Entrepreneurial coffee shops are starting to emerge: entrepreneurs expect to encounter "angels"

A day in the spring of 2012, at the foot of the Guangzhou landmark Tower, a coffee shop called Beta is holding a business promotion meeting. Different from the petty bourgeoisie of the café, the store introduced itself, positioning is "talk about the internet, talk about entrepreneurship" place.

The café 's owner is Alipay, the original designer Zhu, his original idea is "want to do the Internet, E-commerce, Technology fashion life Circle, is a conference room and lounge." But the model has been copied to Beijing and Guangzhou after being given more industry labels-this is what Zhu did not think of, such as entrepreneurship, angels and capital, after the store opened up and then the circle of people posted "the first Internet-Gene café" label.

Now, more and more entrepreneurial coffee shops are emerging, and some listed executives, VC partners, entrepreneurs and senior media have become frequent patrons of these cafés.

It gene?

Coffee Shop to create funds to choose to raise capital, shareholding system, 10,000 yuan/share, a total of 100 shares, Zhu and several founders of the information sent out, soon received the response of all parties. "Beta Coffee has more than 30 shareholders, engaged in 15 occupations, most of the major Internet, telecommunications company executives, from Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and other 9 different cities." "The staff of the Guangzhou Bay Tower told reporters, in addition to these people, there are still not graduates, as long as the response early, you can get shares."

In June 2009, Beta opened in Hangzhou, due to the proximity of Alibaba and Taobao, meetings and activities have become a support for the beta profit. In Hangzhou, the headquarters of the Beta coffee, the word goes like this: "Http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/6935.html in Hangzhou" > Internet practitioners, you will feel a loss if you do not come to beta. "Hangzhou has been a great encouragement to beta, and the idea of opening a shop in Beijing and elsewhere has started at Beta headquarters," he said.

Beta Beijing Shop in a good place--upstairs is the innovation factory, to the South Half Station Road is Microsoft, and then turn right is Tencent, North turn a corner to Sina and patriots. In the store, you can often see acquaintances, sitting on a comfortable U-shaped couch may be the "friend" you just met yesterday. A media man who often went to Beijing's Beta told reporters that it was very efficient to talk about things in beta, and that several hours would see the project heads of several well-known internet companies. Undoubtedly, this beta café has inadvertently become an important part of the entrepreneur's growing ecology.

Shop chief Ken once met a young man, the shop has not yet opened the door holding an "angel" sign to sit at the door, although there is no obligation for entrepreneurs and investors to provide docking services, but Ken still introduced the young man to a regular shop to visit a senior entrepreneur, perhaps, he can provide some help. But in his view, Beta coffee does not want to position itself as "Venture coffee shop", because that will only make the business narrower, although the service is popular, but in the future this is not a beta direction.

Selling coffee? Selling services?

In Zhongguancun, rent, water and electricity, property, catering, human plus coffee, a coffee shop start-up funds at least 1 million. In terms of the unit price of coffee, the price is similar to Starbucks, if a total of 50 cups of coffee from 1 o'clock in the afternoon to 5 to calculate, four hours of income of about 1500 yuan. Obviously, this is not high. In fact, Ken's mood is a bit complicated now, it's good to provide a platform for entrepreneurs, but how to make the café profitable is also a tricky problem.

In the Beijing Zhongguancun, there are many internet entrepreneurs, some have the idea of technology, but there is no money, and some even the office can not afford to rent, the appearance of cafes let them feel "hope", in their view, this place not only can bring down the cost of starting a business, but also have the opportunity to see their "angel investors."

But Ken admits that it's hard to make money on startups. "Buy a cup of coffee, you can stay a day, mixed up or even do not buy coffee can also be here office, a long time, electricity and water, rent, manpower and other costs will be difficult to digest." ”

Now, beta coffee regularly organizes forums, salons, investment meetings, photo-sharing meetings--not only does it increase income, it also expands influence and enhances the industry's atmosphere, but that part of the income doesn't help to turn off beta coffee. They have only two months to make ends meet in a year.

The other side of the garage coffee is more willing to position themselves as an "open incubator"-entrepreneurs can at the Garage Café at 20 yuan per person per day to rent the bar to accommodate 6 people at the desk, enjoy the business package-wireless network, printers. Last year, the Zhongguancun CMC has just issued a plaque for the Garage café, and has provided a registered green channel for start-ups, and garage coffee has been included in the incubation system. The head of the garage coffee shop said that in a few months the garage café would unveil some of the entrepreneurial services.

Unlike the garage coffee shop model, also do the "entrepreneurial café" 3W hope to establish a high-quality business investment exchange platform, but also to establish the industry depth of knowledge-sharing and resources docking platform, in addition to coffee shop income, 3W will do a bit of headhunting work, will be some excellent talent recommended to the Internet enterprises.

And he knows the needs of these young people, the latest recruitment information is available at the gate of the Beta Café every week, and there is a network of "wall-breaking" (meaning to break through the firewall) and a prepared working whiteboard, apparently hoping to do better in his own store.