Built in China: Recent Episodes
Pei Yen
China has long since transitioned from a "Made in China" manufacturing powerhouse to a "Built in China" center for world class innovations. We look at innovation at the ground level, the startups and entrepreneurs with international education, work, and life experience who are thriving in an environment where ideas and execution happen at a speed not seen anywhere else.
How can early-stage startups raise funds successfully? We talk with Davide Calì, the founder of CrossFund, on their venture platform to help startups win angel investment, and the importance of "follow up" to achieve more success with smart money.
Started from a bike trip in Shangri-la and ended on the 12-hour train journey, Michael and Loic mapped out their idea to “help unlock the fossil fuel-less civilization”. We talk with the Qnetic founders, who are building a low-cost, long-life, long-discharge grid-scale energy storage with a mission for the better world.
We talk with Jiang Tong, Co-founder and CTO of Onesight Technology, an enterprise dedicated to construction technology and innovation. On their journey of building a young but tech-strong team to win both China and overseas markets.
We talk with Wody Keita S., Founder and GM China at IZIVAT, a mobile APP and a web-platform that empowers millions of international travelers and shoppers. How they build innovative solutions combining finance, payment, and tax-free shopping and react to the covid-19 pandemic impact on travel industry.
We talk with Minesh Pore, Co-Founder and CEO at BuyHive, a global network of on-demand sourcing professionals, on the effect of the lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere on supply chains and how companies are trying to adapt.
We talk with Neo at OYMotion, who came back to China from years in Canada to build a startup helping amputees live a more normal life with AI-assisted machine hand motion. The application of his technology has transformed lives and gotten the attention of the national media on several occasions. Neo shares with us what drives him to provide a solution like this while being a profitable business giving a return to his investors.
We talk with Huihan Lie, founder of My China Roots. My China Roots is akin to the Ancestry.com of China, an online platform primarily for overseas Chinese to build one's family tree, upload historical family records and search for one's ancestors in a genealogical database.
Huihan's ancestors over the generations migrated from China to Indonesia and then eventually settled in the Netherlands. We discuss how Huihan's own personal passion to discover his roots in China led him to realize how so many others were in search of the same answers. And how he has now turned his passion into a growing business.
We talk with Ming Khor, Founder and CEO of Keru. On getting his MBA from Wharton, interning at Apple, and turning away from the traditional corporate path to come back to his teaching experience as inspiration for his own business in China. Keru is a social enterprise which organizes social impact service learning opportunities for students and professionals to drive change in society alongside mission-driven organizations.
We talk with Lucas Englehardt, Founder and CEO of xixilab.com - which offers direct-to-consumer teeth straightening with invisible braces in China. On doing the things that don't easily scale but are necessary in order to build a successful business in China. On adapting proven business models that have worked outside of China to the local market.
“Built in China”, we are looking at international “serial” entrepreneurs who have chosen to live and build startups in China.
Our first guest is Charles Liao. Charles was born in Shanghai but grew up in the US and has founded numerous companies, most recently the air purifier company Mila and the men’s personal care brand Day 22.
Mila has been invested in by Electrolux and Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital and has become an even bigger success in mature markets like the US than in China.
With that success in mind, we ask Charles to share his thoughts on preparing to enter a totally new and underserved product category like men’s skin care without having any prior industry experience. It hasn’t stopped Charles before, so how are he and the team going to tackle this new, big opportunity and what lessons carry over from his prior success. Listen to found out.