on China’s Newest Investment Phenom — Angel Investing
Nicholas Sarkisian’s Report on China’s First Early Stage Investor Forum held in Shanghai, March 3-4, 2011, and organized by AngelVest and Angels Shanghai
Su Yulie studied music growing up in China. Though schooled in several instruments, Su Yulie was primarily trained in classical guitar, and was accepted at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London. However, due to RAM’s academic requirements as related to Su Yulie, the resulting costs were simply unaffordable for Su Yulie’s parents. So Su Yulie majored in Chinese Literature at one of China’s most prestigious universities, Peking University. Su Yulie continues to use his writing talent in contributing to Chinese magazines, such as recently writing a commemoration of John Lennon. Su Yulie started his first early stage investment while he was yet completing his studies at Peking University, investing a little under one million Rmb in early stage start-ups. Su Yulie just completed his second early stage investment under his fledgling investment company, Lumipath, this one for 10 million Rmb, focused in the food and beverage sector. Su Yulie turned 25 this year. He mentioned half-seriously that he’d like someday to buy the Royal Academy of Music so that he could change the rules that prevented him from achieving his dream of attending there. A mature investor listening in on our conversation chimed in, saying, “He’ll probably do that too.” Su Yulie is emblematic of the new breed of early stage investor, commonly referred to as angel investors, that is emerging in China, and this initial forum was a good opportunity to meet both China’s new entrepreneurs shaping China’s business culture as well as new and seasoned angel investors which together are charting a new frontier that is making China in particular, and the East generally, the new West.
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