University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Young Chinese entrepreneurs

(USC Thesis Other)

Young Chinese entrepreneurs

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content

Young
Chinese
Entrepreneurs

By
Xueqiao
Ma

2

Table of Contents
Young Chinese Entrepreneurs ........................................................................... 1
A Story of two Chinese entrepreneurs ...................................................................... 2
Tianyi Zhong and his Chopopfoods .......................................................................... 4

3

ChiNext is an important component of China’s multi-tier capital market system,
which offers a new capital platform tailor-made for the needs of enterprises
engaged in independent innovation and other growing venture enterprises.
ChiNext Pioneers represent those entrepreneurs who are trying to start or
operate their own businesses in US.

Tianyi Zhong is one of those pioneers who are trying to start their own
businesses. After getting his master degree in Information Technology and
Services from USC, he and his girlfriend, Yi He opened a Chinese fast food
delivery company, Chopopfoods.

“I always want to start my own business...I don’t like the food around our
campus…so I think if I have chance to cook I would make it more delicious and
healthy…Then I talked to my girlfriend and she supported my idea…Actually
USC has a lot of Chinese students,” said Zhong.

After deep conversations with their parents, they decided to start their new
business with the money, 50,000 dollars, supported by their parents.

As the largest segment of enrolled international population, USC has 2,515
Chinese students, which ranks NO.1 in US universities, according to annual
Open Doors report by the Institute of International Education.

In September, after eight-month preparations, Zhong finally signed a contract
with a professional catering kitchen in downtown area, Los Angeles and officially
started his business in October.

They set up a website and an app, which both could search their menus and
order meals online. After the first month, they built connections with some
returned customers and their friends. On Chinese twitter, Weibo, they launched
special order promotions for attracting customers and got much more followers
than before. However, the booming market didn’t bring them more orders.

“…Eight to nine dollars for a combo is actually cheap for lunch…we plan to have
30-50 orders every day after the first month, but it’s much harder than we
imagined…the truth is that we only have less than 15 orders every day…under
our expectations,” said Zhong.

In December, China News, one of the largest Chinese news agencies, reported
their story on Chinese websites. They were getting popular on Chinese Internet
and even attracted Chinese investors who are in US.

“ The investor told me that he could invest around one million dollars…we met
once in bay area before…it’s just unbelievable...We are going to meet again
after New Year,” said Zhong.

4

In Las Vegas, Zhong and his girlfriend met their investor Mr. Xi. After two-day
negotiations, 10,000 dollars would be put at the beginning stage for new
products research such as fresh fruit juice and marketing plans, which means
they have to change their original business model.

“ With the money we can hire more people to help us with market research and
other stuff…but it’s getting a little bit different with our original goal… we are still
thinking over the whole business plan,” said Zhong.

More than 200 million businesses are started in US every year, according to a
study released today by the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy,
nearly 20 percent of immigrant-owned businesses started $50,000 or more in
satrtup capital, compared to 15.9 percent for non-immigrant-owned business.

Zhong has entirely stopped his food delivery since February. They might need
more time to adjust their dream and try to find a way to achieve it in the real
world. They still have a long way to go.

**Here is the website link of ChiNext Pioneers:
http://www.chinextpioneers.com/

5

Bibliography
u Page Title: California Government Department of Finance--State Census Data Center
Website address:
http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/state_census_data_center

u Page Title:
The U.S. Small Business Administration

Website address:
http://www.sba.gov/about-
sba/sba_performance/open_government/foia/sba_foia_annual_reports
u Page Title: Foreign-born Entrepreneurs: An Underestimated American Resource
Website address:
http://www.kauffman.org/what-we-do/articles/2008/11/foreignborn-
entrepreneurs-an-underestimated-american-resource
u Page Title: International Students Data in US
Website address:
http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors/Data/International-
Students

Abstract (if available)

Abstract ChiNext is an important component of China’s multi‐tier capital market system, which offers a new capital platform tailor‐made for the needs of enterprises engaged in independent innovation and other growing venture enterprises. ChiNext Pioneers represent those entrepreneurs who are trying to start or operate their own businesses in US.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

Dance in the Diaspora

PDF

PowerBurst: the rise and fall of the first competitor with Gatorade

PDF

Frame by frame: a documentary on the preservation of film

PDF

AB 327—a look at renewable energy in Los Angeles County, California

PDF

Life on display

PDF

Trauma in the field: a reporter's view

PDF

Foraging: the life of wild food hunters

PDF

California horsemen

PDF

Shifted perspective: creative first person journalism across media

PDF

Traditional media, social media or word-of-mouth? Examining the information sources that influence Chinese students' decision-making processes when applying to U.S. graduate schools

PDF

Lori Dinkin: reflections over 100 years

PDF

Social media best practices for Hollywood films and their applications in China

PDF

How Brand USA will reach its fastest-growing international market - China: Brand USA Chinese strategic public relations plan

PDF

Chinese folk dance performances in the United States: opportunities and challenges faced by PR professionals

PDF

Within and without bounds: media and the journalist in the fiction of Chinese writer Sun Haoyuan

PDF

Nostalgia: more than just the flavor of the week: a critical look at the movement of nostalgic food from "trend" to "mainstream"

PDF

Learning to fall

PDF

Capital allocation to Black female technology entrepreneurs

PDF

The equality paradox for women ministers of The Salvation Army

PDF

Sages & seekers

Asset Metadata

Creator Ma, Xueqiao (author)

Core Title Young Chinese entrepreneurs

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Journalism

Publication Date 05/01/2014

Defense Date 04/01/2014

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Chinese,entrepreneurs,Food,international students,OAI-PMH Harvest,young Chinese generation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Birman, Daniel H. (committee chair), Hollihan, Thomas (committee member), Muller, Judy (committee member)

Creator Email ericamaxueqiao@gmail.com,xueqiaom@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-409458

Unique identifier UC11297132

Identifier etd-MaXueqiao-2480.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-409458 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-MaXueqiao-2480-0.pdf

Dmrecord 409458

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Ma, Xueqiao

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA