Rumor: Groupon in China to be Acquired by FTuan, Sold Out by Its Joint-Venture Partner

Groupon’s (NASDAQ:GRPN) daily deals site for China, Gaopeng, which is run as a joint-venture with Tencent (HKG:0700), looks like it is a pawn in the upcoming restructuring of Tencent’s group buy operations. New rumors say an internal email from Gaopeng has told staffers that Tencent’s deals site, QQTuan, will stop being an aggregator and instead feature only offerings from Gaopeng and its outsourcing partner FTuan. Further to that, a Gaopeng executive is believed to have said that the Groupon subsidiary will be acquired by FTuan, with an assist from Tencent selling its stake in the joint-venture.

Clearly, there’s a possible contradiction in those whisperings floating around the Chinese e-commerce industry – if Gaopeng is made extinct by Tencent divesting itself of its share and then it’s acquired by FTuan, then the first rumor doesn’t make sense. But Gaopeng might continue to operate under FTuan ownership.

Note that Gaopeng is a very minor player in China’s deals industry. When we looked at market share stats for January, we saw that Groupon’s venture had slipped to 14th position, losing half of its already small market share since last August (from 4.2 to 2.1 percent). Tencent’s outsourcing partner, FTuan, which runs all the deals on the QQTuan site, was in 7th place.

Marbridge Daily summarized the situation by writing:

An industry source told Sohu IT that Tencent will trade its stake in Gaopeng to FTuan in exchange for a share in FTuan of equivalent value, based on Gaopeng’s current valuation. Tencent and Gaopeng have also reached an agreement under which Gaopeng will become an investor, and will be replaced by FTuan in the control and operation of the company.

These stories have been rumbling on for weeks, but if it’s true that Gaopeng staff have been informed orally by executives that an acquisition is imminent, then we might finally see an official conclusion to this – and see if Groupon/Gaopeng as a brand will even survive in China.

On a related note, Gaopeng’s CEO, Yang Chengjian, submitted his resignation to the board last week, citing personal reasons. The leadership role is passed to Gao Xia.

[Sources: Marbridge Daily 1 and 2]

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Learning English becomes easier than ever – Thanks to EnglishLeap

“I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English…because English is very funny language. Bhairon becomes barren and barren becomes Bhairon because their minds are very narrow,” was one of Amitabh Bachchan’s famous dialogues in the movie Namak Halal. Though it is considered to be one of the funniest dialogues in the history of Indian cinema it brings out a very imperative avowal. You need to know English to go places. And knowing it is not enough. You need to be fluent in the language. And that is exactly what EnglishLeap.com is trying to do.

The conception of the idea lies in the fact that that lack of fluency in spoken English prevents millions of Indians from progressing in their careers and realizing their potential. The existing English improvements alternatives like the traditional classroom coaching institutes or books and CD’s are either unaffordable or ineffective. The founders Apar Sureka and Saurabh Chopra, both IIM graduates wanted to change this and formulated the idea of EnglishLeap. Today they have students from all across the country. 40 per cent of their students are from metros in India, 45 per cent from the non-metros and 15 per cent are international learners mainly from the Middle East.

Conceptualized in May 2011 and launched in November the same year, EnglishLeap teaches English in three learning layers. The first layer is the self-learning course which the user can use to practise spoken English with the computer. The user can take part in simulated conversation, record his voice and compare his recording with an expert. The second layer is teacher led classes. Users can login to Englishleap.com and join virtual classes. These classes are designed to give maximum spoken English practice to the learners. The third layer is social learning where the learners can talk to other English learners to get additional speaking practice. And there are 2 plans that the user can choose from – free users have access to a grammar improvement course and self-practice exercises. Paid users get access to the complete self-learning course, 12 teacher led grammar classes and unlimited conversation classes.

We had a small chit chat with the founders on their brainchild (EL) and this is what they had to say about it. Read on.

Q. How is EnglishLeap a superior alternative to traditional methods of English teaching?

EL - We offer a customized learning approach. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. The user can take a series of assessments, understand his improvement areas and work towards improving them. We solve a big problem in smaller towns as they do not have access to quality English improvement institutes though there is a huge desire to improve English in these areas. We have students from places like Jhalawar (Rajashtan), Raipur (Chattisgarh), Bulandshahr (UP), Malerkotla (Punjab), Sirsa (Haryana) etc who are happy to have found a great mechanism to improve their English.

The convenience of learning English from the comfort of the house is also a huge factor for our students. Besides the trouble of going to an institute, there is also a social stigma attached to be seen as enrolled in an English improvement class. Lastly, our solution is less than half the price of an average English improvement institute. In fact, the students get more ‘talk time’ despite the low cost. We can keep our prices low as we do not have to pay the exorbitant retail rents which raise the operating costs for the classroom coaching institutes.

Q – You told us about how one can learn the language through your website. But more often than not it takes time to learn. What does EnglishLeap have to offer their students who are not able to learn the language in 30 days? Do they need to repeat the course or is there an advanced course for such candidates?

EL – The model is based on a monthly subscription plans. Most students renew after their first month. There are students who have paid in advance for 6 months after being delighted in their first month with EnglishLeap. Also the classes are held across the day so the user can join in at any convenient time. Users have access to the self-learning course 24*7. EnglishLeap recommends its students to spend one hour every day learning English.

Q – How do you generate revenue from the model? Also how are you marketing the concept?

EL – The revenue model is based on a monthly subscription model at Rs. 800 per month. We are getting about 2500 visitors every day organically through online search. We have also done some online advertising to target English learners.

Q – What has been the traction so far?

EL – There has been a steady increase in the number of visitors, paid users and renewals over the last four months. Even though language learning on the internet is a new concept in India, we are very happy with the fact that people are embracing this concept and are realizing value in learning on the internet.

Q – Where do we see EnglishLeap in the next few years?

EL – We aspire to be the world’s largest community of English language learners. We aim to touch the lives of millions of students and enable them to speak English fluently.

It seems a great concept for English language learners. Try it out and lend us a feedback.

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Essential Apps for Travel in China

Today is May 1, a national holiday in China, and everyone is out and about, seeing the sights and traveling to new places. But getting around new places is much easier with the help of mobile apps, and helpfully, Sina Tech has put together a collection of the best apps for traveling around China. Are you planning a China trip soon? If so, start downloading!

Food

What good is taking a trip if you aren’t eating the best food along the way?

• 大众点评 – A mobile app that lets users check the Dianping reviews for local restaurants. (Free, iPhone/Android).
• 布丁优惠 – This app helps users find local deals and coupons to save money on local eats. (Free, iPhone/Android).
• 美食地图 – This app uses your current position to show you a map of all the delicious food options in your area. (Free, iPhone).
• 美食日记 – Another app that shows you local restaurants based on your position and helps coordinate eating with friends. (Free, iPhone/Android).

Weather

It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling to the prettiest place on earth if it’s going to be raining through your whole vacation. Check up on the weather in China (and elsewhere) with these apps:

• 天气通 – Check the weather in tons of different locations across China, anywhere you could possibly want to go. (Free, iPhone/Android).
• 旅游景点天气 – Check the weather at specific tourist sites nationwide. (Free, iPhone).
• 雨伞 – A simple weather app that gives you the forecast all pretty-like. (12 RMB, iPhone).
• 天气监测 – Sadly necessary in China, this app lets you check up on the pollution levels at your destinations of choice. (Free, iPhone).

Lodgings

Is one of those weather apps predicting rain? Make sure you’ve got a roof over your head — and maybe a complimentary breakfast — with these apps.

• 酒店达人 – Hotel finder helps you find hotels (click the link to read our review of this app). (Free, iPhone/Android).
• 快捷酒店管家 – A good app for making reservations at local chain hotels like RuJia and 7 Days. (Free, iPhone, Android).
• Booking.com – Book rooms and browse images of different hotels to make your selection. (Free, iPhone).

Transportation

Getting there and back can be a big part of the fun of travel, or it can be a huge hassle. Use these apps to help you aim for the latter.

• 去哪儿 – Buy plane tickets at a discount with Qunar’s mobile app. (Free, iPhone/Android).
• 租租车 – Rent a car at a good price no matter where you are. (Free, iPhone/Android).
• 高德地图 – Browse 3D maps even when offline to ensure you don’t get lost walking around a strange city. (Free, iPhone/Android).
• 航班管家 – Buy low-price plane tickets with this app, plus use it to check the status of your flight. (Free, iPhone/Android).

Touring

Once you’ve gotten where you’re going, booked a hotel, and eaten some food, you’re going to want to get out and see the sights. But what should you see? These apps can help.

• 朋游风景 – This app uses your location to show you nearby tourist sites, with better coverage of China than any other app. (Free, iPhone/Androind).
• Fotopedia – Read introductions and look at pictures from famous tourist spots all over the world with this app. (Free, iPhone).
• TouchChina系列 – The TouchChina series has apps for major tourist sites around China. (Free, iPhone).
• 百度旅游 – Use your location to see local tourist hotspots and check guidebook entries. (Free, iPhone/Android).

Showing Off

What’s the point of a vacation if you can’t bombard your friends with photos and status updates?

• 新浪微博 – If you’re looking to show off to your friends in China, Sina Weibo is sort of a no-brainer. (Free, iPhone/Android).
• Instagram – For when your photos don’t look like they were taken by a cheap camera in the 1970s. (Free, iPhone, Android).
• Camera360 – Another app for tarting up your photos with various special effects. (Free, iPhone/Android).
• 街旁 – Wherever you’re at, show off to your friends by checking in there with Jiepang. (Free, iPhone/Android).

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There you have it. Don’t leave home without these essential travel apps.

[via Sina Tech]

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China and India Have Most Mobile Subscribers, But Account for Lower Proportion of Global Revenue [Report]

Japan is second in global mobile revenue, despite not having nearly the amount of subscribers as China or India

Mobile market analyst extraordinaire Chetan Sharma has just published his annual State of the Global Mobile Industry report, and it has a number of important insights and observations regarding China, India, and other Asian nations.

His presentation is exhaustive, with a total of 87 slides which you can browse in full below. But here’s a short round-up of some of the more notable points pertaining to Asia:

• China won the race to a billion mobile users over India. This is interesting, as Sharma pointed out in his last report that India was poised to overtake China. Looking back he says that corruption dragged down growth for India. Also of note is Russia in fourth, and Indonesia in sixth in overall subscriptions (slide 28).
• While China and India collectively account for 37 percent of the global population, they account for a marginally lower proportion – 27 percent – of the world’s mobile subscriptions. But what’s really remarkable is that these subscribers only account for 12 percent of the global mobile revenue (slide 29).
• In contrast, the US still leads in data revenue, followed by Japan (whose carriers Softbank, Docomo, and Au are among the highest ARPU in the world) and China. Korea is listed in the sixth position (slide 23).
• In terms of total revenue the US leads, with Japan ranked second, and China third (slide 23).

The full presentation is below if you’d like to read it in full. Chetan Sharma’s website is here, and for anyone with an interest in the global mobile market, it’s a must-add for your reading list.

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Japan’s GREE Partners with Social Game Developers CrowdStar and iWin

Japanese mobile social gaming giant GREE (TYO:3632) has announced partnerships with a pair of prominent social game developers, in CrowdStar and iWin.

According to the announcement, the partnership with CrowdStar will bring the popular Top Girl franchise to the GREE platform. As we’ve mentioned before, GREE will be exhibiting at the E3 game conference this June, and it will be there that the company unveils Top Girl for the first time. That title, when it launched for iOS last year, hit a million downloads in just ten days. CrowdStar’s CEO Peter Relan noted the importance of coming to a strong global platform like GREE:

GREE and Crowdstar share the same idea that without social connections and a way for people to discover and interact in and around games, the industry will stall.

As for iWin, a successful online developer and operator of a casual gaming portal, it will be bringing two mobile social games based on popular TV shows exclusively to the GREE platform, in Deal or No Deal and 1 vs 100. CJ Wolf, the VP of publishing at iWin commented on the partnership:

As casual gamers’ play time shifts to mobile devices, iWin’s goal is to make our content accessible where gamers are playing. Our game show games are inherently social so iWin was seeking a partner that could provide a large social footprint on mobile and GREE was the best choice given their global community.

GREE is gradually expanding its games offering for the North American market, having recently launched the titles Zombie Jombie and Alien Family. Similarly, its chief rival DeNA is also making efforts to expand abroad, and recently announced some success with Rise of Bahamut hitting number one on the top grossing apps list for Android.

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Visit your favorite Singapore startups on 11 May

Entrepreneurs, designers, tech- / start-up enthusiasts or not , you are all welcome to participate in Walkabout Singapore, an island-wide open house event for start-ups on 11 May 2012. – Basically, everyone is invited!

Close to 70 of Singapore’s hottest tech start-ups will be opening their workspaces for all to visit. Check out and meet the team behind your favorite tech start-ups, see what they are working on and get connected! This is the best time to get to meet up with the people powering Singapore’s tech scene and get a glimpse of the entrepreneurial culture in Singapore. This definitely one not-to-be-missed event!

I recently did an interview with one of the organisers behind the movement, Kristine Lauria on the event. Here’s what I managed to dig up:

“We want to highlight the amazing technology scene and the growing entrepreneurial culture in Singapore.  The goal is simple – to put Singapore’s vibrant tech scene on the map and to inspire and support each other.”
- Kristine Lauria , organiser of Walkabout Singapore

Why YOU should attend!

Walkabout NYC (Photo: Walkabout Singapore)

There are dozens of reasons to attend even if it’s just as simple as to see what it’s really like to work at a tech company. Walkabout is a great chance to meet the teams that build products and services that you use everyday. It’s an opportunity to see who is hiring, learn about their company culture is like and see how you might fit it.  It’s a time to explore new ways of doing business and get inspired by the immense amount of talent in Singapore.

For the companies, Walkabout is an opportunity to meet new people who would find their story, culture, and product interesting. It’s a way to get talented individuals interested in working at your company and in Singapore. It’s a chance to meet the neighbors and join the community.

When asked if  the team has any future community movement if Walkabout SG turns out to be a great success

In Kristine’s words, “Hell yes!”

This is not a one-off event! More events are in the pipeline.

Singapore is the place to be for tech! This year they are planning Beer and Peer nights where folks meet for happy hour to talk about new ideas, network with smart people and get great advice on forming a start up. Super Happy Dev House, an all night hackaton, is in the works for a Spring 2012 event. Most exciting, Kris and Vinnie are in discussions to bring The Fail Con to Singapore.

They are also planning to attend the Red dot Ruby Conf – a conference for programmers that is taking place on May 18th – 19th 2012.

The team behind Walkabout Singapore

Walkabout started in NYC in 2009. Danny Wen and Shawn Liu, the founders of Harvest, wanted to throw an event to highlight the amazing things that were being done in the NYC tech scene and inspire others to join them. WalkaboutNYC was born.

The Walkabout Singapore team from left to right: Karen, Kristine, Vinnie and Alex. (Photo: Walkabout Singapore)

In 2011 Vinnie and Kristine Lauria left Silicon Valley to backpack around Asia for a year. As soon as they landed in Singapore it was clear from the vibrant hacker community and excitement around the startup scene that this is the nexus of tech in Asia.

Alex Vayl manages Voxel.net, a company that participated in the NYC walkabout.  Alex was inspired by the success of WalkNYC — the amazing offices, the enthusiasm of the participants and the increased camaraderie in the NYC tech scene.  He wanted to throw the same free, community-building event in Singapore. Karen Tan, a Sales Account Executive at Voxel, knew how to translate the awesomeness that happened in NYC and make it fit a Singaporean audience.

Together Alex, Karen, Kristine and Vinnie have worked hard to make WalkaboutSG a reality. Big thanks to Microsoft, Infocomm, Voxel.net, and 01 Innovations Pte Ltd for sponsoring the event!

Walkabout Singapore

Date: 11 May 2012 (Friday)

Time: 12pm- 6pm. Stay tune to the www.walkaboutsg.com for up-to-date information on visiting period (varies with offices)

Location: Everywhere in Singapore. Check out the map that Walkabout Singapore has plotted.

Price: FREE

Download the Walkabout Singapore flyer here.

e27 is also one of the participating companies. Do drop by to say Hi!

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Visit your favorite Singapore startups on 11 May

Entrepreneurs, designers, tech- / start-up enthusiasts or not , you are all welcome to participate in Walkabout Singapore, an island-wide open house event for start-ups on 11 May 2012. – Basically, everyone is invited!

Close to 70 of Singapore’s hottest tech start-ups will be opening their workspaces for all to visit. Check out and meet the team behind your favorite tech start-ups, see what they are working on and get connected! This is the best time to get to meet up with the people powering Singapore’s tech scene and get a glimpse of the entrepreneurial culture in Singapore. This definitely one not-to-be-missed event!

I recently did an interview with one of the organisers behind the movement, Kristine Lauria on the event. Here’s what I managed to dig up:

“We want to highlight the amazing technology scene and the growing entrepreneurial culture in Singapore.  The goal is simple – to put Singapore’s vibrant tech scene on the map and to inspire and support each other.”
- Kristine Lauria , organiser of Walkabout Singapore

Why YOU should attend!

Walkabout NYC (Photo: Walkabout Singapore)

There are dozens of reasons to attend even if it’s just as simple as to see what it’s really like to work at a tech company. Walkabout is a great chance to meet the teams that build products and services that you use everyday. It’s an opportunity to see who is hiring, learn about their company culture is like and see how you might fit it.  It’s a time to explore new ways of doing business and get inspired by the immense amount of talent in Singapore.

For the companies, Walkabout is an opportunity to meet new people who would find their story, culture, and product interesting. It’s a way to get talented individuals interested in working at your company and in Singapore. It’s a chance to meet the neighbors and join the community.

When asked if  the team has any future community movement if Walkabout SG turns out to be a great success

In Kristine’s words, “Hell yes!”

This is not a one-off event! More events are in the pipeline.

Singapore is the place to be for tech! This year they are planning Beer and Peer nights where folks meet for happy hour to talk about new ideas, network with smart people and get great advice on forming a start up. Super Happy Dev House, an all night hackaton, is in the works for a Spring 2012 event. Most exciting, Kris and Vinnie are in discussions to bring The Fail Con to Singapore.

They are also planning to attend the Red dot Ruby Conf – a conference for programmers that is taking place on May 18th – 19th 2012.

The team behind Walkabout Singapore

Walkabout started in NYC in 2009. Danny Wen and Shawn Liu, the founders of Harvest, wanted to throw an event to highlight the amazing things that were being done in the NYC tech scene and inspire others to join them. WalkaboutNYC was born.

The Walkabout Singapore team from left to right: Karen, Kristine, Vinnie and Alex. (Photo: Walkabout Singapore)

In 2011 Vinnie and Kristine Lauria left Silicon Valley to backpack around Asia for a year. As soon as they landed in Singapore it was clear from the vibrant hacker community and excitement around the startup scene that this is the nexus of tech in Asia.

Alex Vayl manages Voxel.net, a company that participated in the NYC walkabout.  Alex was inspired by the success of WalkNYC — the amazing offices, the enthusiasm of the participants and the increased camaraderie in the NYC tech scene.  He wanted to throw the same free, community-building event in Singapore. Karen Tan, a Sales Account Executive at Voxel, knew how to translate the awesomeness that happened in NYC and make it fit a Singaporean audience.

Together Alex, Karen, Kristine and Vinnie have worked hard to make WalkaboutSG a reality. Big thanks to Microsoft, Infocomm, Voxel.net, and 01 Innovations Pte Ltd for sponsoring the event!

Walkabout Singapore

Date: 11 May 2012 (Friday)

Time: 12pm- 6pm. Stay tune to the www.walkaboutsg.com for up-to-date information on visiting period (varies with offices)

Location: Everywhere in Singapore. Check out the map that Walkabout Singapore has plotted.

Price: FREE

Download the Walkabout Singapore flyer here.

e27 is also one of the participating companies. Do drop by to say Hi!

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Mobile P2P commerce platform, ShopSpot, seals investment deal ahead of Bootcamp Demo Day

Photo: Propwise.sg

Tipped off by CEO of JFDI.Asia, Hugh Mason: Thai startup, Shopspot is the second incubatee of JFDI-Innov8 2012 Boothcamp to snag away an investment deal of undisclosed amount before its Demo Day on 4 May 2012.

The investors are a group of angels and business entrepreneurs in Thailand led by Kris Nalamlieng, Founder and Managing Director of 2:Spot Communications Company Limited. With regards to the investing ShopSpot, Kris comments:

“Our group is really impressed by Natsakon and his team for their creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and their ability to convert conceptual ideas into applications quickly. We hope that our support will encourage more youths from Thailand to work with JFDI in the future.”

The ShopSpot team with Hugh Mason and Meng Wong. (Photo: JFDI.Asia)

As to how this new funding will be utilized to spearhead ShopSpot’s plans for the future, here’s what CEO & Co-founder of ShopSpot Pte Ltd, Natsakon Kiatsuraron have to say:

“The cash element of this investment will allow us to focus on shaping the great user experience that will make ShopSpot a leading force in mobile commerce worldwide. But this investment is about more than cash. Our ambition is to do for mobile commerce what Instagram has done for photo sharing and what Twitter did with micro-blogging. We’re at the start of a long journey and we know that the experience, contacts and advice that our new investors can bring will be invaluable.”

Like a proud father of his son’s achievement, the CEO & Co-founder of JFDI.Asia, Hugh Mason made the following comments on ShopSpot’s progress thus far ,

“ShopSpot is one of the most focused startup teams we have encountered in South East Asia. The rigour with which they have followed the Lean Startup Methodology at the heart of the JFDI bootcamp program has really paid dividends. They de-risked their proposition to investors, proving that they have a product that fits a large market need. This investment validates both ShopSpot and the method that produced it. We believe that this company will continue to attract investor interest, long into the future.”

ShopSpot has come a long way since forming its team and emerging as the runner up of Startup Weekend Bangkok 2011. The decision to leave Thailand for a 100-day intensive accelerator program, JFDi-Asia 2012 Bootcamp is finally paying off. Currently with over 1,500 app downloads, hundreds of items listed for sale and real transactions taking place every hour, ShopSpot is rapidly taking foothold in the Singapore and Thailand market with the mCommerce marketplace.

As the team preps up and counts down to Demo Day (only 3 more days to go!), a pitching session with an audience of over 100 accredited  international investors, we wish them the best of luck!

The ShopSpot team. (Photo: JFDI.Asia)

About ShopSpot

ShopSpot is a mobile phone app that makes buying and selling items as easy as sending a tweet. Users simply snap a picture, tag the item they want to sell and post it on the ShopSpot marketplace. Great design, the convenience of mobile and geolocation reduce the time taken to sell something from half an hour to half a minute.

e27 recently interviewed CEO & Co-founder, Natsakon. (Read full article)

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