Columbia Entrepreneurship Panel in Shanghai

Eight Columbia alumni, including Jay Chen, founder of CVCapital and CVINFO; Raymond Chen, founding partner and chief investment officer of Skycus Capital; Henry Hu, partner of YiMei Capital; Yong Zhao, founding partner of 01VC; George Yan, founder of Clobotics; Zhe Wang, co-founder and chief product officer of Tezign; Robert Chen, owner and developer of Platform Group; and Pierre de Vilmorin, founder of Happy Meal, joined a panel discussion, sharing their experiences and insights on entrepreneurship. Ruifen Xu, founding partner of RIC Capital Management and Columbia alumna, served as the moderator. More than 80 Columbia alumni gathered in Shanghai and participated in this event.

Executive Vice President of Global Centers and Global Development at Columbia University, Professor Safwan M. Masri, delivered the opening remarks through a video, warmly welcoming all alumni attendees and wishing for the much success of the event. Columbia Global Centers | Beijing delivered an opening statement, introducing the Beijing Center's mission and its responsibility as the only official administration of Columbia University in China. Ron Cai, co-president at Columbia Alumni Association of Shanghai, also greeted all attendees and introduced CAA Shanghai and its members, duties, and activities.

In the beginning, Jay Chen, as the keynote speaker, spoke about the emergence and development of VC and PE and shared his perspectives on the future challenges and opportunities in the industry. In the meantime, Mr. Chen gave an introduction on the business of CVINFO and expressed his willingness to share his recourses with CU alumni.

During the panel discussion, eight experienced alumni panelists had an in-depth discussion surrounding Chinese internet industry, entrepreneurship in the next five to ten years, and the comparison between future markets of China and the U.S. Alumni panelists stated that they would all be willing to offer their supports and resources to CU alumni who would want to start up and develop their own business.

The Columbia Entrepreneurship Panel Series is launched by Columbia Global Centers | Beijing. Cooperating with Columbia Alumni Associations in multiple cities, the Beijing Center has successfully held three events in Beijing and Shanghai, with 17 entrepreneurs, investment officers, and investment bankers contributing their knowledge and insights on entrepreneurship and investment. The Series will launch soon in Shenzhen as well as other major cities in China. Please stay tuned for further information.