Mobile Internet "Chuang Qing": Like a pyramid scheme to search for VCs

The entrepreneur's path seems to be only three: life, death, being killed or acquired by the Giants.　　But, these mobile internet's creation green, the successive rushes forward. "I don't like Ctrip, we'll fight him," he said.　　"At a fast food restaurant in Beijing," Tonight's Hotel specials (one hotel room reservation mobile app) operating company COO Jinxin smiled and saw no trace of murder, but he was ready to fight to the end. His opponents look mighty.　　Ctrip's users have reached 14 million, with a net income of 2.9 billion yuan in 2010, while the "Tonight Hotel Specials" downloads only around 300,000, with almost no revenue at the moment. But the one-month-old venture, spawned by the mobile Internet, is enough to make the leading online travel service company Ctrip feel threatened.　　Jinxin is quite proud of his opponents ' nervousness, and he believes the future of the mobile internet business is bright. The entrepreneurial experience of young people like Jinxin in the mobile Internet arena is exciting.　　They can easily get millions of or even tens of millions of of VC funds by simply installing apps on their phones. But the optimism that has just begun to continue in the longer river is an unknown.　　Jinxin to this point, "(entrepreneurial way), sometimes on the left is a pit, the right is also a pit, go ahead, then choose a pit to jump down." Entrepreneurs have to jump more than one pit. Whether the product is perfect, whether the team is united enough, whether they can get enough investment and so on.　　Even if these hurdles are crossed, if startups "unintentionally" invade the Giants ' territory, there will also be relentless killings-indeed, as with the Internet, there is no clear boundary to the mobile Internet, or the boundaries are often demarcated by giants, and entrepreneurs seem to have only three roads: life, death, being killed or bought by giants.　　The internet giants, including Baidu and Tencent, posted mobile internet Strategies almost a year ago. Outside the Giants, Chinese entrepreneurs face more problems than their foreign peers.　　Chinese mobile phone fees are much more slow speed, and disregard of intellectual property of the cottage culture, leading to creativity is easy to imitate even beyond, in addition, China's relatively backward mobile payment system, as well as the Chinese free software consumption habits, so that mobile internet entrepreneurship is difficult. The development of mobile phone application software "hotel talent" Chengdu Flower Interactive Technology Co., Ltd. founder, CEO Liu Changbo not to be denied that, "the danger is there, you can not escape, you must quickly grow up before the death."　　"After all, there is more chance of mobile internet than the internet, it's hell, but it's also heaven." The number on the air outlet may indicate the heat of the mobile internet entrepreneur. In 2011, the world's Android-based developers reached 1.001 million, and in 2012 it soared to 2.208 million. Meanwhile, the world's iphone App Store opensThe sender will reach 847,000. Lin Jun, vice president of Shenzhen co-Genesis Venture Capital Co., Ltd., said to China Newsweek, "compared to the Internet, the mobile Internet business threshold is relatively low, although it is difficult, but the chances of a more small." "Jinxin became a member of the boom in 2011. Jinxin, who worked for the new egg net in the United States, has served as vice president of Groupon's China market.　　Dengtianzho is Jinxin's colleague at the time of the new egg net. After resigning from Groupon in early 2011, Jinxin and Dengtianzho began plotting to start a business. The two final business model is: In the hotel network booking price discount (50 percent or so) to the Cooperative hotel to obtain the agreement price, and then set their own pricing online selling rooms.　　Customers pay directly to "Tonight's hotel Specials" and then "tonight's hotel specials" to be settled with the hotel.　　On the second day of the line, "Tonight's hotel specials" rushed to the second place on the App Store list, and in mid-October it downloaded nearly 300,000 people. More than 10 investment companies have found Jinxin to demand investment. Optimistic about the mobile internet angel investor Lei said, "As long as standing in the tuyere, pigs will fly up."　　Lei Eye of the tuyere, is the mobile internet. Not only Jinxin one sees the opportunity to move the Internet. In June 2010, Liu Changbo, a mobile internet entrepreneur, went to Beijing on business and found a hotel near Tsinghua University.　　However, the application recommended on the phone's cheap hotel is dozens of kilometers away from the Fangshan. Liu Changbo is worrying about not finding an investment. At the end of 2009, he set up a company, operating a "video of the talent" of the mobile application software, can query more than 10 countries tens of thousands of theaters of the details of the video, download also reached millions.　　But because the profit model is not clear, has not been the capital. The trouble of finding a hotel made him instantly enlightened.　　He then developed the hotel subscription app "Hotel talent", mobile phone users through the software to check the hotel and stay, they can be divided.　　"Hotel talent" on the line after a week, jumped to the mobile phone App Store travel ranking first, at present, the application of the number of users reached millions, Liu Changbo also through this project to get the "innovation factory" investment. However, with the growing number of developers, it is becoming more and more difficult to accumulate hundreds of thousands of or even millions of users. Currently, developers have uploaded more than 30,000 mobile apps in the Android app market.　　In addition to Apple's App store, there are 70 mobile app stores like the Android Market in China. Liu Changbo that mobile internet is now a bubble, "a year ago as long as your product is good enough to squeeze the top, but now the product upload to the mobile phone application store, like thrown into the sea, floating up too difficult."　　"[Page] looking for investors who are waiting for investor developers is clearly getting picky." "A year ago, as long as you have good idea, the team is reliable, it is not difficult to get investment;Investors may also look at your financial data and let you submit a business plan.　　"Liu Changbo said. Throughout the 2010, Liu Changbo was busy looking for investments.　　Some crazy entrepreneurs even send bulk text messages and emails to investors every day, claiming they are "creating" future mobile versions of Baidu, the future mobile version of Jingdong or the future mobile version of Tencent. "That enthusiasm seems to be in general with MLM, impetuous not steadfast."　　"Of course, he did not have a penny for the future" Robin Li "and" Liu, "said an investor who was reluctant to give his name and often received similar emails to China Newsweek. Liu Changbo, a tech-born man, thinks he has a thin skin, and he attends industry rallies hoping to meet investors. In 2010, an investor finally became interested in his project.　　After two months of frequent contact, Liu Changbo once considered "in the market", but finally investors said, "I don't understand your business model, and I don't know how big the potential is." By the end of last year, Liu Changbo was ready to retreat, "the way to take the investment seems unworkable." "The second way is to do a good job of" video talent "and" hotel talent "at the same time, through some outsourced list" to maintain life. " At that time, Liu Changbo's company had 3 full-time staff and six or seven part-time jobs.　　Looking for outsourcing list is also not easy, the whole 2010, Liu Changbo only received an outsourced project, earning 100,000, "to maintain food and clothing, you say how, 100,000 100,000 of the past law Bai." At the same time, start-up companies operating costs are increasing, such as labor costs. "The founder takes the living expenses to be possible, but if you want to find someone again, certainly must give the high price, otherwise who is willing to come the uncertain future start-up company."　　Jinxin found a technology engineer who promised that the salary would be flat and that there was an option.　　Last year, just graduated from the PHP engineers required a monthly salary of 5000 yuan, has now risen to seven thousand or eight thousand. But persuading investors is not easy. "If the product is good enough, the team is reliable enough to find an investment," explained the unnamed investor.　　But a paradox is that the mobile internet bullish early came in, now come in to explain your market sensitivity is not high, or team execution ability is not strong, why should I vote for you? However, as investors become more picky, some of the relatively sought-after entrepreneurial teams are also starting to reverse their choices for investors.　　"Tonight Hotel Specials" because of the rapid growth of the number of users, it is not to worry about investment, but the investment period and the nature of funds, etc.　　At that time, several investors chasing Jinxin demand for investment, including foreign funds, there are renminbi funds, "Finally we chose the renminbi fund, because the renminbi funds will soon be able to account, foreign funds due to the relevant policy restrictions, to the account is relatively slow." Jinxin joked that some investors were also "sinister" and that due diligence was over for a long time, two or three months without a vote, "so we pick one and we can sign it right away."Remit Money. "　　[Page] The most important group of people who are interested in investing in the mobile Internet is Li, the CEO of SoftBank, who is focused on whether the team has accumulated experience in the project.　　Professional Android Chinese Forum Android founder Han Yuan, formerly a network of Dragon Company's integrated mobile phone portal network, one of the founders of the Android network work 10 months of accumulated experience, in the start-up was replicated, "methods and paths are similar, 18-day product developed." In addition, due to the work of the Android network, Han Yuan and mobile phone manufacturers and operators have had cooperation, in the founder of the Android Network, the above network resources to transplant, and mobile phone manufacturers to discuss cooperation is also a success.　　2010 at the end, only a year after the venture, after two months of negotiations, Android network that is, and Shanda signed an investment agreement, Shanda Investment 10 million, accounting for the Android network 10% of the shares. and Dengtianzho and Jinxin dare to do "Tonight Hotel special", is also based on the accumulation of contacts.　　Deng was informed by chance that a senior executive at the Open Super Hotel reservation platform, "Huitong World", learned of Deng's entrepreneurial plan, and said that the "Huitong world" was willing to provide support. Another indicator that Li value is whether the team is clearly divided, and whether the team members are cohesive. In fact. It is not uncommon for the team not to have an example of a company that causes the founder to flee. The most famous is the story of Mr. Jobs's departure.　　In 1985, Steve Jobs, one of Apple's founders, was forced to flee the top of the battle, and Apple was once in decline after jobs left.　　One of the most likely mistakes of a start-up team is that it takes too much care of "brotherhood" and does not establish who is the last person to make decisions, leading to a decline in executive power.　　"The entrepreneurial team is facing a lot of changes," Jinxin said, "The left is a pit, the right is a pit, you are going to the pit to jump, arguing, always have a person to make the final decision."　　At the beginning of the venture, Jinxin and Dengtianzho to determine the division of labor, two people analyzed their strengths and weaknesses, clear role, Deng as CEO, Jinxin as COO, "must recognize their own and entrepreneurial partner's ceiling." In some foreign activities, many are Jinxin. Dengtianzho that the marketing work from the Jinxin more adept at dealing with people, more suitable for representing the company's external image. On Sina Weibo, Dengtianzho did not apply for certification, and as an "external spokesman" of the Jinxin has specifically applied for certification, and on Weibo to promote the "Tonight Hotel specials." [Page] Alongside the big guy and Zujizhan Dengtianzho now can only sleep three or four hours a day, after the product is not perfect.　　In September, Deng heard the message that one competitor was preparing to launch a similar mobile app, and that the "Tonight Hotel Specials" were on the line, "it looks a little ugly now," Jinxin said. In addition, because the "Tonight hotel Specials" require users to pay on the phone, the current partnership with the only Alipay and quick money, the relative trouble to pay, the loss of orders is very high.　　However, Jinxin revealed that at present they are working with UnionPay to discuss cooperation. Another worry is whether the market is big enough.　　Jinxin that their users mainly include business travelers and the same city tourists, but because business people planning is relatively strong, and the reimbursement is relatively high, the price is not sensitive, they may not risk at six points after the hotel, "the market needs to be nurtured," Jinxin said. Beyond this dilemma, "Hotel specials Tonight" has been a life-and-death battle.　　Because "Tonight Hotel special" offers the hotel price is 40 percent-70 percent of the same time network price, damaged the interests of Ctrip. "Ctrip stared at the hotel and, once found on the ' Tonight Hotel Specials ' app, immediately threatened to remove the hotel from their site," he said.　　Jinxin said, "The hotel has to do 2 choice 1 multiple-choice questions."　　Many hotels do not want to offend Ctrip, in the end, "Tonight Hotel special" online hotel only five or six, "a lot of users to scold, so many hotels, you suck!"　　In fact, Ctrip is so suppressed, not only because of interest damage, but also because "Tonight hotel special" cooperation side of the sky, is the old Cheng Ctrip, both sides in the World Expo during the open war.　　A hotel industry personage to "China Newsweek" analysis, said, "Tonight Hotel special" because "bang" on the Ctrip's old opponents, can quickly open the situation, but also deepened the hostility of Ctrip.　　However, Jinxin don't care, "Ctrip a dozen of us to the media to the public ' cry ', it is easier to get sympathy." Jinxin deal with Ctrip one of the ways, is "alliances". Through the world's matchmaking, Jinxin and Dengtianzho please come to the Jinjiang Hotel and other large hotel group's high-level, public statement to support them, "small start-up companies to use resources, or Jinjiang Hotel senior will not take me".　　Jinxin said. In fact, not only mobile internet start-ups are facing similar puzzles. UC gifted as CEO Yu once said, for internet start-ups, "either life, or die, or Tencent."　　November 4, Yu publicly announced to sue Tencent, the reason is, Yu think the same in mobile browser Tencent in order to combat UC browser, suspected bundled mobile phone QQ spread unfair competition. Clearly, for the relatively thin resources of the start-up companies, how to grow rapidly in the gap among the Giants, is a start-up company to face the problem.　　And the use of the contradiction between the Giants to achieve the maximization of benefits, it is to choose the survival principle. Although the entrepreneurial team is much more tired than the previous experience of working in a big company, few young entrepreneurs are willing to turn back, "It feels so good to be masters, and freedom is high." Jinxin said, "On the road of entrepreneurship, will never return to the head." Liu Changbo said he never regretted the most tangled investment-seeking process in 2010.