Venture capitalists in China are operating under a climate of increasing uncertainty, while startups haven taken a hit and are scrutinized more rigorously than in the past. Significantly impacted by a series of factors such as the trade tension between China and US and the slow-down of the Chinese economy growth rate, Chinese VCs are undergoing a shuffle and are changing their game. In the meantime, as China marches towards technological advancement, the dynamics of china innovation landscape are changing. Furthermore, as with the situation all over the world, the unexpected outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus has shifted the established order of things, and startups are forced to look further afield for investment.
For this webinar, Swissnex in China has invited speakers with investment and accelerator management backgrounds to share tips on how startups should present themselves in meetings with Chinese investors. We will have Tang Hao, Vice General Manager at TusPark Jiangsu, the largest science park network in China, to share the experience and suggestions on how to leverage the network and resources from local accelerators backed by the government; David Chang, Vice President of Shanghai Blockchain Association and CEO of Blocknology Digital Venture, will talk from a Chinese VC point-of-view regarding the general attitude to and appetite for tech-led startups. Last but not least, Dr. Rajwinder Lehal, Chief Scientific Officer at Cellestia Biotech AG, who leads the fundraising for Cellestia and has had experience with Chinese investors (having taken part in Venture Leaders China 2018), will provide deep insights into how his startup successfully raised money from China. This webinar will be moderated by Jordi Montserrat, a distinguished expert in building successful ventures and supporting world-class Swiss entrepreneurs and startups with fundraising. As the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Venturelab, he also acts as a business angel and board member in the vibrant Swiss high-tech scene.
The Q&A session allows interaction between the experts and the audience.
Event Rundown
*Time in Switzerland (UTC+2)
09:00 – 09:05 Introduction & Opening Talk
(Swissnex in China and Jordi Montserrat – Co-Founder and Managing Partner at VentureLab)
09:05 – 09:35 Presentations (10’ per speaker)
Leverage smartly the network of Chinese accelerator in fundraising and market entry
(Tang Hao – Deputy General Manager of TusPark Jiangsu Development Co. Ltd. and the General Manager of TusPark Innovation Research Institute)
Post-Pandemic Funding Landscape for International Startups
(David Chang – Vice President of Shanghai Blockchain Association, industry fellow of UC Berkeley Blockchain Accelerator and CEO of Blocknology Digital Ventures)
Chinese VC: An opportunity for Swiss startups to raise capital and market entry into China
(Dr. Rajwinder Lehal – Chief Scientific Officer at Cellestia Biotech AG)
09:35 – 10:00 Q&A and Conclusion
Speakers and Moderator
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Bio
Jordi Montserrat
Co-Founder and Managing Partner at VentureLabFor the past 20 years, Jordi has been active in the vibrant Swiss high-tech scene, contributing to the development of innovative businesses and stimulating the Swiss start-up ecosystem.
He currently heads Venturelab Ldt, a Company supporting world-class entrepreneurs and startups on their path to building successful ventures and fundraising, and is co-managing director of Venture Kick – a financing initiative supported by private donors. He also acts as a business angel and board member in startups. -
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Bio
Tang Hao
Deputy General Manager of TusPark Jiangsu Development Co., Ltd. and the General Manager of TusPark Innovation Research InstituteTang Hao, the Deputy General Manager of TusPark(Jiangsu) Development Co., Ltd. and the General Manager of TusPark(Jiangsu) Innovation Research Institute, who is responsible for the incubators in the park, overseas S&T cooperation and innovation research. He holds double MBA degrees from the University of Missouri and Nanjing University, and has more than 10 years of working experience in the world’s Fortune 500 foreign companies. He has participated in and led many transnational technology transfer and industrialization projects. He led the team to establish and operate innovation centers in Europe, is familiar with the open innovation environment and entrepreneurship ecology in Europe.
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Bio
David Chang
Vice President of Shanghai Blockchain Association and CEO of Blocknology Digital VenturesMr. David Chang is Vice President of Shanghai Blockchain Association, industry fellow of UC Berkeley Blockchain Accelerator and CEO of Blocknology DigitalVenture（BDV), BDV is an ecosystem of private and public capital, startups, experts with domain knowledge on a global scale, with global reach and dedicated to innovative and impactful digital technologies, with specific focuses in BrainTech, PrivacyTech, Fintech, CleanTech, EdTech, Blockchain, Digital Governance. BDV also formed strategic relationships with national labs on digital economy governance and cybersecurity, is also part of the task force in piloting digital city management and governance, and is also forming a digital family office platform with HK and mainland families.
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Bio
Dr. Rajwinder Lehal
Chief Scientific Officer at Cellestia Biotech AGDr. Raj Lehal serves as CSO and Board member at Cellestia Biotech. He spun-out Cellestia Biotech from EPFL based on his 12 years of research in cancer and drug discovery. Dr. Lehal did his graduate studies at University of Toronto before moving to EPFL, where he established a drug discovery platform to target undruggable transcription factors. The lead molecule from Cellestia’s drug development program is currently in phase I trial. Cellestia Biotech is preparing to launch Phase II studies during 2020. With the recent closing of Series B (CHF 20M), Cellestia Biotech has raised a total CHF 49M. The company is managed by an experienced team of pharma executives and advisors.
