went through the SOSV Chinaccelerator’s Batch 8 program. In today’s conversation, Tim will share how the company has grown from a simple Facebook page to an arising edtech company with over 100 employees, operating in 8 Asian markets and reaching almost 300million users. Tim will also give us a deep analysis on its two users - tutors and users and the data-driven strategies to acquire and retain both of them. Is technology shaping the future education industry? “How people can attain the ability of self-learning and apply them in life is going to be one of the most important skills in the future”, this is what Timothy believes and what Snapask is trying to offer. EPISODE NOTES 02:26 Welcome Tim 03:08 What is Snapask 06:08 The tutorial market and how Snapask got started 06:27 Snapaks operates in 8 markets 07:00 How the COVID-19 impacts the remote education 08:10 The vision and the first version of Snapask 11:28 Finding the profiles of users 12:30 The stereotypes of asking questions in Asian culture 14:00 Targeting at parents or students? 20:00 The tutors on Snapask 25:00 Investors care about the supply-demand balance 29:00 What is the next for Snapask 31:30 How will COVID-19 impact the future of education 35:00 How to contact Timothy Yu Many thanks to our host Oscar Ramos; our guest Timothy Yu; producer Eva Shi; editors David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsors People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com Share, subscribe, review, enjoy! Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/ Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com | |||