Telum Talks To... Yuanpu Huang, Founder, EqualOcean / iyiou.com
Interview

Telum Talks To... Yuanpu Huang, Founder, EqualOcean / iyiou.com

EO Company has recently opened a new office in New York. How will you position this overseas bureau and how will it contribute to news content and branding?
We have recruited analysts in New York with the purpose of understanding the entrepreneurial innovation ecology in the US, as we build connections with local entrepreneurs and innovators. With this in mind, we have produced a 20/20 series of research articles in major US cities (The most anticipated 20 AI companies in New York in 2020, for example, AI Rising in NYC: 20 High-Value Startups in 2020). It may sound naive, but we hope we can bring American startup companies back to Mainland China and help them list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. It is common for Chinese startups to list in the US. If we are able to do it the other way around, we will be making history.

What is the impact of the growing tension between China and the US on EO Company, regarding news reporting, making contacts and the media operation in general, especially with your expansion to New York? How will EO Company determine its news focuses in the new normal?
Our new office was officially opened in New York late January 2020, when COVID-19 was spreading in Mainland China, and this affected everybody. When the outbreak reached the US, people began to work from home in mid-March. I would say it was quite a setback for us as we were trying to expand our business overseas. However, we have since then received many positive responses when we invited local entrepreneurs to meetings. It goes without saying that entrepreneurs have no geographical boundaries and they are more open to and supportive of globalization than the general public. But, we have avoided putting too much focus on the tensions between China and the US, or any other sensitive topics. We will continue to focus on technology, capital markets, and globalization.

Apart from the language used, what are the differences between iyiou.com and EqualOcean in terms of news focus or other editorial matters? 
iyiou.com has previously focused more on local Chinese companies, those that regard China as their major market, while EqualOcean has paid more attention to Chinese companies with the potential for going overseas. At present, these two sites are moving in the same direction. Both of them have generated content around our EO500 enterprise list, which was created based on market capitalisation, its estimated value, levels of liquidity and other indicators. Analysts are the core members of both teams, aiming to help local and international investors explore investment opportunities in China. 

You have mentioned Bloomberg is your role model in helping EO Company become a China-born, world-renowned company, could you tell us more about your development strategies?
If we look at the number of Fortune 500 companies from Mainland China, we should be the world's number one in terms of our clout. We also believe China’s GDP will surpass the US’ within 10 years. In the past, the success of media organisations such as the Economist, Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg very much resulted from the leading positions of both the United Kingdom and the United States. China will become the world's largest economy, and this will definitely lead to similar world-class institutions or private companies. But we should not take opportunities for granted. Instead, we should work on them. It does take time and effort for these institutions to go global and connect with the world. In this respect, Bloomberg's financial information + data terminal is a good case for us to make reference to as it has successfully achieved a sustainable business model with a high commercial value as compared to traditional media.

You became an internet analyst after graduating with an international relations degree, but switched to forming a news media organisation. What motivated you to make those changes?
International relations and journalism are intertwined in many ways, and therefore we have a subject called international journalism. My entrepreneurship journey stemmed from my innermost desire for a sense of honour. More importantly, I have been impressed by the magic of technology that brings us to a whole new world through the Internet. Prior to establishing an internet-based technology media and research institution, I worked as an analyst in a third-party platform for a while, which helped me accumulate relevant knowledge and resources.

You described yourself as a tech investor and influencer on LinkedIn. How do you want to influence professionals, industry players or the industry as a whole?
I call myself a tech investor because my company has a small-cap investment fund focusing on science and technology. As a LinkedIn influencer, I am very interested in connecting Chinese to foreign technology communities. Although technology is currently being politicized, we hope that we can still use technology to promote mutual understanding of peoples and bring them closer. 

Technology plays a major role in modern life as well as the financial world. Please give media practitioners some advice on adapting to the new era, especially for those who have no relevant educational background.
We believe writers will face huge challenges. In the past, media professionals were generally equipped with language or journalism-related educational backgrounds. But nowadays, scientific or engineering knowledge has become all the more important. In this connection, EqualOcean gives priority to job candidates with science and engineering-related educational backgrounds. For those with a language or journalism background, taking MBA courses is a good idea. It is also better to study computer science or AI-related major even if you are interested in writing jobs.

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Yuanpu Huang

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