When you deal with consumers in China, WeChat and its payment systems, cannot be ignored. Starbucks did so for years, and lost much business, says business analyst Shaun Rein to Bloomberg. The American company now joined WeChat, although concerns about data safety remain.Read More →
China´s consumers have been eager purchasers of foreign products, but getting them at the right price proved to be troublesome. New startups are going to make that choice easier, predicts William Bao Bean, general partner at SOSV and managing director of Chinaccelerator, in TechNode, after closing days of presentations by startups.Read More →
The ChinaAccelerator, a tech-focused US$200m fund, picked Shanghai over Beijing, although typically most IT firms started off in Beijing. Shanghai is more international, says managing director William Bao Bean in the Economist. Read More →
The story of the Briton Ross Walked, 73, desperately looking for investments in his tech company, hit the media as he got capital from Chinese investors. Tech guru William Bao Bean from Shanghai explains in the Sixth Tone why age is not a barrier in China, unlike in the UK.Read More →
Getting traction among China´s picky consumers is one thing, keeping it up is another. Larger foreign firms like Yum and Starbucks have been slow in picking up consumer trends in China, says business analyst Shaun Rein to Bloomberg, for example in their adoption of fintech developments.Read More →
Chinese internet companies took the lead in selling through social commerce, rather than poorly working ads. China entrepreneur William Bao Bean explains how China is taking the lead from Western companies, at GetGlobal 2016 in Los Angeles. “Traditional ads are under pressure.”Read More →
The central government is encouraging its downstream agencies to engage more in sponsored venture capital deals to stimulate innovation. That is not a guarantee for success, says financial expert Victor Shih in Bloomberg and might cost the tax payers a lot of money.Read More →
Former Citi-group banker Arthur Hayes started BitMex, a bitcoin exchange. Bound to be a success, says VC and innovation expert William Bao Bean to Bloomberg, as Chinese are looking for ways to invest their capital outside China, where growth it slowing down.Read More →
The internet in China has been dominated by four huge players, Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and Sina Weibo. After crushing their domestic competitors, they are now ready for the online world war, says VC William Bao Bean at Next16 the German audience about startups. “You’re under-funded, too slow and don’t work hard enough.”Read More →
Interacting on social media is not enough for retailers to get customers. Last year the ChinaAccelerator supported Shopal, a digital tool helping retails to trace and follow customers beyond social media contacts. Managing director William Bao Bean of the ChinaAccelerator explains why Shopal works. A shift from brands to retailers.Read More →
For long China was the world´s working place with thousands of workers toiling away in dirty workshops. But China´s youngsters do not want to work in factories anymore, says business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The End of Copycat China: The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia, to MIT Technology Review. In stead, robots take over.Read More →
Ads suck, says China veteran William Bao Bean. In Asia companies first build up trust, and then might sell now and then. “We are in the post-advertising market,” he tells at the Next16 in Hamburg.Read More →