Twenty years the California dream

The United States has always been a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural melting pot, which is full of California's silicon valley. As long as have sufficient technical strength, the elite can find jobs here, to explore their own entrepreneurial opportunities and realize their American dream.

In addition to native American start-up, there are thousands upon thousands of foreign science and technology in silicon valley elite to build a startup. In a large number of entrepreneurial activity and incubator, you can easily meet entrepreneurs from India, Germany, Israel, South Korea, of course, there are start-up companies from China. China and India are importer in silicon valley, the most important talents, many tech companies in silicon valley, India and China staff always is one of the biggest foreign population. But if contrast entrepreneurial Indian and Chinese home entrepreneurial success, these elite science and technology of China to realize their dreams in silicon valley, is not an easy thing.

If back Chinese successful entrepreneurial history in the United States, concentrated in the past 20 years, actually. Sina is richwin HuaYuan information and merger of the two companies at the end of 1998, and the HuaYuan information is three Stanford students founded in 1995.

Though the way is not easy, but the Chinese in silicon valley, there are a lot of entrepreneurial star rushes out a piece of day. Deng Feng the network security of the listed company founded by NetScreen in 2003 for $4.2 billion buyout by Juniper. Network security company founded Xie Qing fly tower (Fortinet) currently on the nasdaq stock market value of nearly $6 billion. Chen big of listed companies of the same people founded Howe (OmniVision) of science and technology is the core of the apple iPhone photographed parts supplier, last year sold at $1.9 billion valuation.

These successful Chinese entrepreneurs predecessors not only oneself, also inspired more in silicon valley technology elite realize their entrepreneurial dreams. However, almost all the business stars born in the first five years, and almost all concentrated in high-tech field of B2B. In recent years, by contrast, the Chinese in the silicon valley of entrepreneurship seems to be a lot of bleak, rare again valuation billions of dollars on startup. More to entrepreneurship in silicon valley, the Chinese began to seriously consider a question: is in the silicon valley startups, or return?

Than home business, Chinese people want to be in silicon valley entrepreneurs struggle, you will need to in finance, marketing, media and cultural aspects of face a bigger challenge.

Jack lived in silicon valley for 25 years, successively set up four startups, content sharing community Trusper currently focus on life. "If listed as the standard, then the Chinese silicon valley startups succeed is probably a dozen, and largely was born in a few years ago, and they are pure technology companies. 2000 before and after a lot of the development of Chinese science and technology elite chose to return home, also led to the rapid growth of China's technology industry. Recently a group of Chinese start-ups in silicon valley is more focused on social areas, but because of cultural factors, Chinese has no advantage in the field."

"In fact, the Chinese people in silicon valley startups succeed, or focus on pure technology." Said jack.

Financing difficult and easy

Financing is the one of the biggest challenges facing the Chinese people in silicon valley. Jack recalls, "the VC in silicon valley, basic all is white, my first business for 40 to 50 home VC is a locked door. The other party don't believe Chinese can entrepreneurial success. Deng Feng when they venture financing, also face such a question. Now China's economic growth, China's capital pouring into looking for opportunities in silicon valley, money is not a problem, but the Chinese capital just as difficult to into the mainstream investment in silicon valley." Jack is at the same time as the GSR ventures investment consultant in silicon valley.

In silicon valley for a long time to promote China's scientific and technological personnel of mutual Kong Dehai also said, "first in silicon valley that actually or group of Chinese entrepreneurs looking for Taiwanese investors in China, because there is no language barrier, the other party is willing to give mainland compatriots to an opportunity. Now, of course, domestic capital back into the valley, the Chinese entrepreneurs to obtain funds will not be as difficult as predecessors." He currently holds high level talent exchange association in silicon valley and silicon valley angel will CEO of two institutions, one of the important work is docking domestic capital and entrepreneurial talent in silicon valley.

Compared with a decade ago venture predecessors, Chinese entrepreneurs in the United States now have more and more convenient channels can get money. Most Chinese entrepreneurs are now in the United States will choose the Chinese capital. "We take the first round of financing is the capital of China, the heaviest if give money fast, but we are the second round will seek American VC money." Professional networking platform fire co-founder Li Chen said. They are now in the second round of funding.

Harvard graduate Han Bicheng is brain wave control equipment startup BrainCo co-founder and CEO. "The United States capital is more professional than the Chinese capital, but their strict review process may grow up to six months, worry and money of Chinese entrepreneurs in early will tend to be in the Chinese capital." Their next round of the Pre - $3 million - $5 million A financing plan to give priority to with Chinese capital.

Although Chinese capital can provide abundant funds quickly, but they are hard to bring service, after the U.S. market is more money to help. And to growth in the us market, access to mainstream VC support is essential. But in this respect, it is the big challenge for many Chinese entrepreneurs. Jack thinks that Chinese entrepreneurs in silicon valley, is also facing a problem of culture, a lot of people are still in the Chinese circle. Took the Chinese VC money, doing the doing back to development.

Fusion of email and instant messaging MailTime (referred to as domestic: Jane letter), head of the market is filled with xuan to this respect. "We've seen some of the top American VC, but refused to us, because we are a team in China. We have seen a lot of domestic VC, but they all hope that our home development, also talked about the VC will not vote for our team. Although we did encounter a difficult problem to impress us VC, but we will not give up, as long as product development, can convince them."

Han Bicheng also thought, has the technical advantages of start-ups can impress us investors. Although they have also made a lot of investors' trust us, but because of net speed, their next round of financing will mainly take the money to China's capital. However, as long as there are technical advantages, the future will certainly to obtain the VC support.

One not to be named Chinese investors in silicon valley, now a lot of Chinese in silicon valley startups are students, they're not really into American culture. "I see a lot of Chinese entrepreneurs in the Demo Day, still exists the problem of insufficient expression; in response to the problem of American investors, there is a core and avoid the phenomenon of lack of self-confidence. It is also a lot of mainstream American VC key reason of China's entrepreneurial teams hesitation." You can impress investors face to face, how to conquer the us market? "

The United States or back to China

Questions about why want to come to the United States entrepreneurship. Sheng to xuan put forward an important reason: "for us, at least in the United States are more likely to have the opportunity of the development. Or, email related applications may be more suitable for the United States to expand, because tencent and netease mail won't be open to a third party authorization directly, even prevent users to use our products. And although Google, Facebook, Microsoft and other big companies in the United States took a major share of email and instant messaging market, but will not be used in a variety of means to suppress entrepreneurial company's growth."

In fact, Jane letter team is from TalkBox instant messaging applications. Because it is difficult to compete with WeChat, they created a year ago from China to San Francisco this new project. Talk about the domestic market, Jane letter team has many slots. "Tencent had wanted to buy TalkBox, took the source code and then said to give up, WeChat soon joined the voice function."

Came to the United States, after Jane letter after the initial development obstacle, attended the TechCrunch entrepreneurship competition continuously, and thus gained the Wall Street journal, Forbes and other mainstream media reports, Jane letter currently has 1 million users, successfully entered the silicon valley famous incubator YC the next phase of the training camp. "Trust after entering YC, can bring more American VC investment. Silicon valley is more diverse." Sheng xuan said.

How to win in the mainstream media attention, the U.S. customers, for start-up companies in the field of some social, is indeed a success.

Experienced entrepreneurs and investors in silicon valley Chen Huailin once told sina science and technology, according to the Chinese business in the United States is faced with a ceiling; Especially like TechCrunch media have an important voice in the field of entrepreneurship, Chinese entrepreneurs are not easy to impress them.

However, many Chinese entrepreneurs in the United States does not ignore the domestic market, either + China's "silicon valley" of the business layout, either directly to development. Han Bicheng told sina science and technology, although they technical team from harvard brain centers, as students are not familiar with the Chinese market, but they are still going to the Chinese market at the same time promote the United States. Relative to the United States, the difficulty of high-tech equipment in the Chinese market to expand to a little bit small.

Stanford graduate Liu Zihong founded by soft technology, valuations topped $1 billion within three years was founded and is rare in recent years, Chinese venture star. Their flexible AMOLED display is expected to change the future one of the main core consumer electronics industry experience. Soft technology, adopted the same silicon valley + dual-track structure of shenzhen. Breakthrough technology has made them become the technological innovation in shenzhen star, obtained including vice premier of the state council, the national development and reform commission, director of guangdong governor attention and inspection.

Facing the huge market of China's entrepreneurial space temptation, more Chinese in silicon valley's entrepreneurs choose home directly. An apple of Chinese engineers got green card this year, and was eager to prepare for careers, plans to build a high-quality goods cross-border buy electricity and platform. "Chinese engineers in silicon valley companies are facing the ceiling problem, it is difficult to have to continue the promotion space. Have a greater chance to venture that, of course, home". Because has not yet been departure from apple, he declined to be named.

To start a business opportunity, today's Chinese engineers don't even like elder hand to wait for a green card and appear more decisive. Western digital engineers in silicon valley last year yi-fan li with a few friends home founded grain science and technology, high precision and fast analysis of their gas analyzer can be all kinds of pollutants, particularly suitable for domestic pollution area and industrial facilities.

"Mind-set to give up in the United States, to experience and learn the domestic way of life and the principle of doing things. With the advanced science and technology in silicon valley to return home, solve the problem of domestic need most." He concluded his home entrepreneurial journey.