Asia Business Podcast

This episode is a feature from our sister podcast, the China Digital Tech podcast hosted by Paul Lin. If you live in China, you’ve surely seen NIU electric scooters everywhere, But fewer people know the fantastic success of their international expansion, a shining example for other Chinese-based companies looking to expand abroad. Joe Constanty, Director of International at NIU walks us through how NIU did it, what some of their biggest challenges have been, and how they plan to be part of the global revolution in EV-powered urban mobility solutions.Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts

We talk with Joel Gallo, adjunct professor at NYU Shanghai and previously senior executive at Deloitte, Dell EMC and E&Y, where he advised more than 100 global financial firms on different strategic projects. Joel shares with us why he sees China opening up the financial sector and the mad rush of major investment banks such as Goldman Sachs taking full ownership of their operations and launching a broader suite of services, including wealth management products. Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts

Kim Kirkendall discusses some of challenges Western businesses face coming to the China, and Chinese businesses face going to the US. Kim first came to work in China in the 1980s and has watched China's economy change dramatically. From listening to her speak, you'll quickly be able to see how Kim is a very observant person. Kim shares some of the best stories and best observations she's made on Chinese and Western business culture in this episode. Enjoy.Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts

We talk with Huihan Lie, founder of My China Roots. My China Roots is akin to the Ancestry.com of China, an online platform primarily for overseas Chinese to build one's family tree, upload historical family records and search for one's ancestors in a genealogical database. Huihan's ancestors over the generations migrated from China to Indonesia and then eventually settled in the Netherlands. We discuss how Huihan's own personal passion to discover his roots in China led him to realize how so many others were in search of the same answers. And how he has now turned his passion into a growing business.Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts

We talk with Ming Khor, Founder and CEO of Keru. On getting his MBA from Wharton, interning at Apple, and turning away from the traditional corporate path to come back to his teaching experience as inspiration for his own business in China. Keru is a social enterprise which organizes social impact service learning opportunities for students and professionals to drive change in society alongside mission-driven organizations. Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts

As part of our continuing Ganbei series “Built in China”, we talk with Lucas Englehardt, Founder and CEO of xixilab.com - which offers direct-to-consumer teeth straightening with invisible braces in China. Prior to that Lucas was Founder and CEO at WaimaiChaoren, an O2O food delivery startup bought by Delivery Hero. On how international entrepreneurs can best attract, retain, motivate talent here in China. On doing the things that don't easily scale but are necessary in order to build a successful business in China. On adapting proven business models that have worked outside of China to the local market. Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts

As part of a new series called “Built in China”, we are looking at international “serial” entrepreneurs who have chosen to live and build startups in China. Our first guest is Charles Liao. Charles was born in Shanghai but grew up in the US and has founded numerous companies, most recently the air purifier company Mila and the men’s personal care brand Day 22. Mila has been invested in by Electrolux and Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital and has become an even bigger success in mature markets like the US than in China. With that success in mind, we ask Charles to share his thoughts on preparing to enter a totally new and underserved product category like men’s skin care without having any prior industry experience. It hasn’t stopped Charles before, so how are he and the team going to tackle this new, big opportunity and what lessons carry over from his prior success. Listen to found out. Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts

Will Chinese companies really be forced off of US stock exchanges because they cannot fulfill certain US audit requirements? The Public Company Accounting Oversights Board (PCAOB) is tasked with essentially auditing the auditors of public companies trading in the US. For Chinese companies which have listed on NASDAQ and NYSE, PCAOB has never been able to do this, and we’re now approaching a hard 3 year timeline where these companies may be forced out. We talk to the former Head of Enforcement for PCAOB, Claudius Modesti, who has negotiated this bilateral issue with China’s CSRC and Ministry of Finance. If a compromise is possible, if these companies really will be forced to leave? No one can answer this better than Claudius. Enjoy the episode. Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts

Xiaomi recently won a case in US federal court to block implementation of a rule that would have prevented US persons from investing in their stock. The announcement of this rule had initially sent their stock plummeting. Xiaomi and Luokung, another company facing this rule, have now given other similar companies a playbook for pushing back. We talk with Tim O’Toole, a white collar defense and international trade lawyer at Miller & Chevalier. Tim has appeared numerous times before the same judge in federal court as the Xiaomi and Luokung cases, and he walks us through the rulings and what comes next. Enjoy! Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts

The Variable Interest Entity. Sounds like a boring term an accountant or lawyer might use. Well it is an accounting term, but it’s anything but boring when you know how its used in the real world. It’s the key to how all Chinese internet companies have been structured to go IPO outside of China for the last 20 years. Let’s just say it’s a bit of a clunky workaround to deal with restrictions on foreign investment in the internet space in China, and despite its clunkiness, it’s still going strong today. We’ll get into the notorious Alipay – Softbank – Yahoo story and others where the VIE was center stage in that drama. Check it out with our guest Ma Xiaohu, one of the leading early technology lawyers in China who along with a few others had to come up with all these wonderful structures 20 years ago to enable that first batch of Chinese internet IPOs to happen… Producer Jacob Thomas Follow Us LinkedIn Apple Podcasts