CN

Media Center

Zhang Wei: CoStone Capital Zhang Wei: HUAWEI, A Success Bigger Than Alibaba and Tencent

2019.05.21 Chen Shudong Views:

BACK

“So, it is easy for companies like Alibaba and Tencent to take off in a short time and become one of the world leaders. But it is difficult for hard tech companies in China. Therefore, the success of HUAWEI is bigger.” Zhang Wei added.

Zhang Wei: CoStone Capital Zhang Wei: HUAWEI, A Success Bigger Than Alibaba and Tencent


图片 8.png


How to be a top investor and build an excellent enterprise? Zhang Wei, chairman of CoStone Capital, found the answer. He believed that an accomplished company must have clear strategies and entrepreneurship, coupled with corresponding structures, confidence and perseverance.

He indicated that hard technology sector should be highly valued, due to China’s inevitable attention on innovation and start-ups. Money-losing companies could go public in the STAR market technically. Because the hard tech companies needed more time and investment to succeed than the Internet companies. HUAWEI made itself an unparalleled and world-class company through long-term growth, instead of taking advantage of a new business model. That was why the success of HUAWEI was bigger than that of Alibaba and Tencent. HUAWEI was the one and only Chinese enterprise on the list of the Top 50 R&D Spenders. BAT (Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent) and other enterprises played catch-up with Amazon, Google, Facebook and other innovative and original companies, and had gone so well. However, they failed to invest enough into R&D and spark innovation.

“So, it is easy for companies like Alibaba and Tencent to take off in a short time and become one of the world leaders. But it is difficult for hard tech companies in China. Therefore, the success of HUAWEI is bigger.” Zhang Wei added.

CoStone Asset Management Co., Ltd, founded in 2001, by Zhang Wei, is a profound private equity investment firm with over 18-years of experience in investment management, and it is known to be one of the earliest private equity investment firms in China. CoStone has invested in 120 outstanding projects in TMT, healthcare, media & entertainment, consumer & retail fields, including core-tech companies like SenseTime and Royole, with a total asset valuation of over 50 billion RMB under its management. CoStone now has made 50 exits and 60% of those companies have gone public.


Above: Excerpt of Zhang Wei’s keynote speech in the 7th China Entrepreneurship and Investment Summit held on May 17. Please refer to this link to view the speech in full: http://stonevc.com/news_view.aspx?TypeId=5&Id=769&Fid=t2:5:2

Rewritten by: Luo Xinying, Edited by: Du Zhixin, Wei Yiyi

The year 2019 marks the fortieth anniversary of China’s Reform &Opening-Up, once again, we meet at the turning point of history. What’s the next step for the game, is there any clear guidance? The answer is affirmative.

Our country is enjoying a good momentum of development, which does not come from the Washington Consensus nor the Beijing Consensus. China’s experience has proved that both the visible hand and the invisible hand are crucial: the visible hand, stands for the government-led reform, and would yield benefits for reform and opening up; the invisible hand, stands for the Marginal Power represented by the private sector, and would improve economic efficiency and tax collection, create jobs and employment opportunities.

Provided that we want to protect and expand the benefits form reform, three simple but mandatory agreements are to be made and followed: No.1 Private ownership must be recognized, protected and treated equally with public ownership constitutionally, both ownerships are scared and inviolable;No.2 Make further clarification of the principal position of market economy, “deepen economic system reform by centering on the decisive role of the market in allocating resources”, as President Xi addressed in the third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee;No.3 Implement the guiding principles of “comprehensively promoting law-based governance” of the fourth plenum. The rule of law is essential for economic growth, irreplaceable to protect private ownership, and necessary to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.

Above are three rules for us to avoid falling into the Middle-income Trap. Assuming that we are breaking systematic barriers to private enterprises’ participation in market economy, and boosting innovation and entrepreneurship of our society, then we are heading towards a promoting direction. We are marching in the path of light, regardless of the ups and downs of Sino-US relationship, the drop in GDP growth rate, or the monetary policy.

These principals also apply on knowing how better to run a business: don’t be hedged by rules and regulations at the beginning, pay more attention to your survival, and you’ll learn more when you start your second business.

For many years, Huawei has been the only Chinese company on the list of the Top 50 R&D Spenders. Regardless of the economy and its income, what Huawei has been doing is investing in its future, dedicated to R&D, continuously and resolutely. This provisional work underscores Huawei’s accomplishments, making Huawei anindustry leader.

So, there are standard answers on how to run a company,which could be summarized as concentration and professional dedication, continuous investment on innovation and trying harder in R&D. Entrepreneurship is also important, every single company needs entrepreneurs to push aside all obstacles and difficulties, to implement strategies and ideas. We, as investors, are destined to look for such outstanding entrepreneurs and their companies, invest in them and partner with them.

At this key point of history, a country, a company, or asingle individual, will all need to find the right path. Four decades after the Reform and Opening-up, it’s time to learn from our experience and stop “wadding across

ab2-1.jpg

Stay up-to-date

Email Alerts
To receive newsletter from CoStone Capital, sign up below.

Submit