[INHERIT CHINA]---DATA VISUALIZATION POSTER---UIR SIFE

Google decor office---Chumenwenwen

SHANGHAI, CHINA—Picking my way through the hustle and bustle part of Shanghai to the Google-decor office, I sensed an impressive founder story is about to unfold. It is a tale about a young dreamer with a suitcase stuffed with passion. Antony Zhu, 26, the co-founder of Shanghai-based startup Mobvoi, just finished his graduate program from Stanford University. Unlike the majority, he chose to dive into the Chinese market after a brief start-up experience in the US, creating his own company focusing on mobile voice search. The motivation to launch a start-up and cash in on the growing need in the world's largest Internet market -- was not uncommon.

For Zhu, the passion stems from his inborn start-up sprit. "I admire Silicon Valley. Precisely because it is a place where talents rises to the top regardless of social classes, races or nationality. Anyone with smarts, motives and great ideas can raise money and start a company. This is the central tenet of Valley's ethos; this could not be truer for a Stanford student. Such tenet is so deep in my veins that I am bound to be a start-up person,” said Zhu. By the time he landed in the middle school, he had narrowed down his final destination to Stanford University, setting himself a path that would ultimately lead him to one of the world's most renowned academic institutions.

And indeed, it would seem a rather fitting end for Zhu, who credits his own predilection towards computer to an earlier programming competition. He expounded, "I took part in the Mathematical Modeling Competition. Under the efforts of our team, we successfully solved two actual problems, analysis of the rationalization of the SCI system and the prediction of the Chinese population in next ten years. This experience is a big stepping stone to my future research."

Of course, Stanford University plays a central role in this process, "Studying at Stanford University further fuels my entrepreneurial spirit. Stanford offers encouragement in any form to nurture the young dreamers. "He added. "Our innovative, entrepreneurial culture is a pure expression of the start-up's nature. In the face of overwhelming pressure, we Stanfords choose to transmute stress into inspiration and do what many ancestors do: founded a startup. I still remember the first time I visited the Facebook house, it was an extremely thrilling experience! I was so captivated by the idea of creating my own company since then. "

Some may wonder, why he chose to leap out of his comfort zone from the technology giants in Silicon Valley only to land on an unknown tour back to China? His answer was determined. "The startup spirit is about taking risks, diving into new technologies, and attempting to be the first and best in a particular field. It is said that big breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets what is desperately necessary. The nationwide frenzy for entrepreneurship can in large part be attributed to the emerging opportunity in China. "

A tried-and-true way of starting your own business is to find what is desperately necessary. The next stage is about how to find what is necessary. Like many innovators, there is a moment when inspiration strikes. "After chatting with Xiaolong Zhang, the Father of WeChat, I figured out we can make our product based on WeChat platform, which is the most popular messaging app in China. At the initial stage, we've brainstormed a series of ideas. But idea is idea after all, there is still tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product." He then started to reflect on our daily life. “In China, voice search is becoming more popular then ever due to the growing smartphone penetration and usage. However, application like Siri often fails to deliver a satisfactory answer. In this case, our mobile voice search app Chumenwenwen is an antidote."

Whenever someone speaks with Zhu about his innovative application, Chumenwenwen, his passion becomes immediately apparent. "We currently have 15 employees, with an office based on Shanghai. The resources for entrepreneurs here are endless. The early days of running a company are stressful but rewarding. The team spirit comes from a closely-knit bunch of founders battling against the odds to bring something to market creates a close bond of comradeship. I’ve met some incredibly smart and talented people here. The greatest satisfaction for me and the other team members is seeing an idea or concept come to life and to know that you are changing an industry and other people’s lives for the better."

He then talked about the subtle difference in the start-up business environment between China and the US, "On close inspection, the evidence suggests that the keys to success in the start-up world in China and the US is quite different. In China, prestigious degree, a proven success in the US market as well as the personal connections to the powerful is at least as important as a great idea. By contrast, Silicon Valley is often said to draw top talent because it has the unfettered innovative spirit. You can prove your idea by simply showing the VC how powerful it going to be in the future. While in China, you have to play safe by replicating success in the US.  "Zhu affirmed, "Silicon Valley has this way of finding greatness and supporting it. It values ingenuity more than anywhere else. Meanwhile, the market for legal services businesses to support entrepreneurs is by now quite established and mature in the US. The same cannot be said of China. Small businesses will continue to struggle through on their own. "

Throughout our conversation, Zhu spoke with an air of passion and optimism, which was enforced when he cheerfully reflected on his thoughts on success. "You certainly have to have a high level of emotional consistency to be a successful entrepreneur. Letting the ups and downs get to you is dangerous. Besides, a single entrepreneur alone is vulnerable to shortsightedness and fatigue. But with a passionate team comes diverse perspectives and encouragement. Find your team and start creating cool thing. Things that are in desperate need. For now, we are witnessing a major technological shift where desktop is becoming obsolete and everything is going mobile. So, it is a very exciting time for startups that are in the mobile industry. I believe that voice search is going to aggressively expand into every function of human lives. One of the key issues is to let mobile phone understand more natural language and complex queries. And that's precisely what we are striving for. " Zhou affirmed.