Today on the International Trade Resources Podcast, Kim Kirkendall is joined by Dr. Uny Cao, a technologist based in Hangzhou, China, to discuss valuable insights into the opportunities for startups and SMEs to use multi-national locations to launch and grow their business. Currently Uny is the Executive Vice President of Zhejiang Intellectual Property Exchange Center Co., Ltd., affiliated with Zhejiang University, and does work in the space of university technology transfer. Dr. Cao is “bi-local” and splits his time between the US and China.
First, Dr. Cao shares his insight into the “Total Economic Factors” framework often used in China, which emphasizes the five aspects of production including; land, workforce, technology, capital, and data in building products. He also highlight the advantages for startups in countries who have the infrastructure to provide support for new and growing companies. This support can include grants, talent development, high tech suppliers, capital investment, and web connectivity.
Kim and Uny discuss considerations for companies with an international presence, such as having staff in one country and R&D in another, and the importance of understanding local startup platform nuances, ie; the availability of grants, tax credits and other incentives. They talk about multinational startups that leverage resources in Mexico and India as well as Europe and the U.S.
Next, they discuss labor as a driver for international expansion. Dr. Cao shares personal experience about starting a company with a focus on R&D in China and the product development in the U.S. He also emphasizes the role of specific skill sets and not only the cost of labor.
Lastly, Kim and Dr. Cao highlight examples of successful startups and their strategies for accessing grants and support. Dr. Cao also mentions the complexity and sophistication of VCs in developing markets, which rival those in Silicon Valley. They also touch on the importance of understanding hyper-local opportunities and networks. Find all this and more in today’s information-packed episode!
Things you’ll learn:
Episode Sponsors:
Acclime China:
https://china.acclime.com/
Corporate Services and full Accounting/CPA/Tax for China.
Website: www.intltraderesources.com
Email: intltradepodcast@gmail.com
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