This week, John and Matt take a look back at 1 year of podcasting and pull out the best part of the best episodes. This is part 2 of 2. Links 24: The water we swim in 36: Diving deep into Weibo with Manya Koetse 38: 500 Startups Edith Yeung talk blockchain & China/US startups […]
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Google invests $550 million in JD.com strategic partnership with overseas focus
JD.com and Google have announced that Google will invest $550 million in cash into China’s largest retailer as part of a strategic partnership. The companies hope to explore retail opportunities together in Southeast Asia, the US and Europe and certain products will be made available on Google Shopping, according to an announcement released on JD’s […]
Posted inBranded Content, Up and Comers
Mobile devices and cloud computing are revolutionizing interior design
Editor’s note: This article was supported by Kujiale. We believe in transparency in our publishing and monetization model. Read more here. “If you are a building a really good design tool, the tool is not important. The designer’s idea is more important,” said Wang Lei. “We want them to forget about the tool and focus on designing […]
Posted inUp and Comers
A curated guide to Beijing’s startup scene, part 2
This is the second of two parts on local resources for eager entrepreneurs in Beijing. Previously, I described Beijing resources for the earliest stages of an entrepreneur’s journey: ideation and incorporation. Below, I continue where I left off, listing organizations that work selectively with incorporated startups to get them ready for funding and scale. Stage […]
Posted inEvents, Up and Comers
6/18 Holiday Deal! TechCrunch Hangzhou Startup Alley: Empowering startups to be leaders in AI
AI is now reaching peak commercialization, and is seen as a breeding ground for the next unicorn. As AI leads traditional industries forward, it can be said that we are in the middle of another “Gold Rush” for AI. To help startups reach their potential in AI, 2018 TechCrunch Hangzhou’s Startup Alley will feature a […]
Posted inUp and Comers
Pinduoduo in disputes with store owners after quality crackdown
Pinduoduo (拼多多), a money-for-value social-networking-based e-commerce platform, is now in disputes with store-owners doing business on the platform. Store owners believed Pinduoduo executed improper standards when evaluating their products. The platform launched a wave of internal quality and authenticity check to crack down on counterfeit goods. Suspicious products examined would be labeled in quality ranks […]
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Valve says Chinese players can still access Steam International despite the launch of Steam China
One June 12, Chinese game company Perfect World announced to partner with Valve, the parent company of the world’s largest game distribution platform Steam, to launch Steam China. According to local media PingWest, in a letter responding to Chongqing-based game studio Pathea (帕斯亚科技) today, Valve said Chinese players can still log in to Steam’s international site. […]
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The Chinese smartphone maker you’ve never heard of is dominating the African market
When thinking of Chinese phone brands, what names come to mind? If you’re like most people I speak to, you’re probably thinking about Huawei, Xiaomi, or possibly Vivo or Oppo. But what about TECNO? Even in China, where the phone maker’s parent company, TRANSSION Holdings, is based, TECNO is hardly a household name. It has […]
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8 Lessons from the rise of Douyin (Tik Tok)
Editor’s note: A version of this post by Hans Tung and Zara Zhang first appeared on Han’s blog. Hans Tung is a managing partner at GGV Capital. Zara Zhang is an investment analyst at GGV Capital. ByteDance and Musical.ly are GGV portfolio companies. For more on ByteDance, listen to their interview with Liu Zhen, senior vice president of ByteDance (and […]
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WeChat announces improvements to mini program UX and developer support
WeChat announced last night that it has upgraded its mini programs’ user experience and developers’ tools. Here are some of the changes: The programs now allow users to read articles published by subscription accounts linked to the programs. The new update will allow a user to read an article published by the account when shopping […]