Next Silicon Valleys: Beijings start-ups show stamina Beijing has a thriving start-up scene, and some of its entrepreneurs are going to extraordinary lengths to ensure their success. As part of our Next Silicon Valleys series, Neil Koenig visits to see how it compares with its Californian counterpart. Theres no doubting the dedication of some Chinese entrepreneurs. Chai Ke insisted that he and his team (all men) should wear sanitary napkins for several weeks to help them empathise with their customers and so develop a better product - a menstruation-tracking app. Mr Chais company, Dayima, is one of a number of firms that offer mobile phone apps to help women in China to track their periods. Despite the enthusiasm of Chinese entrepreneurs, launching a start-up is still seen as a risky thing to do, and it can be difficult to attract good staff. The cost of living in Beijing is another deterrent, with many people preferring the security of working for a big company. Andy Liu used to work at New Oriental, a Chinese firm thats now one of the biggest education companies in the world. He says its important to explain not only the risks of start-ups, but the possible benefits too. To inspire recruits at his own start-up, online education firm Sunny Education, he tells them it has the potential to be like New Oriental where the first 100 employees are all millionaires. Dayima (which means auntie, and is also a slang term for period) has raised millions of dollars from international investors, and says it has millions of users. Basic use of the app is free. Users enter various details, such as their weight, into the app, which it uses to help it predict (with varying degrees of success) when the next period will occur. The company makes money through advertising and by selling extra services and products. Mr Chai hit on the idea of the menstrual tracking app after his girlfriend told him about her own difficulties with keeping track of her periods. He says Westerners are often puzzled why there should be demand for his service. He says its because its not always easy for Chinese women to track or predict their periods. Although official figures are hard to come by, Mr Chai says that while his Western female friends say their periods are reasonably regular, the Chinese women he knows say their cycles vary considerably. The reasons for this are unclear, but Mr Chai wonders if it might have something to do with differences in lifestyles and attitudes to health between East and West. He adds that theyve noticed differences in the cycles of users from various parts of the country. Dayima has therefore developed a set of prediction models tailored to users in various cities, such as Beijing or Shanghai.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 00:45:00 +0000
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