In this episode of the Tech in Shanghai podcast I speak with Rui ma, partner at 500 Startups in Charge of the Greater China region, and her colleague and investment associate at 500, Norman Chang.
Over the past year or so we’ve spoken with a number of great entrepreneurs on the show, but there’s been a notable abscence of guests that fall in to the ‘investor’ category.  With fundraising often being a crucial component of the startup process, I’ve been wanting to speak with an investor for a while now, to get a perspective from the other side of the negotiating table. As it turns out, I literally could not have found a more appropriate guest, as in 2015, 500 startups was THE MOST active VC firm globally. With a portfolio of over 800 companies, who better to speak to about all things funding and fundraising?!
Of course, with some much going on for 500 in the greater China region, these two are super busy, so we had to move quickly in this episode. But fear not, we still had time to cover a number of relevant issues that entrepreneurs in ANY region won’t want to miss.
Of particular note, we discuss areas of the tech world they are most actively looking at right now, some of the interesting regional differences in the types of entrepreneurs they have interacted with, the funding landscape, best practices regarding fundraising and a nice discussion on how to approach the inevitable emotional challenges of startup life.
Enjoy!
500.co
www.techinshanghai.com
TWITTER: twitter.com/techinshanghai
WECHAT: TheHungryFoolish
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4v9ftNF2AFDAOze0uhNrzw

Tech in Shanghai

EP 23: Rui Ma and Norman Chang of 500 Startups

In this episode of the Tech in Shanghai podcast, I speak with one of Shanghai’s most switched-on and inspiring young entrepreneurs, and CEO of Dyad, Mr. Greg Nance.
Dyad is an online, mentorship-based, university admissions preparatory service, and Greg is it’s founder and fearless leader. If you want to dramatically increase your chances of getting into the University and/or program of you choice, be sure to check out Dyad.
As for Greg, he’s not really that impressive at all…of course, I’m kidding. Greg is a rare bird, in the best way possible. Sharp as a tack, brimming with confidence, passion, and enthusiasm, Greg is one of those people who after speaking with him, you feel an energy, a charge and an optimism to go out and make stuff happen!
As intelligent as Greg is, he also has another common attribute with many of the great entrepreneurs..grit. Call it determination, stubbornness, un-wavering belief, or straight up masochism, Greg is a fighter, who anticipates hardship, and conditions himself for it in advance.
We delve into this concept of ‘building resilience’ in our chat. We also discuss his approach to decision-making, on daily tasks, but also on how, in a world of opportunity, to choose where to place your focus, or more simply, what to fully ‘commit’ to.
Dyad has also gone through a round of Venture funding, and Greg had some exceptional, must-hear advice on pitching, handling rejection, and in reference to the whole fundraising process,  ‘starting before you start’.
Oh yeah, Greg also runs ultra-marathons, sometimes in the desert..why? Well apart from being a huge believer in the primary importance of physical health and fitness (Side note: The Dyad team does whole-office workouts together), Greg believes pushing oneself physically is integral in building that mental toughness that pays so many dividends as an entrepreneur.
Of course we go into lots of practical tips, the morning routine Greg follows to set up his day, the importance in keeping in touch with friends and family (some advice that I desperately needed to hear) and much more.
Finally, in the high-stress, emotional roller-coaster life that is entrepreneurship, Greg offers a simple piece of advice, which is. “Do something every day that has no other purpose but to make you smile”. This was one of my favourites, enjoy!
Learn more at www.Dyad.com
www.techinshanghai.com
TWITTER: twitter.com/techinshanghai.com
WECHAT: TheHungryFoolish
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4v9ftNF2AFDAOze0uhNrzw

John Vallis's Album

EP 21: Greg Nance of Dyad

The Tech in Shanghai podcast is all about having casual, open discussions with the leaders of the Shanghai/Chinese startup and technology scene. We speak with founder and CEO's about the tremendous change and innovation happening in China right now, but also get them to share with us the personal challenges encountered operating in this environment, and more importantly, the tips and tricks they use to overcome these challenges and succeed!