In a tightly-organized and high-energy road show, about a dozen futuristic U.S. tech companies toured China's economic hubs and drew attention from government officials, national media and well-known Chinese businesses.
The trip represents the vision of Haiyin Capital, a small venture capital firm based in Beijing and eyeing team expansion to the U.S.. Haiyin's founding partner, Yuquan Wang, sees an opportunity to identify investable U.S. tech companies and connect them to manufacturing and distribution partners in China, helping the companies grow and penetrate the largest market in the world.
"The trip showed our companies what we know to be true: China is the ideal partner if you want explosive growth," Wang said.
The trip started in Hangzhou, home to automaker Geely Automotive (parent company of Volvo) and global tech giant Alibaba. Haiyin portfolio companies including LightSail Energy (energy storage, based in the Bay Area), WiTricity (wireless charging, based near Boston), Terrafugia (flying cars, based near Boston), and 1366Tech (silicon solar wafers, based near Boston), met with rising entrepreneurial stars at Lakeside University, founded by Alibaba CEO Jack Ma, and presented their companies at Hangzhou Normal University near Alibaba's headquarters.