From the entrepreneur of the University to the economic figures of the year

On the evening of December 12, in the dazzling studio Hall of CCTV's Liu Qingfeng, he raised the 2013 economic figures trophy. This year, he is just 40 years old. In the coming 2013, Liu Qingfeng, the head of the Hkust (002230, shares), remains extremely low-key. However, the company, which is headquartered in Anhui Province, has a stunning track record: its products occupy 70% of the Chinese voice market, with more than 80% market share in the field of professional applications. Last week, The Beijing Times reporter interviewed the hkust News fly Chairman Liu Qingfeng. From the entrepreneur to the annual economic figures, Liu Qingfeng spent 14 years. It is in these 14 years that China's voice industry has "entered the age of intelligence that can understand emotion" from the machine age that can be read. The character story graduate namely the pioneering thought studied the radio electronics, later knew how to repair the color TV. In 1990, Liu Qingfeng, 17, was recommended to Tsinghua University for Automotive Engineering because of his outstanding performance. But he gave up the ordinary people in the eyes of the highest institutions of higher learning, insisted on the selection of the highest level of enrollment in China University of Science and Technology Electronics Engineering department. According to Liu Qingfeng recalls, the students who entered China enrolled in the college entrance examination from 13 provinces, their own inconspicuous. At that time silly, thought that studied the radio electronics, later knew how to repair the color TV. "After being a graduate student, Liu Qingfeng became China Voice Lab 863 speech Synthesis project team leader. 1998, Liu Qingfeng led the National 863 Program (National High Technology Research and Development Program) of a competition, he designed speech synthesis system is the only one to reach the practical threshold of the work, which was a major breakthrough at that time. At that time, although the international IT giants have begun to covet the Chinese voice market, IBM, Motorola, Microsoft, Intel successively set up laboratories in China, but the speech industry is always difficult. In China, such as the Academy of Social Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other colleges and universities have been brewing voice technology for many years, still can not meet commercial standards More serious is, because the domestic research team has been a large number of poaching, foreign companies almost occupy the entire Chinese voice market. In this context, after graduating in 1999, Liu Qingfeng the same laboratory with a gang of younger brother and the Hkust BBS the best moderators, plus China investment, built the Hkust flying the first team. To allow the computer to be able to say ", to the Voice technology industrialization is Liu Qingfeng founder of the company before to the mentor Wang Renhua, in the era of computer is not universal, the idea is almost whimsical." In fact, at that time was the Liu Qingfeng of the graduates or left their own bridges. At the same time, Liu Qingfeng is also actively preparing to go abroad to read Bo's exam. Just completely took over the Hkust, Liu Qingfeng's desk is still placed a number of study abroad offer, but ultimately these bridges did not come in handy. At that time we got the first 30 million yuan of financing, and use the money to the domestic voice technology better China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Acoustics and the language of the Academy of Social Sciences. This is the industry and academia moreTeenagers want to do things that are not done. "Liu Qingfeng said. The hit of the opener is catching up with the Chinese New Year, we finally borrow money to pay. "However, in the first year of the company's establishment, the Liu Qingfeng with technology has ushered in the first heavy blow on the road to entrepreneurship." At that time, the hkust to develop a computer desktop software, to try to write the arbitrary input, keyboard input accuracy and the high efficiency of the voice input of the perfect combination of language control computer. This was really refreshing at the time, "Liu Qingfeng recalls, the product took to participate in the exhibition is very popular, customers look at the product satisfaction once up to 100%. "But then the market effect was so surprising. The user's own operation when the satisfaction of the moment to 30%, the investment capital is not returned. Liu Qingfeng said that at that time only a hundred thousand of of the company's accounts, and all employees one months salary to 200,000. At that time is catching up with the Chinese New Year, we finally borrow money to pay wages, can say has broken blood. After a bad defeat, Liu Qingfeng thought for several days. Hkust is behind the China Voice lab and 863 project team, technology is not a problem, the problem most likely in the business model. After the company discussion, Liu Qingfeng decided to give up the mode of business at that time, and turn to the business-to-business businesses that provide core technology for large companies with channels and markets. Hkust is only responsible for developing engines, speech synthesis and speech recognition chips, while application integration is done by downstream developers or customers themselves. This model also means more and more market subjects into the voice of the industrial chain. "After the positioning is confirmed, Liu Qingfeng and his team take the time to make system modification tests." Finally in 2001, Liu will Lenovo into the venture industry after the first single vote for hkust flying. Signing the night, in Anhui Hotel, Liu Qingfeng and Liu had a long talk. I used to think it was a waste of time talking to people, but Liu always said, he put 60% of the time in and staff exchanges, to build the team, the strategy, with the team, this is a business from troupes into a professional company must go through a hurdle, but also our technical people from the background of change for the enterprise managers face the biggest challenge. "Liu Qingfeng said. Years of not making money at that time I said to employees, not optimistic about the voice of people please leave the message fly. "The capital is there, the technology is there, and the business model is there." But it wasn't until 2003 that the hkust didn't make any money. This is the second most difficult period of the hkust news flight. Liu Qingfeng recalls that many shareholders at that time questioned whether there was any future in the voice market. Do you want to do other business that comes fast? At that time I said to the staff, not optimistic about the voice of the people please leave the flight, fortunately our team is the actual control of the company, we insist on down. "2004, in the voice market teeth insist on 5 years of the Hkust news fly finally swung into the development of the fast lane." 2006 years later, its voice synthesis technology and speech recognition technology in many international professional competitions. 2008, Hkust News fly successfully landed a a-share board. Liu Qingfeng will be the basic service provider of the Hkust, now, the Hkust voice system has been for home appliances, electricityLetters, banks, mobile phones, national security, transportation, tourism, music, toys and many other segments of the industry chain to provide voice support. Its products occupy the Chinese voice market 70% of the share of the application in the professional field is accounted for 80% market share. In 2012, committee completely canceled the manual evaluation of the Putonghua test, and the replacement was a part of the hkust machine. The Voice products in the professional field has become the main source of profit for Hkust, even some public security departments to identify the voice of the suspect, but also through the HKUST message to fly speech recognition system. As of 2012, the hkust to achieve business income of 784 million yuan, an increase of 40.7%, net profit of 182 million yuan, an increase of 37.5%, known as Asia-Pacific voice first share. China Mobile not only want to join us in strategic cooperation, but also want to share. "The problem of capital and product marketization is solved, but Liu Qingfeng and his entrepreneurial team are still facing a serious potential crisis," he said. At that time, in order to carry the financial cliff, Hkust has carried out a number of rounds of financing, including Lenovo investment in many institutions have been to the main major news fly, greatly diluted the entrepreneurial team in the company's equity ratio. As of 2012, Liu Qingfeng and other 13-person team accounted for only 16.64% of the company's shares, Liu's personal holdings accounted for only 6.8%, in the capital market there is a risk of malicious takeover. In order to solve this problem, Liu Qingfeng thought a stone way. In 2012, after the successful launch of the flying Input method, message flying language points and other products, the Hkust flying mobile internet business is in full swing. At that time, China Mobile President Li to Anhui Research, the provincial governor of Anhui recommended to them the Hkust news fly. At that time I gave Lee always saw the voice of the input method, he was very interested, immediately arranged a symposium. A few days later, we received feedback from mobile companies who were not only looking for strategic cooperation but also for a stake. Liu Qingfeng said that at that time, China Mobile promised that after the completion of the transaction, will not sell shares, will not be overweight, would never seek the hkust to fly the holding power, which for the stability of the HKUST's flying stock price structure of a huge role. According to the cooperation agreement reached at that time, China Mobile has subscribed 1.363 billion yuan to 15% of the Hkust's shares, while the 13 natural-Liu Qingfeng shareholders still account for about 17.72% of the shares, and are still the actual controllers of the HKUST flight. Hold on to China to move this tree, Hkust is also active in the layout of voice mobile internet market. As the largest telecommunications operator, China Mobile has repeatedly put forward the establishment of voice access and voice cloud platform, which facilitates the promotion of many of our technology and application of the pilot. Liu Qingfeng said that in December 2012, the Hkust and China Mobile to cooperate with the Intelligent voice Portal products in a comprehensive online. This year, the HKUST launched a mobile internet division and moved forward from Hefei to Beijing. Liu Qingfeng said: "To hear the fire of the front-line personnel to make decisions." "People dialogue >> talk about winning but pressure Alexander" Jinghua times: Share with us your experience of the 2013 economic figures of CCTV,Are you happier or more stressed? Liu Qingfeng: These two feelings actually have. With the development of mobile internet and wearable equipment, the next two or three years, many occasions have no need to look at the screen with eyes, more than 80% of the applications can rely on voice solutions, browsers, search engines, portals will usher in subversive changes, so the entire voice technology and industry more and more attention. But I found that the other annual economic figures, enterprises almost all over billions, and they compared to the hkust flying or small brother, the gap is very large, or very pressure. Jinghua Times: Last year's awards party Wang and Ma Yun to gamble, this year you heard in the scene of Millet CEO Lei and Gree chairman Mingzhu Gamble, who do you think they will win? Liu Qingfeng: From that day's gamble, Lei and Mingzhu of the odds I think each accounted for 50%. In fact, Lei is not only marketing means, not heavy after-sales service. Only this kind of after-sales service is not the traditional sense of the dismantling machine, but through the rice noodles "direct interaction between the formation of a good after-sale experience, so that after-sales service has a richer connotation." I think, regardless of line online, all need the best products, have a good product, who is the most creative marketing, who can seize the user mentality, who can sell better. >> talk about the market voice is not want to do can do Beijing times: Now Baidu, Tencent also began to enter the voice business, how do you view the current voice market overall pattern? Liu Qingfeng: In the second year of the investment news, Liu and I said, as an industry, the most painful thing is that all products have become cabbage radish, In the full Red Sea competition. The second pain is that only your family is doing it. In fact, the best state should be, there are several doing, and you are doing the biggest. Now Baidu and Tencent are also doing voice, sometimes some products also unavoidably slightly a bit over the taste of propaganda. In fact, Baidu in the first half of 2010 issued a voice search products, because the technology is not mature enough to endure several years before coming out. Tencent's voice has also been done for 3 years, has not done well, and then to the micro-letter business. In the micro-letter after the introduction of voice function, this October, Tencent QQ after technical comparison or bought our technology, I think because they feel we do better than them. This means that the threshold of voice technology is relatively high, not who want to do it. Beijing Times: In the layout of mobile Internet, what is the future of Hkust? Liu Qingfeng: In the next few years of the layout, flying input method and will be the key products of hkust flying. The voice input method is just needed, but in the 2010 there is no business model at all. Through the development of micro-letters, we find that many future business models can actually be explored. Including the input method out of the hot word recommendation, browser and search engine, input method itself, such as the expression of the business value is increasing, I think this is a very good change. And as a voice assistant, the more emphasis on mobile phones and the future of wearable equipment entrance, voice control phone calls, texting, song is currently the most consumers use the function, the future use of mobile Internet can also exploreFor more business models. >> talk about profitable products not yet profitable Jinghua times: As a fist products, the current flying input method and the profit situation? Liu Qingfeng: Input method is still in full investment period, the use of these now considered business models, the next two years is expected to achieve revenue balance. The connection now has a portion of the revenue, but the overall is still in a loss period, and will likely achieve a revenue balance in the next four quarters. Now we still want to increase the promotion of these two major products, and temporarily do not consider the issue of income. At that time, the choice of these two business is because these two business is difficult to make small and medium-sized enterprises, because the early needs of a large and arduous investment, but also to bear losses, it is possible to the back of the mobile Internet development to bring a better future. Beijing Times: The main products have not been profitable, Hkust news fly in the future in the mobile Internet profit depends on what? Liu Qingfeng: The entire mobile internet business model is currently being explored, Tencent recently said that the entire mobile internet mobile phone traffic has exceeded the PC, accounting for 10%-20% of revenue, the future business model, It's definitely going to have to move, and consumers are getting more and more receptive to moving ads. There are three main sources of income for us in the future. One is channel income. For example, now 160多万首 music can be downloaded from the online store, in addition, we and mobile, unicom, telecommunications docking, to provide them with voice technology services. The second is to use the weather, flight services profit, we can and airlines to reach an agreement to obtain advertising revenue. The third, and the future, is the largest revenue component, that is, the use of mobile search to find various types of information, will bring a lot of business information, this will bring similar to the search price rankings of advertising revenue. >> talking about entrepreneurship learn a lot from the Big boss: Can you give a wake-up call to the young people who want to start a business? Liu Qingfeng: 1999 When we started our business, we did not know anything, too optimistic, thinking that the world is at the foot, will soon be able to make big money. In the second year, I found that we should allow ourselves and the community to support our strength from the excessive optimism back to the arduous pioneering mentality. College students ' entrepreneurship is likely to be insufficient, and the cycle control of the laboratory products into commodities is not enough. In addition, enterprises should use an open mind to attract outstanding shareholders, to make up for the lack of understanding of society. I've learned a lot from Liu and Guo. Students should not consider themselves as students after starting a business, be responsible for the shareholders, responsible for the community. Markets do not believe in tears, do not position themselves as students, I hope that all aspects give you special treatment. Beijing Times: If the current hkust to fly a score, how many points do you give? Liu Qingfeng: Now Hkust is flying in technology, products and applications have done a good job in the layout and try, but the scale of business has not really show. If it was 5 years ago, I could have flown 90 points and now I can only hit 70 points. In the process of mobile Internet development, we do see that, compared with millet, Huawei, there are many shortcomings. After the listing, the company should not only technological innovation, but also to the capital market to bring high-speed growth, so that some strategic resources investment is not in place. At the same time, flying voice input method has 100 million users, but we have so far in this area of advertising total investment has not been 1 million yuan, in the promotion of not enough. Sometimes, I feel that I am old, I do not know what the young people are thinking, so we must keep up with the trend, to touch the preferences of mainstream consumer groups.