Volume 2: Storm Rising 2015 Chapter 297 A Little Ambition
Wenxue Network is located in an inconspicuous office building in YP District, just as Wenxue Network is inconspicuous among many companies in Shanghai.
After all, as the Pearl of the Orient, there are hundreds of thousands of small and micro enterprises like Wenxue Network. There are always people coming here with the dream of starting a business, and at the same time, there are also people leaving sadly.
Behind the so-called decadence and glamour are countless entrepreneurs who have "one general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers ". In comparison, Wenxue Network has undoubtedly taken several steps on this road.
Zhou Dongsheng and his group arrived at the office building and saw a group of people standing downstairs from afar. The leader was wearing a pair of black-framed glasses and had a slightly messy naturally curly hairstyle. His ordinary appearance made him unrecognizable in the crowd.
Well, it’s really the typical appearance of someone who achieves great things.
When the two sides' eyes met, they confirmed that the other party was the one they were waiting for, and Yang Luyu greeted him with a bright smile on his face.
"I guess this must be Mr. Zhou from Dongsheng Investment? I've heard a lot about you!" Yang Luyu extended his hand very politely, without showing any contempt for Zhou Dongsheng's young appearance.
Precisely because Zhou Dongsheng is young, Yang Luyu pays more attention to this person.
After all, to be able to control a sizable investment company at such a young age, one must either have a good father or a good grandfather. No matter which one it is, he must be a second or third generation kid with a good background and foundation.
It is always right to treat others with courtesy, especially when the other party is an investor, which makes him Party A.
"Mr. Yang is so polite that he came down to greet us. I am really flattered." Zhou Dongsheng said with a little surprise.
This was the first time Zhou Dongsheng had experienced such treatment. No matter whether he was investing in Huang Zheng or Cai Haoyu, these two big guys were quite difficult to please. It took Zhou Dongsheng a lot of effort to persuade them before they finally made the investment.
However, these two big guys have the capital to be proud of. Whether it is Huang Zheng’s connections or entrepreneurial experience, or the "Honkai Impact 3rd" IP created by Cai Haoyu, they are all scarce chips on the negotiating table.
If Zhou Dongsheng had not catered to the needs of the other party and caught them off guard, it would not have been so easy to get these two investments.
Compared with these two investments, Yang Luyu is undoubtedly a dwarf compared to the big ones. Whether it is the current scale of the company or the future prospects, there is absolutely no comparison.
After all, when Wenxue Network was at its peak, it would only have fetched US$1 billion if it were sold to Toutiao, which is barely a fraction of the former.
Thinking of this, Zhou Dongsheng felt that he seemed a little too proud to even take 1 billion US dollars lightly, ahem.
Back to the point, Yang Luyu said politely: "It's my duty. Thank you for coming all the way from Guangzhou. For us at Wenxue Network, Mr. Zhou is a benefactor."
"The fate of this person hasn't even started yet, isn't it a bit too early to say that he is a noble person?" Zhou Dongsheng joked.
Yang Luyu said seriously: "Even if the deal fails, we still have friendship. Even if the investment fails, Mr. Zhou can give us some suggestions, which will also benefit a small company like ours."
"Hey, Mr. Yang, you're too polite. Wenxue Network is able to make short videos popular overseas, so it's definitely not a small company. After all, even giants like Tenda haven't done this."
As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. Zhou Dongsheng felt a little embarrassed by Yang Luyu's attitude and quickly returned the greeting.
The two of them exchanged pleasantries with laughter, and then walked towards the elevator while chatting. Naturally, they had to discuss this important matter back at the company.
Arriving at the 15th floor, Wenxue Network only occupies a corner of the huge office building. Compared with Xunmeng Technology and Mihayo, its scale is indeed not large.
The office area is in full view, and there are probably only about 20 to 30 people.
Yang Luyu smiled implicitly, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Mr. Zhou. The company is still in its infancy and all the funds are used for operations. This place and personnel are a bit cramped."
"It's not like this for all startups. I feel like the company is full of vigor and vitality. No wonder they can make such great products."
Zhou Dongsheng made a casual compliment, and the group came to the conference room, divided the area into two parts, and sat opposite each other.
"I originally thought that no domestic investors would be interested in short videos, and our company had already started looking for overseas capital financing, but I didn't expect Mr. Zhou to show up at this juncture."
"If I have a choice, I would still like to seek domestic capital cooperation so that we can reach more consensus on concepts and strategies."
Yang Luyu took the initiative to speak, saying with a smile.
"When I first saw your product, I couldn't believe it was made by a domestic team. And at a time when the domestic short video industry is declining, your company can buck the trend and become popular overseas. It is really remarkable."
"However, I'm very curious, why don't you consider promoting such an interesting software in China?" Zhou Dongsheng asked, changing the subject.
When asked about this question, Yang Luyu showed a hint of helplessness on his face. "We launched this music short video software in 2014. At that time, there were not only Tencent's Weishi, but also Kuaishou and Xiaokaxiu in China. The competition was very fierce."
"Our company's operations team only a dozen people. Compared with other competitors, our conditions are very limited in terms of manpower and funds."
"That's why we had to choose the strategy of going overseas because European and American pop culture has strong personality and labels. If we want to open up the global market, we should start with these strong cultures."
"We have taken root in the soil of European and American pop culture and used this as a starting point, which has also enabled us to develop smoothly in Southeast Asia and other regions."
"From our current achievements, more than 70% to 80% of our traffic comes from Europe and the United States, while the remaining 10% to 20% comes from Southeast Asia. As for domestic traffic, there is almost none.
This is enough to prove that the strategy we chose is the right one.”
Yang Luyu did not hide his pride at all. His previous attitude was just to curry favor with the "financial sponsor", but when he mentioned his company's masterpiece that was the result of his painstaking efforts, he had to be proud of it.
It has to be said that Yang Luyu was able to find a new path in the cracks of the short video industry and achieve certain results overseas. He must have his outstanding qualities.
However, most people cannot escape the limitations brought by the limitations of the times. Only a rare few great figures can transcend the times and glimpse the future.
Zhou Dongsheng is naturally not a big shot who is beyond the limitations of the times, but... he is a little man who has truly seen the future!
It is precisely because he knows the future trajectory of short videos that Zhou Dongsheng is interested in Wenxue Network's music short video. Compared with the future valuation of 1 billion US dollars...
Zhou Dongsheng is even more looking forward to introducing it into the domestic market in advance and making the first move. Is it possible to seize the domestic music short video market in advance and form a head effect?
