Bertelsmann China transition 5 years: Yu and her investment

From the traditional book-Club media business to venture capital-led business Bertelsmann China transition 5 years: Yu and her investment "executive Detachment" correspondent Chaoxiao Beijing reported late 2011, Yu's name on the FT (Financial times) and other mainstream European and American media header. As CEO of Bertelsmann China headquarters and managing director of Bertelsmann Asia Investment Fund (BAI), Yu, along with three other female executives, has entered the top decision-Group Management Committee (GMC), under the reform of Bertelsmann's new CEO, Thomas Rabe,　　Rewrite the history of Europe's largest media group, which has been dominated by white males for nearly 180 years. In Western media commentary, Yu's shortlist underscores Bertelsmann's recognition of women's strength and the importance it attaches to Asian strategies. In the hands of the ex-TV female anchor, she holds a lighter new key-fail is Mai through venture capital in China after the book club. Within five years, easy car network, is guaranteed long-distance education, Phoenix Three listed cases, as well as watercress, Mushroom Street, Spring rain world and other projects, gradually outlined Bertelsmann in Asia's investment context.　　From the front to the background, Yu also moved to another dimension of her media career.　　The transformation of the mass media in China and its female helmsman in the first week of March, two Yu returned to the SK mansion and received an interview with the "Economic Report of 21st Century" in the meeting room of the company's board of directors. She remembers clearly that in November 2007, in this open room, she handed the Chinese marketing plan to the CFO's Han Tao. Based on a survey of hundreds of projects in one year, Yu bluntly Shang Tao to set up a fund to invest in China's growing enterprises is imperative.　　Han Tao is more courageous, in only one hour to the decision to pass the Yu application.　　This is the first time that Bertelsmann Group has held a board in mainland China, and it is a watershed for its Chinese business to be led by the Book Club. Yu, a newcomer to the investment community, has been a veteran of the media industry. Undergraduate, she was in Chengdu University of Science and Technology Engineering department to learn to build radar, and the accidental contact with the television to bring her into a new field.　　"The media has an immediate impact on the life and thinking of the whole person", attracted by the media industry, Yu decided to stay, "the job satisfaction is unmatched". In 2001, Yu left the television producer's post for the United States, graduating from Stanford four years later, joining Bertelsmann in New York, and the mergers and acquisitions of Random House and the VC division as a new starting point for Yu. In retrospect, Yu and Bertelsmann, the only club in the post-business school era, were almost hit.　　The trend towards the role of the VCs, in her view is more logical. From the Yu and transformation of the individual, you can look at Bertelsmann's style, "when the company reaches a certain volume, the big part of the strategy is how to investSexual growth ", for the good acquisition of Bertelsmann," 工欲善其事 prerequisite ", VC funds play is the role of the" device. " For example, the old media business model of the transformation of the demand, the emergence of Bertelsmann Global digital Media Investment Fund, the early investment for professional "test water."　　Similarly, a regional fund has emerged in the face of a vibrant Asian market.　　Because Bertelsmann Group is Bai's only LP, Yu's team saves all fundraising time and frees up the "propositional compositions" to invest in three areas of new media, education and outsourcing services. Since 2008, Bai has invested 20 projects in the Chinese market with a quota of 100 million U.S. dollars a year, including 4 early venture capital funds such as the joint venture source and the morning Hing venture investment. The once frustrated tycoon has been restrained, "above average", "into the mainstream of media investment," with the local investment circle, Business circle and the creation of the ecological circle of positive contacts, "Yu said, VC funds target needs to be set more landing: A word must be done, resolute of the implementation-oriented culture, to have strategic value,　　Also need solid financial returns. And Yu to the core of the investment team has remained within 10 people, such as a flexible sentinel towers and Pathfinder.　　Beyond the financial rewards of investment, she looked more at the new models that were born in China and introduced them to Europe, such as watercress. In this interview, Yu had said to this newspaper, hope to set up a joint venture with watercress, "the pattern of watercress, ideas, more specific to its technical standards, operating patterns, fully promoted and integrated in the Bertelsmann European assets."　　The use of Chinese technology in Europe to subvert the European media consumption habits. The female investor in the entrepreneur's seat is back with Bertelsmann, Yu on the stage of the venture. When the "Beauty Investor" category of the title in the circle, Yu but more willing to forget the gender of this "worldly".　　She suggested that female colleagues around us, "there are no women professionals in the world, only professionals, if they come out of the mix, do not use double standards."　　However, the feminine trait does inadvertently shape the Yu venture capital style.　　In Yu's view, to do the growth of investment, especially minority equity investment, must first clear investors "supporting" identity, "the company is not a body to buy, do not play their own parents to lead them."　　Using the classic metaphor of VC relations, Yu told reporters that female investors would be more natural to sit in the passenger seat, while male entrepreneurs would feel relaxed. Yu stressed that she did not want to intervene more fundamentally because she did not believe that the strategic recovery after the investment, can give a substantial change to a congenitally deficient entrepreneur, "just like many women expect to marry a stronger than their own men, investors should also have a married, rather than uxorilocal mentality."　　She is more willing to slow down, to choose carefully before the vote, and in the post stage, the firm rules of corporate governance to balance the VC relationship, the right to put forward the investors ' demands. "Supporting" can also give the creationWhat do the operators bring? In addition to direct financial support, Yu will appropriately dock resources on the Bertelsmann platform to the invested enterprise.　　In Mushroom street, for example, the company that uses social networking to provide electricity to women's groups, is with the Bertelsmann wholly-owned holdings of Europe only to develop customer resources to share, for "mushroom cool" to provide authentic cosmetics, ex-gratia sales, the latter master of the domestic 80% overseas cosmetics brand of IT management and customer service backstage. The introduction of another business partnership could leave the business of Mushroom Street out of the category of women. Yu put Bai first company yoho! Please come over and let Chen and Liang two young entrepreneurs to talk to. She was happy to see that Mushroom Street had a set of product logic from the female market, grafted on yoho!　　The masculine and neutral style of the current community experience.　　"Supporting" also means listening, giving entrepreneurs a soothing channel. "He has no way to talk to competitors, and it is difficult to say to subordinates in the management of bottlenecks and obstacles, but he needs to talk, at this time investors play a very special role."　　Said Dragon Yu. In the team, Yu also specially introduced two mild-tempered women, full-time to do after the management of the cast. "Even if it's serious, they can communicate softly," says Yu, Bai does have a tendency to "harness the wisdom of women and breeze to manage our projects."