Shanghai Surprise

I just returned from a trip to Shanghai. I was there doing some networking and meeting local entrepreneurs. One of the more interesting people I met was Leo Wang. Leo has a mobile start-up that's focused on combining the phone's address book with social networking.

Leo calls it Personal Relationship Matching or PRM, as opposed to the familiar PIM. This reminds me of talk about the SDA or social digital assistant replacing the PDA. Leo's company is called Changyou.

I was very surprised to find a very vibrant start-up scene in Shanghai. There are many local Chinese entrepreneurs as well as foreigners. Another company I met with is called Wealink. Their CEO, Ian Chin, is a very dynamic and forward-thinking person. Wealink is the Chinese version of Linkedin, but with many more features all for free.

Throughout China there are a number of incubators that are set-up for direct foreign investment. They are very interested in attracting companies in the software and interactive media space. One of the incubators I met with is called  MPVC. The can assist in setting up your presence in China, as well as handle accounting, HR, and provide office space. Depending on whether your in a city like Shanghai our further out you can receive all sorts of incentives.

I did take some time to check out the local fashion scene. Fashion in Shanghai is exploding with little designer shops everywhere. One stroll down Changle Lu and you'll get it straight away. One of the brands that impressed me the most was ENO. Apparently they are venture backed and have their pulse on the street scene.