
China Tech Investor
The China Tech Investor podcast is a weekly show featuring Elliott Zaagman, writer and contributor to TechNode, and James Hull, a professional investor.
Each week, the two look at their watchlist and talk about what's happening with listed Chinese tech companies
Latest episodes

May 15, 2019 • 56min
24: SoftBank's Vision Fund and peak tech with Shai Oster
In this episode, recorded May 9th, 2019 hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull are joined by Shai Oster, Asia Bureau Chief of The Information, to discuss SoftBank, the potential Vision Fund IPO and what may be the top of the tech-infused market cycle.
The hosts also briefly touch on the ever-fluid trade rift, Trump tweets and discuss how gaming regulations, which prohibit blood in games, have turned Tencent’s mobile game, the Battle Royale shooter PUBG, into Game of Peace (or Peace Elite) and the funny reactions on Weibo.
The China Tech Investor podcast is powered by Technode.
Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.
Watchlist:
Tencent
Alibaba
Baidu
iQiyi
Xiaomi
JD.com
Pinduoduo
Meituan-Dianping
Guests:
Shai Oster – The Information
Hosts:
Elliott Zaagman – @elliottzaagman
James Hull – @jameshullx
Editor
Peter Isachenko
Podcast information:
iTunes
Spotify
RSS Feed
Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

May 5, 2019 • 1h 13min
23: Is Luckin Coffee a real business?
In this episode of the China Tech Investor Podcast powered by TechNode, our hosts welcome back Technode contributor Michael Norris to discuss the IPO of Luckin Coffee.
Luckin is hardly free of controversy. From a CMO who spent time in prison to a rapid expansion financed by an equally rapid cash burn, there are a lot of reasons for skepticism. However, their upside is still bound to draw the attention from investors who don’t want to miss out on what could very well be Starbucks’ most formidable competitor in China.
Read Michael’s previous work on Luckin:
Why it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee on Luckin
From jail to java: How Luckin’s CMO is hacking China’s coffee market
Luckin may not last, but its model will
As well as TechNode Editor-in-Chief's analysis of their IPO:
Is Luckin’s rushed IPO a path to sustainability or a pig in a poke?
At the beginning of the episode, James and Ell briefly discuss UXIN’s response to the damning accusations levied against them by Anne Stevenson-Yang and J Capital Research. Anne discussed her report on episode 22 of the podcast, and also issued a rebuttal to UXIN’s response. Listeners can read, and decide for themselves
Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.
Watchlist:
Tencent
Alibaba
Baidu
iQiyi
Xiaomi
JD.com
Pinduoduo
Meituan-Dianping
Guest:
Michael Norris
Hosts:
Elliott Zaagman – @elliottzaagman
James Hull – @jameshullx
Podcast information:
Spotify
iTunes
RSS Feed
Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Apr 29, 2019 • 58min
22: Livestreaming fashion and the dangers of stock-picking with Jordan Schneider
It’s crossover episode time! Ell and James sit down with Jordan Schneider from the China Econtalk Podcast to discuss livestreaming fashion in China, Facebook vs Wechat, and the risks of stock-picking.
Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.
Watchlist:
Tencent
Alibaba
Baidu
iQiyi
Xiaomi
JD.com
Pinduoduo
Meituan-Dianping
Guest:
Jordan Schneider - @jordschneider1
Hosts:
Elliott Zaagman – @elliottzaagman
James Hull – @jameshullx
Podcast information:
Spotify
iTunes
RSS Feed
Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Apr 23, 2019 • 1h 1min
21: Why UXIN’s stock is a lemon with Anne Stevenson-Yang of J Capital Research
In this episode of the China Tech Investor Podcast powered by TechNode, our hosts talk with the one and only Anne Stevenson-Yang, co-founder and research director at J Capital Research. Anne and her team at J Cap recently made headlines when they released a report accusing US-listed Chinese second-hand auto sales platform UXIN of fraud, recommending a short on their stock.
Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.
Watchlist:
Tencent
Alibaba
Baidu
iQiyi
Xiaomi
JD.com
Pinduoduo
Meituan-Dianping
Guest:
Anne Stevenson-Yang - @doumenzi
Hosts:
Elliott Zaagman – @elliottzaagman
James Hull – @jameshullx
Podcast information:
Spotify
iTunes
RSS Feed
Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Apr 17, 2019 • 1h 17min
20: Xiaomi's Q4 earnings and China's new tech board with Jacky Wong
In this episode of the China Tech Investor Podcast powered by TechNode, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull talk about Xiaomi’s Q4 earnings report, as the company is selling more smart phones but experienced a jump in inventories at year end and more.
This episode also features an interview with Wall Street Journal’s Jacky Wong, where they discuss China’s new technology board and the implications for investors, companies and China’s capital markets.
Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.
Watchlist:
Tencent
Alibaba
Baidu
iQiyi
Xiaomi
JD.com
Pinduoduo
Meituan-Dianping
Links:
Xiaomi Q4 earnings notes
INSIGHTS: Shanghai tech board to push semiconductor independence
Guests:
Jacky Wong – Wall Street Journal
Hosts:
Elliott Zaagman - @elliottzaagman
James Hull - @jameshullx
Editor
Peter Isachenko
Podcast information:
iTunes
Spotify
RSS Feed
Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Apr 8, 2019 • 52min
19: Tencent’s earnings and growing in mature market with Michael Norris (part 2/2)
In this episode of the China Tech Investor Podcast powered by TechNode, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull talk about Tencent’s Q4 earnings report, as the company attempts to prepare investors for their shifting business model.
This episode also features part 2 of an interview with AgencyChina’s Michael Norris, as they discuss future growth opportunities for companies such as Pinduoduo, Meituan-Dianping, and Didi.
Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.
Watchlist:
· Tencent
· Alibaba
· Baidu
· iQiyi
· Xiaomi
· JD.com
· Pinduoduo
· Meituan-Dianping
Guests:
Michael Norris – LinkedIn
Hosts:
Elliott Zaagman - @elliottzaagman
James Hull - @jameshullx
Producer
Peter Isachenko
Podcast information:
iTunes
Spotify
RSS Feed
Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Mar 25, 2019 • 1h 9min
18: Growing in a mature market with Michael Norris (part 1/2)
In this episode of the China Tech Investor Podcast powered by TechNode, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull discuss live streaming, Pinduoduo’s results and cash flow conundrum and Meituan’s 2018 performance.
Michael Norris joins to share his insights on the companies we follow and his article “Growing in a mature market: Six directions for China’s tech giants”. Michael Norris is research and strategy manager at Agency China and a Technode contributor. This is first of two parts of the interview.
The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services. Please note, the hosts may have positions in the companies discussed.
Links
Growing in a mature market: Six directions for China’s tech giants
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Watchlist:
Tencent
Alibaba
Baidu
iQiyi
Xiaomi
JD.com
Pinduoduo
Meituan
Guests:
Michael Norris – LinkedIn
Hosts:
Elliott Zaagman - @elliottzaagman
James Hull - @jameshullx
Podcast information:
iTunes
Spotify
RSS Feed
Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Mar 7, 2019 • 1h 12min
17: JD's strong earnings and Alibaba vs Tencent with Tim Culpan
In this episode of the China Tech Investor Podcast powered by TechNode, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull discuss JD’s surprisingly positive earnings report, and invite Bloomberg’s Tim Culpan on to discuss Alibaba and Tencent’s power struggle at the “Goldman Sachs of China,” and get deep into the balance sheets of Chinese tech companies.
The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services. Please note, the hosts may have positions in the companies discussed.
Watchlist:
Tencent
Alibaba
Baidu
iQiyi
Xiaomi
JD.com
Pinduoduo
Meituan Dianping
Guests:
Tim Culpan - @tculpan
Hosts:
Elliott Zaagman - @elliottzaagman
James Hull - @jameshullx
Podcast information:
RSS Feed
Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Feb 27, 2019 • 1h 10min
16: Bytedance's Shanghai IPO, Meituan Dianping added to the watch list
In this episode of the China Tech Investor Podcast powered by TechNode, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull discuss ByteDance allegedly asked to IPO on Shanghai’s tech board, gaming regulations (again!), Blackrock upping its stake in JD and Baidu & iQiyi’s Q4’2018 earnings.
Emma Lee joins to discuss and add Meituan-Dianping (HKEx: 3690) to our watchlist. Emma Lee is Shanghai-based tech writer, covering startups and tech happenings in China and Asia in general.
The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services. Please note, the hosts may have positions in the companies discussed.
Watchlist:
Tencent
Alibaba
Baidu
iQiyi
Xiaomi
JD.com
Pinduoduo
Meituan Dianping (new!)
Guests:
Emma Lee - @EmmaLee12345
Hosts:
Elliott Zaagman - @elliottzaagman
James Hull - @jameshullx
Podcast information:
RSS Feed
Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music

Feb 17, 2019 • 1h 11min
15: Tencent buys part of Reddit and common reporting standards
In this episode of the China Tech Investor Podcast powered by TechNode, hosts Elliott Zaagman and James Hull talk about Tencent’s investment in Reddit and the potential for China’s adoption of common reporting standards to pay the way for more open capital flows. They also discuss Xiaomi’s continued success in India, Pinduoduo raising more cash, and Chinese tech giants’ big spring festival hongbao giveaways.
Please note, the hosts may have interest in some of the stocks discussed. The discussion should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation of services.
Watchlist:
· Tencent
· Alibaba
· Baidu
· iQiyi
· Xiaomi
· JD.com
· Pinduoduo
Hosts:
· Elliott Zaagman – @elliottzaagman
· James Hull – @jameshullx
Podcast information:
· iTunes
· RSS Feed
· Music: “Hey Ho” by Steve Jackson, Royalty Free Music