Domestic entrepreneurs open up overseas markets with a sense of physical hardware innovation

While wearable hardware has become one of the most concentrated areas of startups, unlike most companies that are still in their infancy, Zepp, a company that manufactures golf-monitoring products, has entered Apple's retail stores and has earned a handsome income. "These experiences should have come from the real world, but Zepp's motion sensors can tell you more by the data it monitors." "The technology magazine Wired" wrote about Zepp's products in a recent article in 2014. As early as April 7, 2012, Zepp launched a "Golf Sense" for golf at Apple's retail stores across the United States, capturing the action of a golf player with sensor hardware and mobile-phone software, and thus achieving voice analysis, swing motion analysis, swing stability statistics, Swing action imitation, and professional players in the comparison of various training functions. Just 2012 years, the sensor in Europe and the United States and 36 countries into 4,000 stores and four online channels, sell 40,000 sets of income near 20 million yuan. In 2013, after the company's business joined the sensor for tennis and baseball, annual sales doubled. Zepp can be said to be a no Chinese site, office address in the Silicon Valley, the main market is also the United States "American companies", but in fact, whether the founder or research and development team, are mostly Chinese, and all in Beijing Zhongguancun work. Zepp's founder, Han Yu, was born in 1983 to read straight Bosheng in Microsoft, majoring in Mobile systems and wireless sensor networks, and his original career plan was to enter Microsoft after graduating. At the time, Han Yu that wireless sensors could only provide technical support for Windows Mobile, and that it was difficult to convert to a product. But in that year, the IPhone 3Gs entered the Chinese market, which made Han Yu feel that his major might have business opportunities. So he "cut off" Microsoft's direct Bosheng project, decided to start a business. Han Yu sold a patent and pooled six hundred thousand or seven hundred thousand dollars. His first entrepreneurial direction is the game sensor, which mainly develops hardware sensor devices for some large games. Han Yu has made several prototypes, and has traveled through large gaming companies to try to build partnerships. But he found that for large companies already mature game content to provide hardware is not realistic, large companies will only choose a more mature development platform, will not consider start-up companies, players will not be dedicated to a game to buy a new controller, and compatible with a lot of games and no way according to the game to do the corresponding customization. In short, chasing the content of the game company to do hardware is not a reliable business. At the beginning of 2010, the company members left, this time the venture announced the end. However, as a hardware enthusiast, Han Yu still optimistic about the direction of entrepreneurship. "Just, can not do the game, because the software content can not rely on third-party to cooperate, to develop independently, to control." "In the process of designing hardware accessories for the game, Han Yu found another direction for the sensor: he used to play tennis., golf game demo, feel the real movement scene in the capture of action should also have needs. In contrast to the host games that are confined to a single room, real-world applications are broader and more flexible, and with the introduction of the iphone 4, the iOS system also supports more hardware accessories, so the second time, he chose to do the iOS phone-side accessories. Han Yu is not worried about technology, at Microsoft Research, he is very understanding of the major domestic and foreign institutions, schools, companies on the sensor research to what extent, the high-speed motion calculation of the inherent mathematical problems and algorithms have their own solutions. "I reckon other startups won't be able to do it until we launch a motion sensor product," he said. "And in the choice of specific categories, usually love to play tennis Han Yu selected golf: One is because golf is a high degree of motion accuracy requirements of the movement, the video, radar and other hardware needs than other sports mature, the second is the economic consumption of golf players relatively strong, the product price even higher can sell. Han Yu has also considered football, tennis and other popular sports, but these categories of consumption is relatively weak, even if there are well-known sports brands these "big Crocodile" grip in hand. And the real problem is: there is no market. This is not the Han Yu familiar area, he has carried on the thorough investigation to the audience market as well as the industrial chain link. After running a lot of golf courses and visiting many golf coaches, he found that the total number of golfers in the first-tier cities north of the city was not more than 300,000, and their use of sports-aid tools and smartphones was not very good. After all, golf in China is more of a business-social function than a pure sport. At the same time, Han Yu research found that the U.S. market for golf is about 100 times times that of China, while many golf practitioners buy their own auxiliary tools, such as the tools to tie their hands and waist, which means a market that already exists without a guide. "At that time, we felt that the Chinese market will die very miserably, not to start with the main overseas market." "Seeing the opportunity, Han Yu applied to be the hardware developer of the Apple Store, and the only engineer who stayed with the previous company made the first golf sense prototype in early 2011. And it was at the beginning of 2011 that Apple had selected 6 cities in the world to Do "Tech Talk" technical lectures on the content of the 2010 WWDC conference, Han Yu to see that there was a lecture on hardware at the Beijing station. After the story a little bit legendary: Han Yu came to this lecture, found that the translation of the scene has some problems, the initiative to help Apple WWDC developer relations responsible for doing some translation. The old Apple employee asked Han Yu what he was doing, and after listening to Han Yu's demo, he invited Han Yu to the U.S. headquarters to make a demo. In February 2011, Han Yu A demo at Apple's headquarters, "It worked well" and thenStart talking to the iphone branch of Apple's North American online retail store for specific sales issues to enter and place orders, and that's when the real problem comes-negotiations last 14 months. Apple's purchasers continue to advise on golf Sense's industrial design, software design and packaging, and Han Yu is constantly improving. In the face of business problems, technical male Han Yu not in person, but also in China to do business people to negotiate, but still feel pointless, do not know to what extent the other side can place orders. Whether it's cultural differences or trust issues, the stalemate has made Han Yu feel that it is necessary to find a business team in the United States. Han Yu, who was introduced by a finance consultant, saw American Jason Fass at the Singularity University, a joint venture between Google and NASA. Jason's resume seems to be very helpful to Zepp's predicament, he has been a product manager for Apple and Jawbone for years, proficient in business negotiations and market development-but he has made two more demanding demands: one for a small proportion of shares, and two for the CEO of a Zepp company. This let Han Yu somewhat distressed, he considered for a long time, told himself "the development of each stage of the company need corresponding people, the founder does not necessarily have to be the boss from beginning to end." So he put forward a proposal, please Jason first part-time 3 months, if done well, "This number we can give, this title we can also give." Jason was alone in the United States doing all the business work: He put all the finished goods in his small garage, looking for his wife to do part-time secretary and customer service. On the one hand, and Apple buyers to talk about order issues, but also use Zepp own website to do some direct marketing and channel expansion attempts. As a result, after meeting the Apple two times, the other side really gave Zepp golf sense products placed orders, scheduled to be officially listed in April 2012, and through direct feedback, Jason also gave a product stability adjustment program, but also to the best Buy, Amazon and other large channels. Han Yu officially gave the CEO's seat to the American Jason, who himself was CTO, who registered for Zepp in Silicon Valley and recruited nearly 10 Americans to specialize in business. The experience gave him a lot of insight into "localization": "If you want to do well in the overseas market, you really need to find a local business team." Because for the locals, you're no longer a team that they're "piecing together" by Chinese researchers, it's a local office, a Native American company, and it's a lot more trusting: your goods can be sent, there will be no quality problems, and there will be ongoing maintenance. Han Yu added, "If you can, UI design and packaging design are best found in local American companies or U.S.-recognised companies to bridge the aesthetic differences." "After figuring out the business play, Han Yu more Timeand energy into the product development. There are 22 employees in the Beijing office of Zepp, and there are 18 people in the design. Han Yu for gold products golf sense and after the development of tennis, baseball products have registered a number of international patents, the content is mainly focused on high-speed movement recognition and the identification of ball games, and so on, including 4 U.S. patents, 2 patents in Canada, 2 Australian patents. After the patent open, Han Yu also encountered "copycat". 8 months after Tech Crunch and Apple released golf Sense for the first time in February 2011, companies copied their ideas. Han Yu once calculated that there are 8 of companies that have plans to imitate them, including 6 American companies, 1 Japanese companies and 1 Hong Kong companies. Han Yu also wanted to use the legal rights, but then look at those who claim to be out of the product company, are some of the traditional companies in the golf industry, temporary find some technical personnel to develop products, Han Yu again feel not enough to fear: "We are faster, the patent can only explain a part of the technical issues, more details, such as recognition rate, The stability of wireless transmission, the precision of manufacturing and industrial design, and so on, they can not learn. You know, the Chinese people have a strong ability to develop. "So, Han Yu decided to maintain the" patent defensive "strategy, if someone plagiarism as everyone together preheat the market, buried in research and development, do not engage in legal issues. On the other hand, the threat comes from industry "predators". The bosses, including Nike, have contacted Zepp, hoping to get a patent authorization to co-operate. By big company "Fancy" originally let Han Yu still a little interested, several times contact down, Han Yu think this kind of cooperation may be "box into a box", Zepp want to develop, still depend on own brand. It also allowed Han Yu to start planning a new campaign for the Zepp brand, because the golf sense was too hot, and after the launch of the new tennis and baseball products, it was not known that they belonged to the same brand. "Such as brand strength, we turn to the general category, such as football, basketball expansion is also possible." "And the brand is more important to the Zepp meaning is: community." Although Zepp currently as a pure hardware company, the profit model is relatively clear, the product also sell well, but the user's base is still too small. If the value of subsequent data can be excavated to provide some offline services, even the formation of the Zepp brand of their own community, this movement sensor industry chain can really run. In February 2013, Zepp got a 5 million dollar investment in June-Lian capital, and a B-round investment was about to be introduced, and new money would be used to develop new products and expand the team. At present, what worries Han Yu most is that in this independent, no reference company in the business world, any new category and new business model can be recognized by the market, he can only like the first to do golf sense to "guess" the user needs and the market, and continue to quickly try the wrong。