Big data companies around the world are quite keen to cash in on China’s massive amounts of data while Chinese companies are recognizing the value of big data. Startup founders spare no effort to keep up the innovation spirit.
CEO and Chief Editor of AllChinaTech, Wu Nan, moderated a panel on Chinese tech startups during the press meet of “20 Must-know Startup Founders in China” in Beijing yesterday.
Panelists included Ibrahim Dai, Senior Director of Global Business Development at TalkingData, China’s largest mobile internet data service platform; Qi Zhang, Vice President at Qyer.com, China’s largest outbound travel platform; and Dongshuo Li, Founder and CEO of UMU, a technology-driven online education startup.
Here is AllChinaTech’s pick of the highlights from yesterday’s panel discussion.
Wu Nan: How can China take a lead in the big data industry globally?
Ibrahim Dai: Make full use of China’s gigantic market. Many cutting-edge technologies cannot prove themselves to be stable and reliable until they are being put into China’s market. Aside from that, China is awash with business model innovations. The “Copy to China” trend has passed. Games, for example, used to be purchased and played. Now, games are increasingly adopting the Chinese way – users download them for free, and maybe make payments while playing.
Qi Zhang: Travellers need information and data on restaurants, museums, and scenic spots. On top of these data, QYER collects real travel data of its users, which can be different from their plans. With its 80 million users, QYER is capable of providing some of its users’ real travel routes.
Dongshuo Li: What I see is that the entire online education industry is evolving with the development of the Internet and big data. UMU connects 80% of corporate trainers, and uses the data to create an operating system of the educational and training industries.
Wu Nan: How do you keep up the innovation spirit in startup companies?
Ibrahim Dai: There are two tips. One is an open mindset. Collaboration with others is the way to successful business. This is why TalkingData sticks to its position as a neutral third-party data platform (to collaborate with a variety of partners). Another one is to keep being aware of corporate crisis all the time. It drives startups to innovate and move ahead.
Qi Zhang: QYER has a saying – employees are users. We encourage every employee to put themselves in the shoes of users and give suggestions on our products when they travel abroad and use QYER products.
Dongshuo Li: I believe in the pursuit of perfection. “Almost good” products damages corporate values and the services for clients.
(Top photo from AllChinaTech)