Inside Man - Matt Vegh
Howdy,
Today Uraniumisking said something I thought was interesting:
Middle Kingdom Studios has also delivered 3 deals within 3 weeks of coming on board. Those games will probably have to be built, as well as the social network. And that is very interesting that INT comes out with Yappn, 3 days after Middle Kingdom announces a $5 mil USD deal to build a social network.
LINK https://www.stockhouse.com/bullboards/messagedetail.aspx?p=0&m=32105205&l=0&r=0&s=int&t=list#f47Ae7ZQvPhBB3DU.99
Matt Vegh, IMO, is a very serious character that is intertwined with many Chinese State/IT run agencies and his network spans from LA/NYC/HK and much more. Funding films and building games is not cheap and his connection to deep pockets has him on many radars, including Canadian government officials seeking to do business in the area. I am also convinced that he recognized the value of Ortsbo and is largely responsible for our presence in the very exciting city that is Chengdu.
We know large tech companies have often struggled to gain traction as they have built the ship outside of the great wall and are met with resistance when then attempt to launch their product or service. Google comes to mind. Facebook....
We live in interesting times. The world moves to mobile. We have anywhere and anytime .....but not anyone.....at least not yet. Global becomes no longer a buzz word but a functioning reality. Orstbo sits on the right side of the wall, working with and a man who is an established presence. A man that has advised government in the past. A man that is a true closer. A man that works with and helps develop many local IT businesses.
A man that is also an advocate for Ortsbo.
UPPORT LOCAL TALENT: CHENGDU'S DRIVE FOR A NATIVE GOOGLE
Chengdu Hi-Tech Incubation Park
Chengdu’s Tianfu Software Park is a unique take on a developmental model that most cities in China have implemented to encourage the growth of the local IT sector. Most of the parks around China are either private entities, contracted out by the government to develop the IT sector, or are government offices, run by and completely beholden unto the government.
Chengdu has chosen a middle-path, by creating “platforms” that are in essence state-owned enterprises, but managed by professionals from the private sector. Chengdu Tianfu Software Park is a company, under the leadership of the Administration Committee of Chengdu Hi-tech Zone, which covers several entities in the west and south of the city, including an export processing zone, office and storage space, R&D facilities and a manufacturing base for companies in the technology and electronics sectors.
“For our industry, this is the only State-owned enterprise that hired all of their people from enterprises, - including foreign senior management,” said Christine Du, general manager of Chengdu Tianfu Software Park. “This is unique in China.”
The platform model gives companies the freedom to maneuver, but still allows for government oversight. So far, the model seems to be working really well.
“In the past I dealt with a lot of city governments,” continued Ms. Du. “The Chengdu government is very professional, they know IT and they know the IT industry ... we talk a lot about the park, operations, the future of new companies.”
“I never worked for the government before, so this is completely different, but we exchange ideas and it turns out that it is quick and easy to come to a common understanding.”
Tianfu Software Park, Chengdu The Tianfu Software Park is an important element of Chengdu’s push to become a world-class city. Ever since the first big IT companies showed up more than 10 years ago, Chengdu has been developing infrastructure and resources to serve existing firms, attract even more, and nurture and sustain the local IT sector.
“Local companies are growing and that is the focus for now,” said Victor Jansson, the software park’s VP of business development and marketing. “Before the city was looking for MNCs to help create the industry, now we are moving toward individuals and entrepreneurs to further grow the industry... our incubation center has taken a very important role in the park, because we are really looking for homegrown companies.”
Part of the company’s job is to train local employees and managers in entrepreneurship and other business skills to prepare them for the international market. The incubation center provides training and other resources to help small, local start-ups develop the tools and products necessary to go global.
"We're hoping that a Google might come out of here," said Mr. Jansson.
Jansson and Du are both private sector professionals hired by the Chengdu Hi-tech Zone government to run the park. Jansson was backpacking through China when a fried tipped him off to a possible opening at the Dalian Software Park, where Ms. Du was already working as a VP for finance and investment. The two developed a rapport that carried over to their current positions with the Tianfu Software Park.
“When the economic crisis hit (in 2008-09), people started talking about going west, we saw many companies head west looking for new opportunities.,” explained Jansson.
Companies already based in Shanghai and Beijing started transferring high-level work to Chengdu - at first to cut costs - but later to take advantage of Chengdu’s large talent pool, which drives R&D. Roughly 1/2 of the firms that transferred operations to Chengdu are doing R&D, with the rest handling IT outsourcing, back-office operations and service outsourcing.
After a trip to Chengdu to investigate opportunities for investment, Ms. Du also felt the pull of the city. She found people and the culture of the city attractive for the easy-going, pragmatic attitudes that pervade everything from street-level interactions to government discussions, but there was no real desire to make a move. Ms. Du is from Dalian and her family, her home, and her job were all stable and enjoyable ... and in Dalian. But after the meeting between Dalian and Chengdu IT people, she received a call from a friend in Chengdu.
“She asked me, ‘would you consider coming here to run our park’, at the time I had nothing really to say,” said Ms. Du. “But when I went home my husband heard about the offer and we started to talk seriously about the government’s professional attitude and openess, as well as the easy-going local culture. Then he said, ‘let’s do it’, so here we are.”
Now Ms. Du runs one of the fastest growing software parks in the nation. The park will cover almost 4 million square meters when all of the construction phases are completed in the coming 5 to 6 years. The expansion will not stop there however, as the authorities have plans to increase the size, scope, and reach of the park even further. For now however, Ms. Du, Mr. Jansson and their team are focused on training new talent, recruiting young talent from the many universities around the city for the companies in the park, and managing a park that is already exceeding expectations.
A recent recruitment drive brought in more than 10,000 young engineers and developers from across the city - and region - to compete for jobs offered by around 50 different firms. Recruitment drives like this are also paired with team-building exercises, technical and managerial training, and other resources to develop the software park’s most important base: the companies.
“It will take time to develop the park into its full potential, but the good thing is our team and the local government have patience,” said Ms. Du. “They can see results and no one is like ‘do this and do that now,’ the government is very realistic and practical, we feel comfortable and confident doing our tasks under the government’s full support.”
The results are companies like tap4fun, a local iOS app and game developer in Tianfu Software Park that has garnered recent attention of international big hits like Galaxy Empire and other games. Having big names come in is always good for headlines, but the team and the government both seem to be on the same page when it comes to sustainable development: support the local scene.