Mr. Allan Chou is a former partner at Garage Cafe China, the first coffee themed Nationally recognized TMT incubator and co-working space in China. This early stage startup space is the first to open in Innoway in Zhongguancun, Beijing (The Silicon Valley of China).

He’s lived in China for 21 years and is a pioneer in digital marketing and online consumer research in China having founded his own agencies in both discipline in Beijing. He previously worked at both Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy Advertising in television programming and brand management.

Episode Content:

• Allan discusses when the startups began to flourish in China

• The fuel behind it must have been the government’s support for innovation, maybe around 2012. Allan shares his insights about the government’s support and the general entrepreneurship movement

• How Chinese entrepreneurs adapted to this movement

• Question: Instead of copying and killing small startups, BATS started to acquire the startups instead of copy and kill. Do you think this helped encourage entrepreneurship?

• People were hesitant to begin a startup before because they didn’t want to take the risk without investment but now, there are tons of investment firms in China. Allan discusses what the tipping point was for this.

• How Chinese startups build their founding team and early stage team, where they find them, and how they grow

• The typical track of a startup in China and its similarities to those in Silicon Valley

• Where startups should base today. Beijing is still the unquestionable place, but can startups get away with these newer startup hubs?

• Opportunities for foreigners listening and strategies for them to get in on this entrepreneurship movement

• Allan shares about his new venture, Rocket Space

• Other things that Allan is up to and how people can connect with him

Episode Mentions:

Intro

• Launched Free Financial Self with a mini course

• China Business Workshop Florida

• Global From Asia Podcast – about Hong Kong international business

Interview

• Garage Cafe Beijing in 2011

• Rocket Space

• Innovation Works

• Naked Hub in Shanghai

• URWork

• WeWork

• Slush Asia

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