Julian Chunxiao Zhu of Kailai Investments is keen to learn about India

The Managing Director of China-based Kailai Investments believes a successful startup is built on two things: people and the idea.

On my recent visit to China, it was an honour to meet Mr. Julian Chunxiao Zhu, MD at Kailai Investments, a private equity and venture capital fund that operates out of Los Angeles, Beijing and Shanghai. Mr. Zhu is an astute investor who has been backing companies across geographies for well over a decade.

During our meeting, he wanted to understand more about India. He is curious, observant, and an investor who sees opportunities that others might miss. What I found very interesting among the many things that we talked about is that he has also invested in a startup based out of Mongolia. That's right; he found a great opportunity in Mongolia, a country that we don't associate with startups (at least, not yet). I spoke to him about the different investments he makes, what gets him excited, and most importantly, whether he was looking to invest in the Indian market.

"I’ve always wanted to know more about India and do investments in India, so thank you for giving me the knowledge and information about basic things. I think I still have a lot to learn, and I am preparing to invest in India. Right now, I am collecting information and understanding what kind of opportunities are available. Hope we find something from your network, learn from each other, and try to do something together,” Mr. Zhu says.

When I ask him about the winning trait he sees in investments that have done well, he replies, “It always is about the people. The entrepreneur should have the determination to achieve a great idea, and then, that idea has to be a great idea. It's one plus one, people plus idea.”

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