Podcasts about chinaccelerator

In this episode you will learn:Why did Aly start a VC fund focussed on Web3 and other emerging techsWhat are some of the differences and similarities of investing in Web3 companies when compared to SAAS companies?What are the risks of tokenisation?“If you have a good social media presence or an audience, Web3 startups would want your money.” How true is this statement?What are some of the transparency issues in web3 startups?Can venture capital move away from the current partnership model to a DAO model in the future?Is Jack Dorsey right when he says VCs control Web3?AboutAly Madhavji 穆亚霖 is the Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund which invests in and venture builds top-tier startups. He is a Limited Partner on Loyal VC and Draper Goren Holm. Aly consults organizations on emerging technologies such as INSEAD and the UN on solutions to help alleviate poverty. He is a Senior Blockchain Fellow at INSEAD and was recognized as a “Blockchain 100” Global Leader by Lattice80.He is an internationally acclaimed author, publishing three books and a monthly columnist for the leading blockchain magazine. Aly serves as a board member of CryptoStar Corp. (TSXV: CSTR), Soluna Holdings (NASDAQ: SLNH) and has served on various advisory boards including the University of Toronto's Governing Council, which manages a $2.5B budget. He is a mentor with Chinaccelerator, an elite accelerator program operated by the venture fund SOSV with $1.1B+ AUM and the Mobile Only Accelerator (MOX).Aly holds a Master of Global Affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar from Tsinghua University (清华大学), a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD (Singapore and France), and a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction from the University of Toronto.

On this episode co-host Audrey interviews Art Dicker. He is a senior lawyer at R&P China Lawyers, a full service PRC law firm advising international businesses in China. Art spent the last 15 years working in China to advise technology, manufacturing, and consumer companies on structuring their investments and managing legal risk in their operations here. Art began his legal career at the New York law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel working on private equity deals.  He has since been located in China since 2007 when he moved to the Beijing office of Morrison & Foerster, an international law firm with headquarters in San Francisco, to work predominantly on China and US venture capital financings and cross- border M&A.  He has also advised many US technology, manufacturing, and consumer companies on structuring their investments and operations in China.   In 2011, Art joined Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ: CDNS) to lead its Asia Pacific legal department. He was co-chair of the American Chamber of Commerce Legal Committee in Shanghai.  He is a frequent speaker in English and Chinese on cross-border investing at top tier Chinese universities and industry conferences, and has been an active angel investor and mentor at Chinaccelerator for many years. Art got his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, his JD from George Washington University, and his MBA from the University of Southern California (USC).  He is fluent in written and spoken Chinese.   Connect with Art on LinkedIn  Self-learning is of paramount importance in the business world, listen to your international peers and step up your game.Connect with the host  Leonardo Marra on LinkedIn  Follow the page on LinkedIn  ***This episode is sponsored by International Expansion Explained. Are you looking to expand internationally, but you're not sure where to start? Or you export already but would like to venture further overseas? Reach out to arrange an international clarity session and learn more about growth plans here International Expansion StrategyPartners SearchOngoing sales and branding supportIndividual one on one support

Topics Discussed and Key Points:●      About Relay Video●      The typical dynamics between creative agencies and their Chinese clients●      How Relay aims to “create China's first truly global brand”●      How roadshow videos become an IPO marketing tool for companies●      Monetizing your YouTube channel as a China vlogger in 2022●      About Jim's upcoming app, Relay.club Episode Summary:Today on The Negotiation, we talk with Jim Fields, Founder and CEO of Relay Video, a Beijing-based creative marketing agency that specializes in creating stunning pieces of video content, both for disruptive startup businesses and large technology brands.Established in 2016, Relay Video was built on the belief that Chinese brands are the brands of the future. Relay's mission, therefore, is to make films that tell the stories of these brands to a global audience.Jim is also a marketing consultant for the Chinese venture capital investment fund 10Fund and a mentor at Chinaccelerator.Asked about Relay's unique thrust as a creative marketing agency in China, Jim explains that “the rush to iterate” that the market is known for comes at the expense of the brand story. “Each story is different,” says Jim. “But, the key thing is clarifying the narrative and then using that clarified narrative in a visual format that makes the company's mission make sense to viewers.”Further, the goal is to create videos that those who do not live in China can relate to, not just on a rational level, but on an emotional one, too. To this end, Relay makes sure “to visualize not just the company but the actual landscape of China” in its films.Jim also talks about his YouTube channel, GRTR, and his experience so far as an American China vlogger in 2022. Key Quotes:“You're starting to see brands in China that have products which are either at the same level or perhaps even surpass their counterparts in other markets. The interesting part about it is, in China, a lot of the founders of these companies are STEM graduates who know a lot about engineering and how to create a product; but, they might not know about the soft skills—storytelling, communications, PR, marketing. Especially when these companies take that step onto the global stage, many of them are lacking marketing collateral and materials that are going to tell that story—particularly in English—to a global audience.” “For a lot of folks who live outside of China, China is a complete unknown. So, when you think about film, we really have to find a way to visualize not just the company but the actual landscape of China—whether it's things like the ease of delivery that takes place in Chinese cities or the ubiquity of mobile payments or the fact that most folks are interacting primarily with technology products on mobile as opposed to via desktop. So, we have to really find a way to encapsulate the entire landscape of China in 2022 via these films and do it in a way that someone who lives in a Western market who has never stepped foot in China can actually understand.”

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:1:28 Intro 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 Venturesthanks 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 WebsiteFollow us on LinkedIn: Asia Startup PulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

Final call for signing up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 on Eventbrite. We will soon be back with the brand-new season. 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:1:28 Intro 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 Venturesthanks 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 WebsiteFollow us on LinkedIn:  Asia Startup PulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcastAs 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.Shownotes2:26 Peng's journey as an investor3:54 Main differences btw seed round and Series A9:47 More capital investment in SEA10:52 The most interesting trend in SEA11:28 “Technification” in China12:36 The opportunities of “technification” in SEA15:05 “There is no way for a company to grow that fast without technology”18:03 The core DNA of a successful founding team19:26 China's role in SEA's service industry22:58 The role of Chinese and Japanese corporate venture capital in SEA26:56 The infrastructure development in SEA28:57 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.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcastIn 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:2:26 Peng's journey as an investor3:54 Main differences btw seed round and Series A9:47 More capital investment in SEA10:52 The most interesting trend in SEA11:28 “Technification” in China12:36 The opportunities of “technification” in SEA15:05 “There is no way for a company to grow that fast without technology”18:03 The core DNA of a successful founding team19:26 China's role in SEA's service industry22:58 The role of Chinese and Japanese corporate venture capital in SEA26:56 The infrastructure development in SEA28:57 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.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

In today's episode, we talk with 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!Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcastShow Notes02:10 Introduction to Sanjay Nath02:55 Sanjay's transition from consulting to VC07:41 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas11:20 Overcoming the barriers of  cross-border expansion16:38 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices24:10 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 128:22 Popular revenue models among Indian startups31:04 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion38:22 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China41:05 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe45:17 Sanjay's final thoughts Many thanks to our guests  Sanjay Nath; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcastWe 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 Notes02:10 Introduction to Sanjay Nath02:55 Sanjay's transition from consulting to VC07:41 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas11:20 Overcoming the barriers of cross-border expansion16:38 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices24:10 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 128:22 Popular revenue models among Indian startups31:04 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion38:22 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China41:05 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe45:17 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

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=podcastToday, 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 Tan4:21 - Transition from startup founder to venture capitalist6:06 - Introduction to Quest Ventures7:20 - Most rewarding achievements of running a marketplace9:37 - Why James is excited about marketplaces12:23 - The advantages of a marketplace over a B2C company15:41 - How to manage and control your marketplace17:55 - The most innovative marketplace models that James has seen20:28 - Is a marketplace in Southeast Asia a regional business?23:21 - The right time for marketplaces to internationalise25:53 - How should companies localise in Indonesia?31:31 - Where should Indonesian companies internationalise to34:13 - When should companies reconsider expansion35:13 - How to innovate the marketplace revenue model?40:11 - Does “marketplace” have a higher valuation multiple compared to e-commerce?Related EpisodesBuilding the Biggest Used-car Marketplace in SEA, with Aaron Tan, founder of Carro (Ep 159)Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseTo join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.comMany thanks to our guests James Tan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

In this episode, we go deep into marketplaces  with James Tan, Managing Partner at Quest Ventures. 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. Sign up for Chinaccelerator 20 Demo Day Nov 24 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinaccelerator-demo-day-20-livestream-20-tickets-188035859317?aff=podcastShow notes:2:43 - Introduction to James Tan4:21 -  Transition from startup founder to venture capitalist6:06 - Introduction to Quest Ventures7:20 -  Most rewarding achievements of running a marketplace9:37 -  Why James is excited about marketplaces12:23 -  The advantages of a marketplace over a B2C company15:41 -  How to manage and control your marketplace17:55 -  The most innovative marketplace models that James has seen20:28 - Is a marketplace in Southeast Asia a regional business?23:21 -  The right time for marketplaces to internationalise25:53 -  How should companies localise in Indonesia?31:31 - Where should Indonesian companies internationalise to34:13  - When should companies reconsider expansion35:13  - How to innovate the marketplace revenue model?40:11  - Does “marketplace” have a higher valuation multiple compared to e-commerce?Follow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseTo join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.Email us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.comMany thanks to our guest  James Tan; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and  Sagar Chaudhary; editor David Xu; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

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 missionWhat we can do in a world of planned obsolescenceEconomic benefits to a circular economyHow ROEHL is speeding up the rate of green-tech adoption, starting with air-purifying productsChina's leading position in green technologyThe most exciting opportunities for new companies in the sectorAbout 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-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

EPISODE SUMMARYWe 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. About the speaker: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 Group02:29 How the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of agritech05:52 Contactless technologies to automate infrastructure operations for powerlining and solar farms07:15 Transforming traditional labor-intensive agriculture jobs into tech talents10:15 How the Uberization of agritech has created a new micro-economy13:05 Southeast Asia's governments are already channeling agriculture subsidy into the adoption of technology18:36 How Aerodyne tackled the challenges of adoption and scaling a cross-border team22:00 The future of aerial robotics and AI's pivotal role in the ecosystem26:40 Entering the bigger B2C market with the super-app model for agriculture32:35 What the world can learn from China's speed of innovation and Southeast Asia's massive opportunitiesMany thanks to our guests Kamarul Muhamed; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; 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-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

EPISODE SUMMARYThe 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 NOTESRobby 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 Notes02:35 How Animoca made its foray into blockchain games with Dapper Labs and CryptoKitties04:25 How blockchain revolutionizes gaming with digital ownership09:02 Incentives for people to spend more money on blockchain games11:24 A fully decentralized game is a lot like a democracy12:50 Behind the rise of NFTs: companies at the intersection of gaming and DeFi such as Sky Mavis15:52 Could blockchain the third tech revolution?19:11 Robby Yung's investment philosophy22:15 How virtual experiences will change the traditional business model24:21 What we need to speed up blockchain adoption27:27 Why regulations will increase clarity and transparency32:16 The attraction of collectibles and art36:05 The metaverse 10 years from nowMany thanks to our guests Robby Yung; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; 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-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

Jeff Paine is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of Golden Gate Ventures, an early stage technology venture capital fund based in Singapore. Golden Gate Ventures currently has over US$175 million under management and has made investments in over 45 companies since 2012 across Southeast Asia. Jeff also started and manages the Founder Institute incubator in Singapore. Since 2010 the Founder Institute has graduated over 100 companies in Southeast Asia and Japan, and he received the Director Award for “Greatest Ecosystem Impact” Worldwide for his work there. He's currently an investor and advisor to Redmart, Tradegecko, Coda Payments, and mentor at JFDI Asia, Chinaccelerator and of course at the Founder Institute. Jeff is a Singapore native, but he spent the first eight years of his career in early stage venture and private equity in the US, and he graduated from USC, so he understands how things work in Silicon Valley and in Southeast Asia, and he's is an ideal person to help folks like me understand how to think about the region when taking technology from here to there. Below are the topics we cover during this hour-long conversation: How the investing and startup environment has evolved over the past 10 years in Southeast Asia, and since the pandemic began How to think about and prioritize the markets that make up Southeast Asia Where this region should fit in a global expansion timeline The types of businesses that are succeeding in the region The best places to find engineering talent, and what to look for The first wave of regional unicorns, and lessons being applied by the second generation of entrepreneurs in SEA Advice for founders and entrepreneurs on how to approach this region, and things to be cautious about

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 NOTESThe 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 NeilMany 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

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 missionWhat we can do in a world of planned obsolescenceEconomic benefits to a circular economyHow ROEHL is speeding up the rate of green-tech adoption, starting with air-purifying productsChina's leading position in green technologyThe most exciting opportunities for new companies in the sectorAbout 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-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

“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. About the speaker: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 Group02:29 How the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of agritech05:52 Contactless technologies to automate infrastructure operations for powerlining and solar farms07:15 Transforming traditional labor-intensive agriculture jobs into tech talents10:15 How the Uberization of agritech has created a new micro-economy13:05 Southeast Asia's governments are already channeling agriculture subsidy into the adoption of technology18:36 How Aerodyne tackled the challenges of adoption and scaling a cross-border team22:00 The future of aerial robotics and AI's pivotal role in the ecosystem26:40 Entering the bigger B2C market with the super-app model for agriculture32:35 What the world can learn from China's speed of innovation and Southeast Asia's massive opportunitiesMany thanks to our guests Kamarul Muhamed; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; 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-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

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 Notes02:35 How Animoca made its foray into blockchain games with Dapper Labs and CryptoKitties04:25 How blockchain revolutionizes gaming with digital ownership09:02 Incentives for people to spend more money on blockchain games11:24 A fully decentralized game is a lot like a democracy12:50 Behind the rise of NFTs: companies at the intersection of gaming and DeFi such as Sky Mavis15:52 Could blockchain the third tech revolution?19:11 Robby Yung's investment philosophy22:15 How virtual experiences will change the traditional business model24:21 What we need to speed up blockchain adoption27:27 Why regulations will increase clarity and transparency32:16 The attraction of collectibles and art36:05 The metaverse 10 years from nowMany thanks to our guests Robby Yung; host Oscar Ramos; producers Sagar Chaudhary and Lace Nguyen; editor David; 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-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

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 Notes01:35 Introduction to Sanjay Nath02:20 Sanjay's transition from consulting to VC07:06 The trend of Indian startups expanding overseas10:54 Overcoming the barriers of cross-border expansion16:03 How Blume VC supports startups with their expertise and best practices23:35 Localisation vs Internationalisation from Day 127:47 Popular revenue models among Indian startups30:29 The second-order effect of Covid19 on cross-border expansion37:47 Opportunities for Indian SaaS companies in China40:30 Leveraging diaspora and ecosystems to expand to the US and Europe44:42 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

This is the very first episode that introduces the people behind the show, the origin story of the podcast, the upcoming topics, the cadence and the methodology. Ideas Discussed in the show: AI, Climate Change, Quantum Computing, CRISPR, Blockchain, Web 3.0, Philosophy, Stoicism,  etc. People mentioned in the show (in order of appearance): Andrew Ng,  Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Tim Ferriss, Charles Darwin. Companies/ organizations mentioned in the show (in order of appearance):  XNode,  Chinaccelerator, Singularity University, Descript, The Paris Climate Accord. Show info:  Website, TwitterCo-hosts & Creators:  Kapil, Ravi 

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 Capital5:22 What has kept Chris Lerner living in China9:12 What makes the Chinese VC industry different13:10 The DNA of Chinese corporate VCs (CVCs)15:13 Conflicts happen when startups work with different CVCs17:38 What takes to launch a VC fund19:57 Who is investing in VC funds in China24:40 The difference between RMB funds and USD funds27:44 How VC funds can exit themselves in China31:38 The trends of consolidation for financial returns33:18 What support MSA Capital provides to startups38:13 Potential opportunities for foreign startups to enter China41:18 The opportunity of foreign VCs to enter China42:32 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

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 Capital5:22 What has kept Chris Lerner living in China9:12 What makes the Chinese VC industry different13:10 The DNA of Chinese corporate VCs (CVCs)15:13 Conflicts happen when startups work with different CVCs17:38 What takes to launch a VC fund19:57 Who is investing in VC funds in China24:40 The difference between RMB funds and USD funds27:44 How VC funds can exit themselves in China31:38 The trends of consolidation for financial returns33:18 What support MSA Capital provides to startups38:13 Potential opportunities for foreign startups to enter China41:18 The opportunity of foreign VCs to enter China42:32 How to contact Chris LernerMany 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

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 Notes02:20 Introduction to Hussain Elius03:22 How Pathao came into existence05:48 What the status quo was before Pathao08:21 Inspiration behind founding Pathao11:10 The competitive landscape for Pathao13:50 The competition against Uber17:20 Understanding why the “Uber-way” was not the way to go22:37 Lessons learned from Gojek25:30 Pathao's expansion to Nepal29:05 Evolution of Hussain's role32:43 Does mentorship matter?36:03 Final thoughtsMany 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

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 Notes02:20 Introduction to Hussain Elius03:22 How Pathao came into existence05:48 What the status quo was before Pathao08:21 Inspiration behind founding Pathao11:10 The competitive landscape for Pathao13:50 The competition against Uber17:20 Understanding why the “Uber-way” was not the way to go22:37 Lessons learned from Gojek25:30 Pathao's expansion to Nepal29:05 Evolution of Hussain's role32:43 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

Our guest for this episode is William Bao Bean, a general partner at SOSV, one of the most active seed investors in the world. He manages Chinaccelerator, a global Internet accelerator focused on helping B2B start-ups enter China and Chinese start-ups expand overseas, and MOX, a mobile online accelerator. We discuss why William decided to ditch equity research for venture capital, mistakes B2B start-ups make when entering China, and Chinaccelerator and MOX's unique approach to helping start-ups find customers quick and cheap.

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 NOTES03:14 Introduction to Ilaria Chan07:04 Ilaria's expertise in Impact Investment09:32 Understanding the reality of Impact Invest and Difference between East & West14:50 Impact vs Profitability: The quandary for social entrepreneurs for raising funds20:09 How Tech Unicorns are making social impact a big of their proposition26:05 Tangible impact vs Intangible Impact: Is one less important than the other?30:22 The “green-washing” trend in impact investment34:41 Flow of innovation from East to the West43:44 Connect with IlariaMany 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

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 NOTES03:14 Introduction to Ilaria Chan07:04 Ilaria's expertise in Impact Investment09:32 Understanding the reality of Impact Invest and Difference between East & West14:50 Impact vs Profitability: The quandary for social entrepreneurs for raising funds20:09 How Tech Unicorns are making social impact a big of their proposition26:05 Tangible impact vs Intangible Impact: Is one less important than the other?30:22 The “green-washing” trend in impact investment34:41 Flow of innovation from East to the West43:44 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: asp-team@asiastartuppulse.com

We spoke with Kyle Yang from Chinaccelerator. He shared his insight about how startups can get funded in China, what the current VC/PE environment is these days, what makes a successful startup, and if foreign startups can still compete. If you're interested in Connecting with Kyle, here is his LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkyleyang/Visit China Expat Investor, here: https://chinaexpatinvestor.com/

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 Ronen03:13 What is AppsFlyer05:03 China's strategic value for AppsFlyer and vice-versa11:04 AppsFlyer's value proposition for Chinese startups expanding overseas14:53 What made AppsFlyer special: The need for independent analytics20:59 Dealing with competitors: How to create moats?23:56 Localizing product to suit the China market27:41 How AppsFlyer stays independent in the Age of Splinternet34:05 The Success Playbook for AppsFlyer37:08 Ronen's Mantra for Success42:05 How to contact RonenMany 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 websiteShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn: Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

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 Ronen03:13 What is AppsFlyer05:03 China's strategic value for AppsFlyer and vice-versa11:04 AppsFlyer's value proposition for Chinese startups expanding overseas14:53 What made AppsFlyer special: The need for independent analytics20:59 Dealing with competitors: How to create moats?23:56 Localizing product to suit the China market27:41 How AppsFlyer stays independent in the Age of Splinternet34:05 The Success Playbook for AppsFlyer37:08 Ronen's Mantra for Success42:05 How to contact RonenMany 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 www.chinaccelerator.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

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 Tan3:48 Transition from startup founder to venture capitalist5:35 Introduction to Quest Ventures6:50 Most rewarding achievements of running a marketplace 8:40 What James was excited about marketplace11:50 The advantages that a marketplace has to serve customers 15:08 How to manage or control your marketplace17:00 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 business25:00 How to localise in Indonesia? 30:58 The next market that Indonesian companies expand to33:40 When should companies reconsider expansion34:35 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.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.

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:2:10 Introduction to James Tan3:48 Transition from startup founder to venture capitalist5:35 Introduction to Quest Ventures6:50 Most rewarding achievements of running a marketplace8:40 What James was excited about marketplace11:50 The advantages that a marketplace has to serve customers15:08 How to manage or control your marketplace17:00 The most innovative marketplace models that James has seen19:22 Is a marketplace in Southeast Asia a regional business?22:48 The timing for marketplaces to internationalise the business25:00 How to localise in Indonesia?30:58 The next market that Indonesian companies expand to33:40 When should companies reconsider expansion34:35 How to innovate the marketplace revenue model?39:38 Does “marketplace” have a higher valuation multiple compared to e-commerce?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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

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 Deng4:12 How the narrative around the crypto industry has evolved6:48 Introduction to Dragonfly Capital and their unique proposition9:19 How traditional VCs are working with crypto VCs11:10 Crypto is Global from Day 1!13:21 How crypto VCs work with founders16:17 Understanding the intricacies of Sequoia China as an LP in Dragonfly Capital21:14 Building in the bear market24:14 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 space35:12 Is NFT the next ICO?36:35 NFT in China38:09 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

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 Deng4:12 How the narrative around the crypto industry has evolved6:48 Introduction to Dragonfly Capital and their unique proposition9:19 How traditional VCs are working with crypto VCs11:10 Crypto is Global from Day 1!13:21 How crypto VCs work with founders16:17 Understanding the intricacies of Sequoia China as an LP in Dragonfly Capital21:14 Building in the bear market24:14 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 space35:12 Is NFT the next ICO?36:35 NFT in China38:09 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

We check in with Sean O'Sullivan, once of Kinsale, Cork, and now US based inventor, innovator and major driving force in an explosion of Climate Tech based exciting, environmentally positive solutions. This interview is a little longer than usual, but covers some really interesting insights and positive solutions for our shared future. Sean O'Sullivan is managing partner of SOSV, a venture capital firm which specializes in accelerator programs for very early stage companies and is one of the most active venture investors in the world. SOSV runs the world's most active accelerators in hardware (HAX), life sciences (IndieBio), and Asia cross-border startups (Chinaccelerator/MOX) and blockchain (dlab). O'Sullivan's first company, MapInfo, grew to a $200 million revenue public company with over 1,000 employees, and popularized street mapping on computers. His first internet company, NetCentric, developed many concepts in internet computing, and he is credited as the co-creator of the term “cloud computing”. O'Sullivan received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a MFA in Film Production from USC. O'Sullivan is on the board of Khan Academy, Sun Genomics, the Tyndall Institute, the Autism Impact Fund and a number of private companies. SOSV is a venture capital and investment management firm that provides seed, venture and growth stage funding to startup companies in the technology sector. The company's focus is on accelerating startups via their market specific seed accelerator programs located in Europe, Asia and the USA. Wikipedia Check out the Climate Tech 100 also -> SOSV has always been keen on technology and startups that promise better human and planetary health. In recent years, climate tech has been an especially big priority at our IndieBio (biotech) and HAX (hardware) accelerator programs, and a steady emphasis at MOX (global mobile consumer) and Chinaccelerator (enterprise Asia). The SOSV Climate Tech 100 marks the first time we've analyzed our 1,000 company portfolio to present our top climate tech investments. We are pleased to report that as of April 2021 the SOSV Climate Tech 100 have raised $1.85 billion from investors and have a market cap of $5.65 billion. The average company is four years old. SOSV has invested $89 million in these companies and was in most cases the first investor, though we continued investing through early rounds. Not all the companies on the list contribute in the same way to climate tech, so we grouped them in three broad tiers. The core (71) are companies that aim to disrupt incumbent, carbon-intensive technologies. The adjacent (25) are companies that have an indirect impact on climate change, for example by re-using waste or power consumption. And marketplaces (4) typically provide consumers with more cost and carbon efficient solutions. Here are a few data points to help navigate The SOSV Tech Climate 100. We divided the companies into five industry categories: Food (50), Manufacturing(28), Transport (9), Energy (7) and Building Systems (6). There are 14 countries represented, with the US (65), Canada (9), Singapore (6), and the UK (6) topping the list. 40 percent of the companies have at least one female founder. And a final note: SOSV has invested in more than 40 additional climate tech companies that we also love but didn't make the cut this year!

Today, we invite our guest Rui Ma, founder of Tech Buzz China and former Investment Partner at 500 Startups, to discuss these questions in detail on our show. Rui has fifteen years of experience in technology and finance, spanning seed stage to pre-IPO investing spread evenly between the U.S. and China.Show Notes:1:51 Introduction to Rui Ma2:01 The anti-monopoly policy in China3:28 The reason why Chinese Internet ecosystems don't collaborate5:03 Does the regulation help with the competition8:35 The case of Qihu360 and Tencent11:10 What triggered the recent regulation13:29 Public reaction towards the regulation18:30 The regulation's impact on entrepreneurs20:17 Will the fine drive new changes in tech giants24:50 How China is catching up with other markets28:45 Will the regulation be detrimental to innovation33:35 How to contact Rui MaMany thanks to our guests Rui Ma; 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.comShare, 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.comFollow us on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-startup-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

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 ThinkingMany 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.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!To join our listener group on WeChat, please add SOSV Helper (WeChat ID: sosvhero) and ask for the group invitation.

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 global13:40 - Kal Patel: How can startups become more "Investible"24:00 - Nichapat Ark: How to better leverage your investorMany 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.comShare, 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-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

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 global13:40 - Kal Patel: How can startups become more "Investible"24:00 - Nichapat Ark: How to better leverage your investor Many thanks to our guests Rui Ma, Kal Patel, and Nichapat Ark; 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.comShare, 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-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

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 esports09:00 Introduction to EVOS Esports12:21 Debunking common myths about professional esports14:08 Career lifespan of professional esports players17:55 The role of game publishers in the industry20:40 Ramifications of breaching gaming etiquette and rules22:15 Other players and opportunities in the esports ecosystem25:37 The relationship between global game publishers and local tournament event organisers28:29 Southeast Asia's unique position in the esports industry33:10 Brands' attitudes towards esports events36:40 Different revenue models in esports38:32 The next big thing in esports in SEA39:50 How to contact AllanMany 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.comShare, 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-pulseEmail us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

Topics Discussed and Key Points:●      How Yoann's work with startups and founders differs from his work with corporate clients●      Clients that Yoann typically works with as a sales trainer●      How B2B selling has historically been done in China compared to today●      The value of WeChat in sales●      General differences between how sales is done in the West versus in the East●      What Yoann has found to be the most difficult lesson for his coaching clients●      How Chinese buyers differ from Western buyers●      How is public speaking perceived in China and is it used as a tool for sales? Episode Summary:Today on The Negotiation, we speak with sales trainer Yoann Delwarde, Founder and CEO of Infinity Growth Ltd, a Shanghai-based firm that offers sales coaching and consulting to a wide range of clients, including multinationals, startups, MBA students, and accelerators and incubators.Yoann is one of twelve Experts in Residence for Chinaccelerator and a strategic advisor for allrites, Atiom, and GloCoach. He is also a lecturer on sales management and entrepreneurship at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai as well as Emlyon business school in Écully, France.Infinity Growth aims to bridge the Western and Chinese mindsets toward entrepreneurship to ensure that they maximize their clients' sales capabilities. Their key indicator of success is in the fact that they primarily attract their clients via word-of-mouth.Because “it's so easy to lose your reputation in China”, Infinity Growth looks at their increasing clientele as a sign that their sales training approach is resonating with and leading to great results among the local entrepreneurs and business professionals they work with.Yoann shares what distinguishes sales in China compared to America and Western Europe, including differences in buyer behavior, the role of public speaking in the business world, and how eCommerce and social media are used differently in the East and the West. Key Quotes:“If there's one thing I came to understand in China, it's to always under-promise and over-deliver. [...] It's so easy to lose your reputation in China, it's insane.” “If I take the angle of B2B sales, I think the main difference [between how sales are done in the West versus in the East] is around trust. In Europe, and even in the U.S., first, you make business, then you become friends. [...] In China, first you become friends, then you make business.”

Episode 57. Pitch Like A Crocodile Wrestler with Martin Barnes How do you connect when you only have 8 seconds of attention? How do you start your pitch like a sprinter? And what can you learn from a terrible TEDx experience? Welcome to The Storypowers Podcast, the show about the power of stories, the people who tell them and why you should be doing it too. I'm your host, keynote speaker and storytelling coach, Francisco Mahfuz. My guest today is Martin Barnes. Martin is a pitch coach with 20 years experience in London & Beijing working with tech company CEO's, Hollywood A-listers and director boards. His clients include Google, BMW, Chinaccelerator, AngelHack, and the NBA. You can find him at eightsecondstoconnect.com, and here are the free material he mentioned in the episode: https://eightsecondstoconnect.com/presentation-resources/. If you like the show, please leave us a rating on Apple podcasts, share it and SUBSCRIBE! The support is very much appreciated. And please send me your comments on what you'd like to hear on future episodes. You can connect with me on LinkedIn, where I post regularly, and on storypowers.com. You can also check out my book "Bare: A Guide to Brutally Honest Public Speaking" on Amazon.

Today on The Negotiation, we speak with Gen Kanai, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Animoca Brands and Mentor at Chinaccelerator.Regarding the challenges of entering the Japanese market, Gen says that Japanese customers generally do not pirate software and content. Japan “can be a very profitable market if you can crack the market.” At the same time, it is a challenging market, with many non-Japanese companies having failed in Japan. eBay is a prime example of a failure, while Google, Twitter, and Snapchat fared better due to a number of factors that Gen enumerates.Sales cycles and establishing stakeholder trust are generally much longer processes in Japan, but the payoff is the incredible loyalty that Japanese consumers have for successful companies in the country. On the other hand, during his five years working in China, Gen has found that it is particularly difficult for foreign entities to enter the consumer segment “for a whole host of reasons”.Asked about his experience working with Mozilla and expanding to other markets, Gen says that the best part about his involvement was interacting with users. Community is incredibly important for Mozilla since it is a non-profit organization with a fraction of the budgets of Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other companies that provide competing browsers. Mozilla enjoys a user base made up of Firefox fans who not only love the product, but also the company's non-profit mission and the fact that Mozilla does not make money off of its users directly.On the other hand, the most challenging part of Gen's job was dealing with countries that were completely closed to Firefox such as South Korea, thanks to technical decisions made by the Korean government around internet banking, stock trading, and any other kinds of secure transactions. During Gen's time, online technologies in Korea only worked with Internet Explorer.Mozilla's open-source, non-profit business model can still be emulated today, with some caveats. Mozilla rose “out of the ashes of Netscape” when the latter company failed. Sergey Brin struck a deal to feature Google as the default search engine with a fraction of the ads from its search results being paid to Mozilla. Things changed when Google opted for more ownership with the creation of Chrome, but Firefox remains a lucrative product that is able to make “north of $100 million a year” for as long as it can navigate the ever-evolving trends and standards established by the top internet companies of the day.

Today on The Negotiation, we speak with TR Harrington, Co-Program Director at Mobile Only Accelerator and Program Director at SOSV. He is also a Startup Mentor at Antler, Mucker Capital, and Chinaccelerator.TR discusses the mindset and strategies he used to run a Shanghai-based marketing agency in China, and gracefully enact an exit strategy after over a decade of serving as CEO. He says that the key to his success as a foreigner was his ability to adapt to the culture and expectations of the local market.By extension, TR encouraged foreign brands, who approached him for his services, to adopt that same attitude if they expected to maximize their investment in China. In addition to being willing to do their marketing the way the Chinese do, they should also be prepared to move at the speed that the Chinese are known for. Finally, foreign brands should not underestimate the power of utilizing social media to reach customers and clients—such as tapping into WeChat's customer service capabilities.TR believes that continuous process improvement is a big factor in helping foreign brands stand out in the vast and turbulent sea that is the Chinese market. The key is to go big or go home: TR says that a relatively small company that only makes a 3x improvement will have almost zero impact on their revenue and bottom line. He also says that it is possible to go “too far” or “too deep” with metrics that do not count. Instead, brands should make it a point to prioritize the “500-foot view” metrics.Asked about which behavioral traits startup founders must have, TR says that it is not enough to follow through with the advice given by investors and mentors. It is equally as important for them to ask why they are being given that advice in order to learn how to make consistently sound decisions in the long-term.

In this episode I, Todd Embley the regular host, was put on the hot seat and interviewed by Joseph Cooke, CoFounder and President of WPIC Marketing + Technologies. We started the show discussing how I became involved with SOSV The Accelerator VC, Sean O'Sullivan, and my good buddy Cyril Ebersweiler, and how Chinaccelerator was born in a small North Eastern  city named Dalian, and how we made the tough decision to choose Shanghai over Beijing for it's new home in order to grow and take it to the level it is at today.Joseph then asked me to talk about our formula for sifting through thousands of applications to our accelerator program each year and what we were looking for, and then move to a more broad look at the ecosystem as a whole and how Chinese startups and founders differed from their counterparts in the West. We also touched on how amazing it was to work in digital in China between 2009 and 2016, and how WeChat was responsible for WhatsApp getting a $19 billion dollar acquisition price from Facebook which dovetailed nicely into a discussion about startup valuations in China.We then talked about the talent pool in China and how much it grew over the years as parent's started to feel more comfortable understanding that there was indeed a path to success for their children striking out on their own and that they wouldn't turn into “starving artists”. We also discussed how startups in China were prone to manipulating the amounts that they raised in the media but were using it to remain not only competitive for talent but to also stay relevant in the most competitive market in the world for customer and media attention.We ended the podcast talking about one of our best investments ever through Chinaccelerator, BitMEX, the factors that helped them become the massive success they are today, and why China was the right place at the right time for them to be so. 

Larry Schuster is a speech coach based in Shanghai, China. He coaches speakers to give the best speech of their life. Not just a speech, but an experience. Larry also coaches startup CEOs on their investment pitches at Chinaccelerator, one of the world's most successful startup incubators. And he is a TEDx coach and founder […]

William Bao Bean is General Partner at SOSV, a $300m venture capital fund known as “the Accelerator VC” with a >30% net realized IRR. He is also the Managing Director of Chinaccelerator, SOSV's global Internet accelerator and the first accelerator in China, as well as MOX, the mobile only accelerator platform with 130m smartphone users in SE Asia. William has spent the past two decades in Asia and has a breadth of experience that covers not only the rise of China's original tech giants (BAT), but also core movements including: O2O, entertainment, sharing economy, social commerce and more. We'll cover all of these major trends, William's Chinaccelerator investment experience, and his views on cross-border developments in the future. Link to write-up here: https://www.theharbingerchina.com/blog/how-china-s-internet-economy-evolved-with-chinaccelerator-md-william-bao-bean

We sit down with Guy Sivan, who - immediately upon graduation from Columbia University - moved to Beijing in 2005 and has since started 4 different companies. In 2010, he sold his third startup's core technology to a publicly listed company, and today he is CEO of Vericant, a Shunwei backed company that helps US schools better understand their international and Chinese applicants through video interviews and spoken English evaluations. As we know, there are few examples of foreign tech companies entering China and being successful in the long run, and similarly the start-up environment within China is just as tough for expat founders. With over 10 years of experience in Beijing, Guy offers a unique view and shares with us some of his lessons. For example, what are major cultural differences and how do you avoid the classic expat blunders? What advantages (if at all) do you have as an expat founder, and how can you play to your competitive strengths? What are trends in the lucrative Chinese education space that has churned out several unicorns. And lastly, what is like working out of Chinaccelerator, and what is their value proposition? Link to write-up here: https://www.theharbingerchina.com/blog/successfully-launching-chinese-start-ups-as-an-expat-with-vericant-ceo-guy