“Great times would accomplish a great career. Comb+ is committed to become a key strength in promoting world revolution.” - Zhang Yu
In China, people have an increasing enthusiasm for innovation, as entrepreneurs embrace their dreams in changing the world. They need good partners and a good platform that will connect them to the world's top technologies, capitals, and resources.
Comb+, the platform aiming to create an "online Silicon Valley", allows entrepreneurs to be surrounded with like-minded people. In an exclusive interview with Zhang Yu, Vice President of SkyOcean and president of Comb+, he reveals the planning and the blueprint of "the online Silicon Valley".
"Online Silicon Valley": Let the Intelligence Flow From Around the World
Comb+ is a global platform, where the world's best entrepreneurial projects, global mainstream investor alliances, global mentorship and programs, and worldwide innovative service networks will gather in one place. All of the elements essential in building successful technologies and collaborations will interact with each other to ultimately combine world-class ideas and to promote world revolution. According to Zhang Yu, “Comb+ is preparing the connection and integration of world-class resources for that revolution.”
From September 8 to 19, the Comb+’s core team collaborated with the United Nations Office for Project Services Department (UNOPS). When Mr. Zhang Yu came back from the United States last month, he talked about his exciting and joyful trip. He said that, "In my 12 days at United States, we start the activities at six o'clock in the morning until midnight. Even at lunch, we arranged conversations with the innovation sector. For 12 days, we visited 32 of America's well-known incubators and accelerators. After the time-crunching visit, the harvest is self-evident and the whole process is now exciting.”
In the trip, Comb+ conducted in-depth conversations with many famous business incubators, including Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA), Founders Space, Disney Accelerator, and StartX incubator at Stanford University. Comb+ also signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Founders Space StartX, which is the one of the nation's top five accelerators. As far as funds, resources, and talents were concerned, StartX is strong and rarely cooperates with other incubators. They said that their principle is investing in the best projects and the best people. Because they believe in deep consensus on the ideal vision, StartX and Comb+ can establish cooperation intent.
Comb+’ team also visited four cities known for their innovations, which are Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Their goal is clear: integration is the world's best resource, where intelligence flows around the world through the "Online Silicon Valley" platform.
"During the United States visit, we were thinking about this problem: what is the core value of the incubation platform? It is important for the platform to offer venues, good office environment, and training programs. However, the core value is helping intelligence and capital flow.”
Zhang Yu said, "During the visit, many incubator founders and partners have said that they are very interested in China. They want to do business in the Chinese market, but do not know how or where to start. The same goes for the Chinese. In our country, many projects receive broad market outside, but entrepreneurs just keep their eyes in the country. With the 'online Silicon Valley' platform, we can share Demo Day on networks, share mentors, and conduct training and capitals. Domestic investors can synchronize the Watch Demo Day in the United States to judge and invest on their favorite project rather than go abroad. Comb+ is about breaking constraints from the national, regional, and environmental to make up for the intellectual and capital flows. "
The US trip was a success, so the team will continue their Israel and Europe trip.
Big Data Platform Enables Scientific Decision-Making
Comb+ has strong physical facilities and uses most of their more than 600,000 square meters lot. These facilities help create an intelligent venue that integrates life, work, and entertainment. However, Mr. Zhang emphasizes that Comb+’ ideal goal is not being a simple business accelerator.
"We want to establish a pattern of globalization, combined with the world's most advanced technologies and concepts with the domestic market. At the same time, we also want to build a big data analysis system." Zhang Yu said, "Now, big data analytic is a hot word. But, in the field of incubator, it is still relatively new. The main reason is that every incubator has its own industry characteristics, most of them in a narrow range. In general, only one incubator works at ten to twenty enterprises. However, after several years, incubators find that their accumulations are too few to guide in the big data analysis.”
Zhang Yu pointed out that Comb+ had to create the "online Silicon Valley" because it wants to cooperate with excellent incubators worldwide. They want to gather talents, capitals, projects, and a large number of start-ups. By observing and summarizing the process of business creation and growth, as well as accumulating business data, Comb+ sum up the enterprises development law in various industries. Under multidimensional data support, it is able to offer various guides corresponding to different stages of enterprise. Thus, enterprises can reduce errors on the strategy decision to increase the success rate.
"For example, when a company gets a fund, how do you use it? Is it by first putting it into propaganda or recruit talent? How do you allocate the proportion of the funds? We can give useful suggestions. Although we have a huge incubator infrastructure, in the future, our key value is the large data-centric 'online of Silicon Valley' platform that will become our unique advantage. "
Focus on Science and Technology to Promote China and the World Revolution
Are all people concerned with starting a business? What field is Comb+ most focused on?
"Culture and Technology is the two-wheel driving force to promote world revolution, and are the areas where we are most concerned of.”
“This year, Tu Yo Yo won the Nobel Prize in Medicine, while Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for Literature three years ago. They prove that Chinese development and comprehensive strength have reached the level where they give impact to the world. A few years ago, the Chinese have the ability to get the Nobel Prize, but no one has been selected because the influence of China has not reached to that extent. "
"We believe that in the field of culture and technology, the Chinese will be excellent in promoting world revolution.” Zhang Yu pointed out that in the next three to five years, China will meet the creation peak. In order to achieve this goal, Comb+ joins hands with famous universities to support the original culture project, as well as the science and technology project. Comb+ wants to gather the best talents, technologies, and the highest quality projects to change the world.
In July 2015, SkyOcean (the Comb+’ parent company) reached a comprehensive strategic partnership with the Communication University of China to setup a "special fund SkyOcean innovation” and to venture capital funds. SkyOcean also offers opportunities for outstanding teachers and students to study abroad, so they will learn world-class cultural ideas and technologies. They will also help teachers and students start their own projects and assist them in conforming to international trends.
Zhang Yu shared, "Recently, we are actively promoting cooperation with domestic colleges and universities. We have reached cooperative purpose with Stanford StartX accelerator. We are also discussing cooperation with the University of Southern California, which is known as the forefront of animation and film. A USC team just visited us last October 28.
In addition, Comb+ established a good contact with a number of well-known professors from colleges and universities, including some professors in Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, and other universities.”