The business of China's start-up Mailtime in Silicon Valley

Mailtime, a start-up that just started early this year. February 9, 2014, a row of 3 people flew from Hong Kong to San Francisco, with a thought that they could conquer the Americans, a little budget, and many visions of the unknown, and they started a pioneering tour of Silicon Valley. The team, with two people from the founding team of Talkbox three years ago, has been a bit of a healing trip to Silicon Valley after having been taught to learn from the tears of plagiarism. This mailtime is a mail application, dedicated to IM conversations in the form of the content of the mobile phone, the intention to improve the small screen to send and receive a short message experience. To be honest, the small part of the first contact with the mailtime, do not feel that this thing has much subversion, just sigh that it is another one of the mail app, in addition, happy to know a few enthusiastic and passionate Silicon Valley small partners! I have a passion for mailtime writing. The movement of these young Chinese in Silicon Valley is just too much to sit on. They became the first Chinese team ever to be selected TechCrunch Battlefield (competition field); on Fox News, the Yankees were murmuring on TV for two minutes, received a phone call from Dr. Mo to help Mailtime write the evaluation, and received an invitation from the most cattle incubator yc ... And, less than 8 months into Silicon Valley, they have already merged with more than 1 million dollars in seed money. Note: Mailtime aboard Fox News. Two days ago, I visited the Mailtime office in San Francisco and listened to team members telling the story of the product and the frontier. This app really many cattle B, small make up said also not calculate, interested in children's shoes go directly to the App Store download trial get (currently only iOS version). I think it's even more interesting: how they got here in Silicon Valley quickly, with little budget blogs focusing on + hot-talk, really into Silicon Valley's vision. Take a look at Mailtime's actual combat experience. Wearing logo shirts, human advertising Silicon Valley the only girl in the team Sheng (mainly responsible for marketing) told me that they were strangers when they first arrived, and because they were resident in Hong Kong, no one in the team could drive; We have to overcome all difficulties and also pondering to actively participate in local activities, while expanding their horizons, while promoting their own. At that time, even the beta version of the product did not, can not let people experience trial, printed a pile of simple leaflets (see below), and then everyone wearing a T-shirt with Mailtime logo, to find ways to participate in the Silicon Valley of various entrepreneurial activities and conferences. Sheng said, buy booth is too expensive, we get the audience ticket in, everywhere hair brochure, catch the attendees talk about mailtime on the matter, tube you are the media, investors, entrepreneurs, or students ... Maybe this is the so-called Silicon Valley culture, most people are very NICE is very enthusiastic and gives us a lot of positive energy. Note: a simple leaflet. The entrepreneurial culture on this side of Silicon Valley is really amazing. CTO Lau June said there was a mailtime team in San Francisco, a Thai pavilion to eat, waiters see them wearing logo t-shirt like an entrepreneur, immediately ran to ask not to recruit, also said that they have just graduated, learning computer, and then rushed to send their resume over, Lau June Jay now feels incredible. Smashing 20,000 dollars to shoot a promo in Silicon Valley, making videos for startups has become an industry. When Mailtime first landed in Silicon Valley, he realised that there was a good publicity video that was critical to online communication and gathering resources. They had wanted to invite star companies in the field to lonely sandwich, who had been filming a lot of interesting Silicon Valley start-ups (such as Airbnb, square, etc.), but lonely sandwich declined Mailtime's invitation. Lonely Sandwich was very picky about startups, and maybe he didn't think we were cool enough, "Sheng laughs. But mailtime in this matter is the mission, finally they use a friend introduced a shooting team glass and Marker, cost 20,000 dollars to take a very proud of the film. Sheng told me that they spent about a week in a blizzard with the shooting team, hammered out the plan: What the theme is, how much of it is spent on the feature display, how much is used to show lifestyle etc. A lot of small commercials on the U.S. side are fascinating. We thought we were going to have to be funny about our video, Sheng said. From the filming to the late only a few days, the final version out, we can not wait to upload the video to the Youtube,vimeo,youku and so on. The entrepreneurial community in Silicon Valley is quite interesting and everyone is encouraging and borrowing from each other. Mailtime later became good friends with glass and marker's team. We can say that we have grown up together and we have also introduced many other entrepreneurial teams to them. These people are becoming more and more red (laugh), now hit 20,000 dollars must not be shot, Sheng told me. Ask Bole, go to TechCrunch exam as one of the most authoritative technology media in the United States, TechCrunch every year in San Francisco to hold the disrupt conference, this is an important event of Silicon Valley pioneering circle, thousands of entrepreneurs, media, investors and VIP guests will come from all over the world to attend the meeting. Prior to that, TechCrunch screened twenty or thirty start-up teams from nearly thousands of applications to participate in their battlefield (arena) activities. In addition to the entrepreneurial competition in the training, these lucky people will also get a lot of TechCrunch resources and help. Mailtime was the first to be selected DisrupT battlefield China Team; they also find it very surprising. Product designer Huangho told me that at that time they hurried to the deadline before the name, that is, online fill out a table, a few words briefly introduced the team and products, and then almost forget this matter, net busy to rush the beta version of Mailtime. Later, I received a message from TechCrunch that we were selected, and we all received a letter of acceptance from the University (laughter)! "Sheng said. Silicon Valley is such a concept to win "place, use products to speak is important, but no product is not unable to speak. If you dare to try, you must have a chance. After being selected for the battlefield, Mailtime obtained TechCrunch's interview, the disrupt conference's location is very good free booth, long Media contact list, as well as TechCrunch investor resources and so on. Huangho told me, can be TechCrunch election, we are equal to obtain a brilliant debut in Silicon Valley opportunity "; This experience is very exercise people, in addition to demo rehearsal many times, but also repeatedly think the judges may ask questions, non-stop practice, TechCrunch People also gave a lot of advice. After the things become a lot simpler, we go to get media interviews, is 300 words pitch what the company do, send emails to different media, a lot of people are very interested. Note: Product designers show mailtime to battlefield judges. The happiest, or the social. Ever since he arrived in Silicon Valley, Sheng has been seriously running the mailtime ' voice ' on social networks. We think we must take precautions in this matter. In fact, the beginning is very silly, products are not on the line, and no one discussed mailtime, I often speak from the words (laughter), Sheng told me. Later, with the Mailtime iOS version on the line, the mainstream media to report, social networking (Facebook,twitter, etc.) on the mailtime more and more discussions. Sheng is always happy to use Mailtime official account to interact with netizens. Brush SNS For me, originally is a special natural things, especially every time I see everyone said mailtime very praise and so on the tweets and comments, I feel special, but also unique sense of achievement. A few days ago, the famous mail mobile pioneer (Sparrow founder) Hoa Dinh Viet also published with Mailtime related tweets, Sheng see very encouraged, hastened to the iron he sent a seal ' letters ', seek to meet, unexpectedly obtained the Viet seconds back. We had a meal in the Silicon Valley mountain city and we had a good chat. Originally, the nature of social networks is to make friends. Silicon Valley side, people and people's relationship is relatively simple, most people online under the communication is very sincere, we also deeply benefit from it, Sheng said. DisrupDuring the T-Congress, TechCrunch put all the battlefield products on product Hunt (a list of best new products, and many VC in Silicon Valley and New York took it as their hunting hound), At that time, mailtime in a number of micro-letter groups to call on the Silicon Valley's small partners for their own praise. The Chinese can not lose in many people this matter, Huangho smiled. Finally, the number of Mailtime is ranked second, thus winning the attention of the conceivable.