Women entrepreneurs in Shenzhen

Someone once asked Jack Ma a very interesting question, "Do you want to be a man or a woman in your next life?" This Chinese Internet billionaire executive chairman of Alibaba Group answered that he'd like to be a woman who runs two good companies instead of a big one — men maximize their business while women optimize theirs.

Here in Shenzhen, the city of entrepreneurs, stories of women setting up their own businesses are told every day.

Peng Xin: remember my tea, and my bread as well

Having 21 direct-sale stores at 21 Class-A shopping centers, Nesno opened its first store in 2015, and its next two in the same month that year. In 2016, Nesno raised its A-round financing from Tiantu Capital.

The founder behind this overnight trendy brand is Peng Xin. Like many other girls, she dreamed about having her own bakery even when she was only an office worker five years ago. Then she met Zhao Lin, who had 16 years of experience in the catering industry. 

Zhao Lin(L) is responsible for store operation and external development while Peng Xin(R) does product development and market promotion. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

They clicked right away. "As a couple, the last thing we do before going to bed every night is to discuss Nesno," said Peng, "even when we get up, the first thing we say must be 'I just had this dream that might be a good idea for Nesno'."

Featuring both tea and bread is a pioneering move in Shenzhen and even perhaps in the whole country. "Remember my tea, and my bread as well," Peng sticks to her concepts and is determined to achieve perfection in applying the basic principle of being different than the competition.

Unlike Starbucks, Nesno uses relatively tall and slim cups which fit Asian women’s hands. Now lots of local brands are imitating them. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Dai Lu: invest in female economic fields

"In the investment circle, female investors are extremely rare compared to the male. But when it comes to projects related to women, male investors don't necessarily understand that deeply, which leaves us female investors some really good chances," Said Dai Lu, the founder of Redshow Capital as she explained her intention in setting up her own business.

Founded in 2015, Redshow Capital is the first investment institution in Shenzhen focusing on female economy. It is also a rising star of the venture capital circle.

Dai Lu, the founder of Redshow Capital. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Dai believes that women of different age have different corresponding roles to play: a girl, a mother, and then a grandmother. Different needs come within different life stages — once that is understood, the consumption potential in every woman is infinite. In response to the different needs of women as they go through life, the investment direction of Redshow Capital faces medical health, consumption upgrading, TMT (Telecommunication, Media and Technology), intelligent hardware and education.

Dai came to Shenzhen in 1997. She spent her first two jobs dealing with money and then entered an investment firm as a fund director. That's when she gained exposure to entrepreneurship projects.

Believing that investment requires intuition, Dai feels that women are naturally superior to men in their intuitive judgments. Redshow Capital has invested in nearly ten projects since its opening, 80 percent of which are related to female consumption.