A China Startup

Story

Mark Koester @markwkoester | www.markwk.com

Let’s Grow Startup

Communities in China

China:

1.3B Inhabitants in China - 19% of the global population

1st or 2nd largest economy in in the

world in terms of GDP

74.4% of Chinese are of working age

(aged 15-64)

#353# Chinese cities with a

population over 100,000.

Sources: The World Bank, OECD

Geographic/Macro

Key Chinese Characteristics

Major regional differences: People in different parts of China speak, act and

orient themselves differently, meriting more of a regional or continental

approach over purely national strategy.

Little Interpersonal Trust: Historically and contemporaneously Chinese have

very little trust between themselves. This creates challenges of legitimacy and

trust for any company or brand in China, especially a nonprofit

Active Startup / Business Culture: While influenced by Western elements,

China’s isolation and unique culture have created a divergent form of startup

culture, both more commercial and more opportunistic. The last few years have

seen a significant increase in the concept, events and importance of startups

and ventures in China. Also heavily funded ecosystem for ventures.

Stage 1:

Involved More. Let’s Help More First.

Stage 2:

Only Trust the Right Partners.

Startup Weekend Beijing Zhongguancun

Startup Weekend Hangzhou Zhejiang University

Startup Weekend Space: Shanghai Shanghai

Qingdao Startup Weekend Maker Haier M-Lab

Some Lessons Learned

Our Participants

Us!

Beware Individual Organizers

Some examples of Organizer Issues:

• Don’t Respect Brand or Community

• Stolen / Lost Money

• Copy Cats:

• Don’t Have a Long-Term Incentive

• MLM / Pyramid Scam / Cult

Strong Partners are key

White Paper: http://www.slideshare.net/cuevasm1/fostering-a-startup-and-innovation-ecosystem

Check: Ingredients of China’s Startup Ecosystem

strong but silo-ed strong and

increasingly more

hubs

Weak strong but not

necessarily well-

distributed

Fairly positive for

businesses

China

Startup Community in ChinaSome amazing talent, some great products and teams. Yet…

Fragile: In particular the startup scene is characterized by its fragility and lack

of collaboration, teamwork and open sharing, helping, etc.

Predatory: Like the general lack of trust in China, there are a number of

predatory elements in China startup scene, including fake investors, fake

mentors and special “training schools.”

Lack of Good Mentorship: China’s fresh entrepreneurs are especially lacking

in good mentorship. They attempt their own businesses with few local resources

to help them. Early stage investment is not reliable as well.

Community Programs

formerly

关于TechStars的：TS导师团队在全球运⾏行着18个加速器项⺫⽬目，超过550家公司通过TS的加速器计划，并已筹集了超过13亿美元的资⾦金。 TS⻛风险投资公司管理着近3亿美元的资⾦金，并提供种⼦子基⾦金和A轮投资。

Accelerator Programs

Thanks!

Mark Koester @markwkoester | www.markwk.com