Chengdu App up by the Kai-fu Lee investment: a year without financing almost mortality
And after a lot of 80, Liu Zhangbo use the iPhone to download various software applications. Hotel of the \"faithful companion for business travel, he placed the most prominent position in the home. Wherever they go, open the hotel up a standard map of the various grades of hotel information presented in front of him, so that he can easily book your hotel. In addition to using, he is also concerned about the downloads, and user feedback.Liu Zhangbo the Chengdu shift spent Interactive founder and CEO of the application software company launched the \"Hotel up,\" to become the first hotel map mode query application. The iPhone version of the first week of on-line boarding AppStore travel first class application list. Millions of users through the hotel up to \"the completion of the worldwide hotel reservations. In October 2011, because this software, they get Kai-fu Lee Innovation Works investment.Liu Zhangbo eyes, \"Hotel up to save the shift to spend the interaction of\" Hero \"Before this, there is no financing, no income, his entrepreneurial road almost mortality.Test the water: the venture a year without financing almost mortalityAfter graduating from the University of British Columbia, Canada, Computer Master, experienced a short-term foreign companies experience in project development, the seeds of entrepreneurship in the Liu Zhangbo heart bud. In December 2009, the 28-year-old's Liuzhang Bo jointly old school was founded in Chengdu shift spend Interactive Technology Co., Ltd..Financing become plagued their biggest problem. With the increased competition of mobile applications, the investors' perspective has become increasingly demanding. In addition to good ideas, good team, but also of financial data, business plan and strict inspection. Than half a year after the venture, he is busy looking for investment. Although the technical origin of his character is restrained, but the dream to start a business, seeking financing, he frequently search, to participate in various industry gatherings, and hope to get to know the investors. Mid-2010, an investor finally on his project interest. Frequent contact more than two months, the Liu Zhangbo once that \"Me\" Ultimately, however, investors said, fail to understand its business model, expected less than the potential market, decided not to cast. He financing hopes.Than half a year in the past, the troubled financing no fruit, he was ready escape route: continue to maintain their own products at the same time, then some of the outsourcing list to maintain life. At that time, the company has three full-time staff, part-time staff of six or seven people. Find the list of outsourcing, however, is not easy, he only received a 10 million outsourcing project throughout the year, only enough for subsistence. Wandering lost night, a bunch of hope that the light coming through: hotel-tat, \"quietly to his side.Origin: Order Hotel inconvenience to designIn July 2010, Liu Zhangbo go to Beijing to attend the training, he would like to book a hotel room through mobile applications, but only a handful found himself in position around the hotel. 'd Like to book a cheap hotel near Tsinghua University, the hotel is recommended by the software for his dozens of kilometers away Fangshan. Under the hot sun at noon, luggage boxes around the city most of the day, could not find a hotel to meet their needs. Trouble finding the hotel instant enlightenment, why not design a mobile phone hotel reservations software, to seize a piece of cake? \"Hotel up,\" R & D envisaged initiation.Engineering origin, the hotel operator is not good at, but from the perspective of consumers, he knows what he wants. Perhaps it is this, that he can do more purely on product development. How user-friendly experience, become Liu Zhangbo the first to consider the issue. Team of three individuals from the beginning of the end of August 2010, began the development of the design, testing, until February 2011 was posted to the Apple application store. I did not expect to release a week later, the hotel of rushed travel class of mobile applications first month tens of thousands of downloads.Starting: on-line gleaned from the pot of goldIn many applications, the hotel of the people easy to operate. Check location set in the software, the date, click on the search, one based on GPS location, hotel information, maps will be displayed in front. A variety of price levels of the hotel marked with different colors of tiles, less than $ 200 budget hotels marked with brown, discount hotels marked with red. More detail room rates and hotel introduction and user reviews available in the software at a glance.Through the phone line, you can complete the booking. The software includes nearly 30,000 domestic hotels, international hotel 190 000, covering the various grades of brand, chain and independent hotels. No need to log in, and need not be registered! The software is designed to highlight the convenient and efficient, the whole process from inquiry to booking, with an average time of just less than a minute and a half.Their income is based on the rebate mode is customer service, and from the business office sales is divided into. As a means to attract users, the hotel of people from the business office sharing, returned to the user in the form of cash back.A month later, the hotel of the actual income received the first commission: a check for $ 1,000. This allows the team excited. Although only 1000 yuan, but this is the first venture more than a year income. Recognized by the market, they see hope.The Liu Zhangbo told reporters that the profit is not his focus to consider the scope, their scale is greater than the pursuit of profits, doing so is to the bigger amount of users. Enough subscribers to the current revenue model, profit will be a matter of course. \"Breakthrough: by Innovation Works investmentWithout any outside investment, nor of any marketing campaign, relying on word of mouth, the hotel up immediately after the release of the impressive download usage. Two months later, Lee, founder of the innovative workshop attention. Innovation Works started to meet them, discuss the two weeks after they decided to invest them. His business team to Beijing for half a year, and incubation of innovation workshops. Its platform experts of various departments, and their communication are very high efficiency of the feedback received great help for start-up of the company, \"said Liu Zhangbo.The incubation of innovative workshops, whether it is technology, or market operators, and gave them guidance. Their market position more clear, more clear profit model. In fact, the hotel up to the first product people are not developed, before the birth of the hotel people, movie people had been development, but suffer from the absence of a clear profit model, not recognized by the market, in his view, become a failure. \"With innovative workshop experience, we look back and do, can do better.\"And innovative workshops, halo, and also allow them to more favorable on the Job. October 2011, the shift to spend interaction as just over 10 personal start-up companies, followed by innovative workshops returned to UESTC recruitment. \"We were able to enter UESTC recruit people to start-up companies can not imagine.\" The aura of creative workshops, Liu Zhangbo to fight for better human resources for the company's innovative continuous injection power.Currently, Liu Zhangbo team growth has been expanded to 30 people. On the wall behind his desk, leaving the tree mode of thinking in the recent time brainstorming discussion. In order to keep records of the creative, the company specifically around the walls are fitted with glass became smear. Pragmatic, young and dynamic team style tags.Vision: to build travel one-stop continuity of serviceHotel up has become the main force shift to spend the interactive source of income, but the Liu Zhangbo hope to provide a continuum of services, including food, housing, and entertainment for the user's travel. \"Now we travel. Often the people live in the hotel when the hotel, check flights when the flight steward search restaurants with public comment.\" Liu Zhangbo between these fragmented business products and user experience fragmented.Following the hotel up the shift to spend interaction also released a new version of telecine up to people, to train up and car rental up to the people. New listings telecine of people can browse the newly telecine, in Shanghai on the phone ticketing and seating, to allow users to avoid the trouble of queuing up to go to the cinema. Liuzhang Bo told reporters: \"We hope in the near future, such services can cover most of the large and medium-sized cities across the country.\"Look to the needs of users. \"Liuzhang Bo believes that this is their most important gains experience, one to cater to the needs of users, will be able to lock this part of the user. The number of users is the measure of whether a product is the market potential of the standard. Portrayed for the future, he said, \"If the numbers measure, I hope that users reached ten million.\"It is reported that one of the gathering place as the core of the domestic mobile Internet industry, the Chengdu Hi-tech Zone has mobile Internet industry as a priority the development of important strategic emerging industries to nurture and develop. As of the end of 2011, Chengdu Hi-tech Zone has gathered Internet related businesses in the field of more than 150, causing the market and financial aspects of growing concern.from: Daily News
Hurray to complete the MBO from the grand system from the
Media reports, Hurray (hereinafter referred to Hurray!) Was quietly completed by the end of MBO (management buyout), completely out of the grand system. Complete the MBO, former COO, Hurray, Wu Feng, chairman and CEO.Hurray side in an interview with reporters to confirm the news and said that the previously proposed MBO is nothing more than trying to seize the opportunities of the mobile Internet, is currently preparing the first financing after MBO, the future will continue to focus on mobile Internet market, but did not disclose the financing of specific progress.Shanda senior vice president and spokesman Zhang Jin said China Friends of the detachment did not impact on the grand. Analysts believe that this operation is very beneficial for both sides, Hurray With the initiative of their own business planning, Shanda will mainly focus on several areas to further promote privatization. Detachment does not affect the business cooperationZhang Jin told reporters that the grand the business is involved in the wireless business, Shanda Literature wireless business accounted for, the management buy only the SP business (content application services for mobile Internet service provider directly responsible for the development based on user requests and provide for services used by mobile phone users) only. For the valuation of the MBO in the grand Hurray, and the completion of the status of funds spent by the MBO and other information, Zhang Jin were not disclosed.Hurray said, after the end of last year, complete the MBO, the business aspects of music based on more of an extension. \"At present, cooperation between the two sides will remain Hurray also develop new business, grand will have a new co-operation.\"It is understood that Hurray had joined the grand part of the staff and operations into a grand Hurray out of their integration into the grand staff and business return to belong to a grand.Public information, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shanda in 2009 to total $ 46.2 million to acquire 51% of the shares of Hurray. Since then, the of Hurray music and wireless business reverted grand cool 6 to Hurray main business, success backdoor listing. Extend the business into China Friends of the focusFor the future development of the Hurray confidence and said that the various product lines and business lines are moving in the right direction.ChinaVenture Investment Group, principal analyst Li Weidong Hurray had joined Shanda is supposed to be a strategic layout, grand in its post-acquisition integration is not particularly smooth, leading to the Friends of the Chinese Follow-up performance is not satisfactory. Whether from the Friends of China signed with Grand select MBO, or a grand follow-up winger, Hao Fang, Kut Shing sale of assets, every step is grand for its successful privatization and orderly planning. As long as the of Hurray grand pre successful completion of the MBO, a grand follow-up can actively promote business restructuring.\"Hurray extend the business is a must. Hurray to exit, if it continues to do music-related business, then the independent development can be more difficult.\" Li Weidong, told reporters that the move to mobile industry as a whole in the past 2012 After the Internet, Hurray's business did not able to achieve a particularly good transition has not kept pace with the rhythm of development of the industry.Li Weidong, said the company's future development and the possibility of changes will increase. The one hand, below the grand team may be in the company's strategy and product development has not been too much right to speak, and today have led; the other hand, the change of ownership structure, the future through equity financing , including the exercise of equity incentive, there will be more room.from: Daily News
The Outfit former CEO of the new company Iddiction launched Groupon model promote the use of App-0-Day
Mxace report/Outfit Iddictiongo company of former CEO Andrej Nabergoj created, launched a Groupon-like pattern of group buying service, this app includes the promotion of free and paid applications.
Iddiction today released its first product App-0-Day, mainly to provide time critical applications, free or free offers free virtual props. May be asked, so how he raised $ 3.5 million, only because it\'s like free-app-a-day service?
Now there are a lot of similar services. Nabergoj said: \"we are not going to be a knock off of free-app-a-day, we want to trade more directly into the app store. When you see similar services for most of the time, they are often of low quality: design development of very poor, low quality, is also not smooth. \"He added, analysis system to help developers better understand how to promote to their favour. Their team learned about the Groupon model, and established cooperation with many game sites, thereby creating higher download volume.
This app more depth design compared to competitive products. \"I hope that our user interface design is a great work, we are always thinking, \' how did Apple do? How do they use the principles of design?
\' \"Part of the financing, as you can expect, the investment promotion App-0-Day this app at the iTunes Store, Nabergoj which want application developers are not strictly controlled, he said. In November last year, the company raised $ 3.5 million, investors including Playdom co-founder Rick Thompson,Comcast Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, IDG Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Bayview Capital (who created Gameview Studios), and Francisco
Larrain (Groupon\'s technical director) CEO Andrej Nabergoj was Outfit7 ago, which Slovenia Developer launches \"talking animals\" series cumulative application downloads has more than 300 million times. We know the situation is, the Slovenia views disharmony within the team, company hesitant on financing issues. And Nabergoj hopes to obtain financing to accelerate the company\'s development, ultimately, Outfit7 hired a new CEO.
Racing online game developers, Ignite raised $ 5 million
According to technology blog TechCrunch reported, the online racing game developers Ignite the Game Technologies today by C round of financing raised $ 5 million, the financing will be used to accelerate its recently released racing game Simraceway and skills to match technology development.
Ignite plan through a well-known licensed content, precise handling experience and addictive gameplay to attract more players, prompting the players to pay to the car and buy a car.
Simraceway is a free value-added game can be downloaded from the PC side. It will bring players a realistic international motor racing simulation experience, players can drive their own car to a showdown with their rivals in the world's top events.
Racing game development and massively multiplayer online role-playing games and first person shooter, will face some challenges in the development. Because you want to have fun, and the player's driving skills must be very smart, or after the game if it is found far behind the opponent, the player will not want to play.
Ignite is using its unique skills in quantitative techniques to solve this problem. The company will use new financial funds was to improve the technology, its CEO, Jonathan Haas, Virgin, Jonathan Haswell said, the future of this technology may be licensed to other developers.
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Innovation Works's App Store \”application sink\” by financing
Applied Health CEO Luo Chuan
News December 30, joined the Department of Innovation Works six months after its application, the application of exchange CEO Luo Chuan, the financing plan was finally nearing completion, Luo also invest in individual shares my application exchange. Luo said the Artesyn Technologies, has application as an exchange are willing to fight for the next decade of his career.
It is understood by Luo Kai-fu Lee, chairman of Innovation Works was invited to join in the formal application in July this year, exchange, exchange of the financing application starts. Luo said at the time, he will join the main two things: First, grab the right people into the right place, and second, the company \"selling out\": the company's vision \"sold\" to the team, the application of exchange \"sold\" to users and developers, the company value \"sold\" to investors.
Luo said the Tencent micro-forum has been with Samsung, Motorola and other handset manufacturers, 360, Sina and other Internet companies to establish cooperation with other companies as long as the co-operation to find any point to produce win-win gain value, the application will strive for exchange cooperation with these companies. From this perspective, that will be sold to the application of exchange partners.
In respect of financing, the application can be a good time to catch up did not sink, even with the bad to describe. Luo said, submitted a report to investors on the day morning, the U.S. Treasury bonds suffered credit rating lowered by the impact of the capital market splinters, plus some matters of principle does not give way, so innovative financing negotiations and before the workshop relative to its financing difficult than many, is simply 冰火两重天.
Luo said that, fortunately, the application of cash flow exchange itself is not bad, in the negotiating process to maintain a firm stance, the basic financing now finalized, but the amount of financing to disclose. In this round of financing, Luo joined as an investor, I invest. He said he did not start the application on the first day of exchange, but it does want to sink as the next ten years the application is willing to fight for their cause.
In this regard, Luo said, \"There is an old saying, your money there, where sitting on your ass, so the money on the application of exchange, but also on behalf of my team on this, on the application of exchange commitment to the cause.\" According to informed sources, the application of exchange will soon announce the results of this round of financing, financing amounted to an estimated tens of millions of dollars.
Luo six months, there are many business sentiment, this time talking about experience, Luo to use two words to describe, called down, a man named willing. Down is to give up the big companies honor the past, will think of myself as a simple entrepreneur. Willing to exterminate the team is a lot of ideas, focus on doing one thing. Luo said that entrepreneurship is also a pleasure to finally sell their ideas to another person with fanaticism.
The following is the dialogue application CEO Luo Chuan, Health Record:
Department of Law Master franchise applications for some time, tell us about the past year, what do you do?
Luo: In the past year inside, the application of exchange of the two largest things, one is the area around the developer, provides developers with the best service. Another thing is that the application download experience to do the exchange, especially in 2G and 3G networks inside the experience to do the best, and now should also get a result you can see in the 2G network to open the application exchange speed, we should say we did a lot optimization.
Tencent Technology: Meeting your application to join in July this year, said at the time of the remark, that you came to the application of exchange, the exchange to sell you the application, one is sold to investors, one is sold to employees, one is sold partners, how to present progress in this area? And I heard that your financing should come to an end, and whether the report is now a blasting material, how much amount?
Luo: On the partner front, the past six months we have a lot of action, whether it is Samsung, Motorola and other handset manufacturers, or with the 360, such as the Internet company Sina has established a partnership, so I think this vision, we with partners, as long as able to find any point of collaboration, resulting in win-win basis can cooperate, get the value. From this perspective, said, be sold to the partners.
On the financing side, frankly, we are not the best time to catch up, I applied in July to become CEO of the exchange, before, I passed three large companies, both within the company business, the first one is Microsoft, MSN China portal has overall responsibility and related online services such as mobile services operating in China, was responsible for News Corp. MySbace, then later in China Mobile's 139 companies.
Inside the business before the big companies are basically not short of money, but we are a small company, began when several dozen people, faced with financing, cash flow problems, a lot of pressure. We are out of financing in August, I do the first report, something happened that morning, the S & P lowered the credit rating of U.S. debt, the entire capital market splinters by the impact, so we drive out of financing a particularly bad time , making the entire financing process becomes much difficult than ever before, especially the first half of a number of workshops with innovative companies to finance more than, simply 冰火两重天. However, this does not prevent us have got some results.
In addition, I personally funding or whether it is in the process of negotiations inside, the place has some of the more stubborn, not easily compromise on matters of principle.
Another point, the application of cash flow exchange itself is not bad, but also support us in maintaining the firmness of the negotiation process, we have very firm completed the financing, the amount now to disclose, such as convenience to the users must first to report.
You heard the financing process, I also put a certain amount of money, or if the largest shareholder, can you confirm this?
Luo: I certainly give investors the confidence of investors, on behalf of me and I was very optimistic about this thing, but the investment in the inside, I'm sure most of the cast is not, there must be investors of these risks, or these funds, they vote more money, otherwise, not like a real financing behavior.
But I think to put some money inside, there are some benefits, not from the first day I started the application exchange, but I do want to apply their own exchange as I am willing to fight for the next decade career. There an old saying, your money in there, sitting on your ass where, so where the money on, I also represent the team, the commitment to this cause.
Before you say a point of view, you say to developers faced with embarrassment, very little money, the application of exchange do is to leave the larger interests of the developer, for example, developers can get 70% or even 75%, so developers have the power to continue to develop Android applications that you test the micro-payment services will now proceed to like? The SDK for developers when released next year?
Luo: We have in fact initiated by the mobile application developers, and now the entire industry is more awkward, basically all Android developers do not make money, iPhone developers can make money ratio is very low, but we Many applications need to launch it, to meet the needs of users, which is a contradiction, we can not always hold VC to make money.
So we made two efforts in this regard, we in fact is an advertising exchange platform for all applications in the Department of uploading, essentially with a wide variety of advertising companies, such as Friends of the Union, and so on ad code, Such applications are very large. But there are some companies, they hope to exchange in the application to exchange traffic, so we designed an open advertising of the SDK, in fact, and the application developers to exchange exchange traffic with such a product, this product has now been officially launched .
Currently there are dozens of application developers access to the SDK, now, traffic is not bad. We are at this stage, it is actually the developer is a very favorable change in proportion to the amount, and not on top of that revenue directly to the developer. Because the current situation, the developer is to bring hope to promote, rather than income.
Next year, we may have some advertisers to invest, to be divided into time, we will now common practice inside the industry, but this approach can be more than the benefits and affordable, this is about advertising.
About payment, we also made some attempts to implement the location service application, for example, can use credit cards, with message code, to be paid directly. Several game trial now also, I now see is that, regardless of our content or our games, may be of quality, compared to the level of IOS also slightly worse, so I hope the second half of next year, Android top , whether the application or game, it can significantly improve quality, improve after this, but also more willing to pay for improvements in the user's desire, the desire to pay a substantial improvement.
So we paid for the amount of advertising platform SDK and the SDK has now launched in 2012 hope to have a greater development.
As an observer of the Internet, I found a lot of changes this year, many of them out from inside large companies, to venture, as the representatives of big companies out, talk about this year, a change in their life? How to look at this year things happen to them?
Luo: changes this year is very large, I think the most important may be two things, two words, a call to lay down, another one called willing. Have to put aside his past that all, regardless of the identity Ye Hao, whether it is halo Ye Hao, Ye Hao, past history, put everything aside, and then think of myself as a very simple entrepreneurs, this is a state of mind a change.
So willing, that is, you have to give up a lot more willing is the word for you in terms of service. In the past I are big business, big business started clamoring to do a large platform, you definitely have to do a big platform, can be satisfied with the boss to company satisfaction.
But as a small start-up companies is not the case, I started with the application of the Meeting include the original work colleagues together, we have a lot of ideas, because the mobile Internet has just begun, very new, Android market this thing is working so hard dirty work, Many people falter emotions, that we want to do a game operator, we want to do a PC assistant, these ideas have been my last exterminate.
Why do I have to exterminate these ideas? The most important thing is to focus on a small team, you must take care of a lot of things can get. The electronic market doing this thing though bitter, bitter because of doing it itself barriers, because the big companies want so hard down, less likely, you are a hast forsaken, in order to have reason to live.
Internet I went through ten years, the most important thing is winner takes all, and finally to left is king, the winner takes all, how can you stick with it? Is that you must bring your own services, to products and industrialization, you must keep tied into one and talk, you die, others die ugly, and this is too much trouble.
Applications such as Exchange users are not very large amount, but if the exchange does not really apply to play, including almost know, bargain to help, are less pudding promotion platform, they also feel a great pity, so we live on is that the value of helping we can succeed, I think that the possibility of winner-takes-this business is much bigger.
The biggest change is the mentality I had previously been on the stage shaking hands with you, now becomes important is with the various bigwigs, like to see the \"Lei Busi\", and quickly stepped forward, shook hands with them, close look at the relationship, This was previously not.
This said, it sounds a bit miserable, but in fact not the case, in fact, there are still many business inside a very happy thing, the greatest happiness of the matter is it? Is in accordance with the direction of your own imagination to do, according to the direction of your own is not easy to do, because you have to exterminate a lot of other ideas, you start with those people, they also have their own direction, how do you do it patiently painstaking ideological work, so the team can come together, so that the direction is very specific, in fact, is a very interesting thing.
With your right or else, the boss said so dry so dry it, or you lure him, do you want to complete this indicator, are vain to get money, now you do not have such authority, you have to rely on your wisdom and experience, but also ability to communicate with you in order to get this done. I feel most happy when I finally sell this idea to another idea of a fanatical people, This is something I felt particularly happy, this is the start inside the most fun thing
