Reborn, back to a small county town to become a wealthy family

Chapter 767 Unexpected Success

Although Liang Yuxin planted a thorn in Luo Yang's heart, they ultimately failed to reach a conclusion regarding their relationship.

Miss Liang had achieved half of her goal, so she let Luo Yang go for the time being.

Over the next two days, everyone adjusted to the time difference while busy with their own tasks.

A little after 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, Cao Shuyu arrived at the hotel with his driver and two vans to pick up Luo Yang and his team members and head to IDG's headquarters in Boston.

The distance from New York to Boston is about 340 kilometers. It took nearly five hours to drive from the hotel to a hotel near the IDG headquarters, just in time for dinner.

On Monday morning, shortly before nine o'clock, Luo Yang led a team to IDG headquarters at the invitation of the company.

I originally thought that this trip wouldn't be taken very seriously, and that I would need to rely on the materials I prepared before going abroad to attract the attention of the senior management at IDG headquarters. Only after two or three rounds of communication would we be able to reach some preliminary cooperation agreements.

There's nothing we can do about it. Although Luo Yang now has assets worth tens of billions, he's not well-known in the internet industry. Not to mention in the United States, he's not even a big name in the domestic business circles.

That's why he set a travel time of about 10 days.

I didn't expect to meet Kelvin Martin, the executive vice president of IDG, on my first trip here.

Cao Shuyu kept his word.

In the welcoming party, besides Executive Vice President Kelvin Martin, there was also a blonde beauty.

"Mr. Luo, welcome to IDG headquarters."

At Cao Shuyu's introduction, Executive Vice President Kelvin Martin warmly shook hands with Luo Yang and introduced the blonde beauty standing next to him: "This is Ms. Anley McKinney, who is in charge of IDG's investment business on the West Coast!"

"Welcome, Mr. Luo, to visit our headquarters."

Enri McKinney is the epitome of a successful career woman, with striking features, fair skin, and freckles typical of Europeans.

When they shook hands, Luo Yang could clearly feel that Anri McKinney was observing him.

With a touch of curiosity.

With Sun Wei translating, Luo Yang responded to each question and took the initiative to introduce Song Wan, Xiao Wei, Wen Wan, and others.

After exchanging pleasantries, the tour began.

After touring the area, Luo Yang felt his trip was worthwhile.

After a visit of more than an hour, he gained a general understanding of the operating model of internationally renowned venture capital firms like IDG, including the permanent institutions of such venture capital firms. Even during the exchange, Kelvin Martin and Annie McKinn did not shy away from discussing the company's decision-making process.

It's worth noting that venture capital firms around the world operate on roughly the same model, and their organizational structures are hardly a secret.

Their core competitiveness lies in their network of contacts and numerous external relationships.

As for the decision-making mechanism, that's even more absurd. These gambling-like institutions are typical examples of organizations formed by people.

Back then, SoftBank's Sun Zhenyi invested in Jack Ma, creating a legend in the investment world. Sun almost became a god. However, he later lost so much money in other projects that even dogs shed tears. He is a typical example of failing because of someone else.

What kind of general is always victorious?
Unless he's a reincarnated being!
A simple visit is clearly not enough to warrant the presence of a vice president of Kelvin Martin's caliber; he is obviously eyeing the bike-sharing project, or rather, the concept behind it.

Now everyone on Wall Street knows that with smartphones inevitably replacing traditional phones, the mobile internet industry is poised for explosive growth.

A lot of capital is sitting at the door, waiting for suitable projects to flood in.

However, in this booming market, it takes an investor's discerning eye to identify which sectors are worth investing in and which are among the best.

In the investment community, there is a broader consensus that for projects of the same type and within the same sector, the ability of the operator is the most important factor.

Although Luo Yang is not well-known in the internet industry, the bike-sharing project he is currently operating and founding is considered to be at the forefront of the mobile internet sector and has the potential for success.

This is evident from the involvement of Sequoia Capital.

Moreover, in the second round of financing, many large domestic investment institutions were optimistic about bike sharing and participated in it, which is equivalent to endorsing Luo Yang.

Moreover, Cao Shuyu also prepared an investigation report, which included Luo Yang's business operation trajectory since starting his business.

Even senior executives at IDG headquarters were amazed after reading the investigation report.

Luo Yang, who makes money no matter what he invests in, can no longer be simply described as a business genius.

Definitely a chosen one.

Therefore, for investment institutions, regardless of the specific project, as long as you are engaging in it, we can consider investing.

Ultimately, these institutions aren't investing in the projects, but in Luo Yang himself!
"Mr. Cao mentioned that Mr. Luo brought a project based on a new concept with him on this trip to the United States?"

While Kelvin Martin tried to be evasive and probe indirectly, Annie McKinn, the elite businesswoman, was very direct and to the point: "Would you be interested in giving us a brief description of this new concept project?"

Although Luo Yang didn't know why IDG's executives were so enthusiastic towards him, the opportunity was right in front of him, so how could he let it go?

Of course, since it's a collaboration, he has to offer something of equal value first.

Luo Yang had anticipated this, so he had Wen Wan bring the necessary items when he arrived.

"We need to use your company's conference room."

Luo Yang asked with a smile, "I wonder if this is convenient?"

"Of course!"

Enri McKinney shrugged masculinely: "Why not?"

Upon arriving at the conference room, Annie McKinney called over a female employee to assist Wenwan with the preparations.

Kelvin Martin then chatted with Luo Yang about the current state of bike-sharing in China.

"I heard that your bicycles have been introduced to many universities in China?"

"Yes, Mr. Martin."

Luo Yang replied, "We've made plans not only in Shanghai, but also in cities like Guangzhou, Nanjing, Beijing, and Wuhan, which are home to many of the country's top universities. Besides collecting data and simulating market operations, we're also preparing to cultivate the younger generation's consumption habits regarding shared bicycles."

"It seems your next step is to leave the university and prepare to move into the city."

"We learned from Facebook's business strategies, and so far we've been quite successful."

Luo Yang smiled and said, "Hopefully they won't sue us for plagiarism."

"Hahaha"

Kelvin Martin laughed loudly: "There's no such thing as copying a business model. Restaurants are all pretty much the same; some make money, some close down. For us investment firms, it's all about success or failure."

"Boss, it's ready!"

Wen Wan then said to Luo Yang, "I prepared a bilingual (Chinese and English) version!"

Luo Yang nodded, then turned his chair to face the projection.

At Kelvin Martin's signal, the lights in the conference room dimmed, and the first slide of the PowerPoint presentation, written by Luo Yang and edited by Wen Wan, appeared. As is typical for project presentations, the first slide usually describes the project overview; if new concepts are involved, they might also be presented on the first slide.

However, in order to surprise and amaze IDG's senior management, the PPT boldly linked to a video on the first page.

The video begins with the sun rising above the horizon, then the view shifts from space to the ground, revealing the outline of a city. Within seconds, a burst of noise suddenly erupts from the quiet scene.

Scenes of city streets then appear, with countless figures jumping into view, starting their morning by scrambling for taxis, buses, and subways.

The video depicts busy figures.

A dozen seconds later, the camera zooms out, showing an aerial view of the city where every road is congested.

At this point, a number in the style of 08:10 appears in the upper right corner of the video, which, needless to say, represents 8:10 a.m.

As the time ticked from 08:10 to 08:11, everyone watching the video in the conference room suddenly felt a sense of urgency!

The camera then descends, showing countless people pouring out of subway cars, running from underground onto buses and taxis, and the constant honking of horns on the crowded roads intensifies the feeling of tension and irritability.

突然间，在右上角的数字08:12变成了08:12:29。

The numbers in the last column represent seconds, and the scrolling frequency suddenly increases.

The figures in the video started to change from brisk walking to jogging; there was a man in a suit carrying a briefcase and a woman in a business dress and high heels.
再接着，08:13:09式样的数字格式再次变化成08:13:10:55。

The numbers in the last column changed almost rapidly, further increasing the tension of the video content.

What follows is a series of familiar scenes: people running to work, squeezing into elevators, scattering coffee, and so on.

The time froze at 08:31:00:00.

The video frame froze at that moment.

Most people managed to clock in at the last second, but a few missed it and looked anxious.

The video wasn't over yet, and the numbers in the upper right corner started changing rapidly again, but this time it was going backwards!

Everything and everything in the world began to rewind, back to the point in time 08:12:29.

When a group of people ran out of the subway station, the people in the meeting room noticed something was wrong.

This time, the footage showed a long row of yellow, green, and red bicycles with front frames, each with its front wheel stuck in a series of knee-high metal posts.
This time, the video no longer showed hurried footsteps and anxious eyes. The office workers took out their phones and scanned a QR code on the metal post. A red light on the metal post turned green, and with a click, the bicycle was released.

Here, Luo Yang used virtual filming, which is not yet possible with current technology, but he requested to film it this way because of the need for promotional effects.

For this scene, he even specially found a professional filming team from Guobao Films.

Commuters riding bicycles no longer need to rush or be affected by traffic jams on one side of the road. They can cross the road and through alleys, arriving at the high-rise buildings where they work with lighthearted expressions.

The screen showed many empty metal posts. When the bicycle was repositioned, the phone scanned it again, and an illustration (a virtual payment screen) popped up on the video screen. After a series of actions, accompanied by a click, the bicycle was returned.

Once the men and women have successfully checked in, the time in the upper right corner of the video is still 08:22, slowly waiting for the next minute to arrive.
The camera zooms out again to the city skyline, showing countless bicycle parking spots like these.

Slowly, these dots began to converge into the air, accompanied by a soft female voice narrating in English, and then they coalesced into several lines of text.

Welcome to the era of the sharing economy.

We solve your last-mile problem in the most economical and environmentally friendly way.

Edifier Technology thanks you for watching!

Throughout the entire process, Luo Yang did not utter a single word.

Just as he was about to turn off the video and scroll down through the PPT slides to explain the concept of the sharing economy, thunderous applause suddenly erupted behind him.

Luo Yang turned around in surprise. He didn't know when, but everyone in the conference room had stood up and was clapping, led by Kelvin Martin and Anri McKinney. The doorway of the conference room was also crowded with people, and a large part of the applause came from them.

There was not only applause, but also whistles characteristic of the United States.

A video conveyed everything Luo Yang wanted to say, and a slogan explained the concept behind Edifier Technology's shared bicycles.

"Mr. Luo, is one hundred million enough?"

A sudden, loud voice rang out at the conference room door.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and the crowd parted at the doorway to reveal an elderly man with gray hair.

Kelvin Martin, Annie McKinney, and Cao Shuyu all stood up.

They all addressed the old man respectfully as "Mr. Cohen".

If I'm not mistaken, this is Vic Cohen, the president of IDG.

He was standing at the conference room door just now and watched the entire video.

Vic Cohen was shocked. This young man from China was truly amazing. The creativity expressed in the video was simply boundless, yet it resonated so deeply with Western ideas and touched their hearts.

High technology, environmental protection, green health, and profitable business model.
A short video perfectly showcases this young man's brilliant idea; the project is feasible and worth supporting.

So after watching the video, Vic Cohen immediately asked if 100 million was enough.

It was time to keep quiet. Luo Yang nodded slightly to Vic Cohen and said, "Mr. Cohen, my report is not finished yet. If you are interested, you can sit down and listen to me explain the concept of the sharing economy. I wonder if I have the honor."

After Sun Wei translated Luo Yang's words, Vic Cohen laughed heartily.

"Haha, I just happened to be passing by here, and it's lucky I was passing by!"

Vic Cohen stepped forward, shaking hands with Luo Yang as he said with a smile, "Otherwise, we would have missed this iconic moment!"

"You can do it later."

"No, no, no! Even being an hour late would be disrespectful to this brilliant idea!"

As he spoke, the old man turned to the young people standing at the door and asked, "Am I right?"

Whether it was out of respect for the CEO or out of genuine optimism about the project, applause and whistles rang out once again.

"Let your subordinates explain the rest. Now come to my office and have a cigar with me."

Vic Cohen smiled and extended an invitation to Luo Yang: "I can't wait to talk to you about the sharing economy."

Luo Yang, of course, would not refuse. He smiled and nodded, walking out side by side with Vic Cohen.

He originally envisioned a total investment of only 3000 to 5000 million US dollars for the cooperation.

Unexpectedly, Vic Cohen asked for 1 million, which was much better than expected.

Now perhaps I can tell you the story.

(End of this chapter)