Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2485 This World Changes Fast (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

In Silicon Valley.

Tens of thousands of young people live here. They come from all over the country and even from all over the world, hoping to achieve success in their careers through their intelligence and talent.

They lived in all sorts of apartments, and these cheap apartments formed the basis of their business. Nearby were numerous restaurants offering simple yet very inexpensive food.

This also relieves these young people from worrying about food and lodging.

Every evening, these restaurants are always filled with young people like this.

They enjoyed a simple dinner at the restaurant while discussing their products.

Occasionally, some people would greet each other. But most of the time, they were focused on the food or their own products, rather than anything else.

"This is Silicon Valley."

Sitting at an outdoor table in the coffee shop, Li Jiachen looked at the young people and said to his partner beside him:
"This is the most dynamic place in the world—and the heart of the world's electronics industry."

At this time, although he had long been involved in the real estate industry, he was far from as successful as in the other world. Even though his Cheung Kong Holdings had been listed on the stock exchange a few years ago, in the real estate industry, his strength was neither as good as those old-established real estate developers of the past nor as good as Wing On.

For Hong Kong's real estate industry, Wing On was a game-changer. He completely altered the rules of the Hong Kong property market.

In the past few years, Wing On not only launched houses without shared areas, but also stopped pre-sales. All of this has had a severe impact on the Hong Kong Island real estate industry. Many small developers have not even been able to survive. After all, Wing On is just being itself. In the past, the Hong Kong Island real estate industry could still have the phenomenon of bad money driving out good, but this was based on the premise that bad money had more capital.

But what about Yong'an?
Its capital far exceeds that of companies on Hong Kong Island.

This is why Hong Kong Island property developers have a love-hate relationship with it, or rather, they have no love for it at all.

But they could only smile wryly, after all, Yong'an and the people behind Yong'an were people they couldn't afford to offend; they were at most just a group of rich people.

However, their money is limited to Hong Kong Island, while Wing On is an international consortium from SEA. Under these circumstances, the real estate industry on Hong Kong Island is becoming increasingly unprofitable.

Like a chicken rib, although the profits are still considerable, they are no longer the exorbitant profits of the past, which forces many real estate developers to consider transformation.

Li Jiachen is in the same boat. His visit to SEA this time is to consider transformation. It's not because he doesn't want to continue in the real estate industry, but because he knows that with Wing On involved in the real estate industry, it is simply impossible for Cheung Kong Holdings to obtain the same extremely high profits in the real estate industry as in the past.

After a long and winding journey, Li Jiachen finally arrived in Yongning.

We arrived in Silicon Valley.

Sometimes, a person's fate is truly amazing. It is often influenced by many external factors without their knowledge, leading to fundamental changes.

Those involved are completely unaware of this, just like Li Jiachen, who had no idea that, in a way, his luck had also been stolen away.

That's why he came here to look for new opportunities.

“There are many startups here that need investment, and a successful investment can bring unimaginable returns to investors.”

As Li Jiachen finished speaking, Zhou Kaixuan, who was sitting opposite him, said something.

"Indeed, I feel that there have been many investment miracles in Silicon Valley over the years, where investors can obtain returns of hundreds or even thousands of times in just a few years."

As his partner, Zhou Kaixuan has always paid close attention to the investment field. He even mentioned some famous investments in Silicon Valley a few years ago in great detail.

Without exception, those investments yielded returns of hundreds of times or even more.

"Yes, compared to investing in real estate, the returns on venture capital here are much higher. After all, real estate profits are limited, but here..."

Li Jiachen looked around, as if searching for something.

"As long as you find the right project, you can potentially get hundreds or even thousands of times the return. Such a rate of return is unattainable for any living being."

"That's true, boss."

Zhou Kaixuan nodded, and then said:

"However, this is SEA, which is completely different from Hong Kong Island. Their financial industry is extremely developed, only slightly inferior to the United States in terms of the whole world. There are not only many investment companies here, but also national-level venture capital funds."

Turning his gaze away from the distance, Li Jiachen asked:
Are you referring to the growth ladder?

Zhou Kaixuan nodded.

"Yes, it's a ladder to growth."

Over the years, the Growth Ladder Fund and the companies it has helped have become success stories studied by countries around the world. Its support for young entrepreneurs is undeniable, and it's not limited to investments in Silicon Valley; in fact, over half of the small and micro-sized enterprises founded in the SEA (Self-Employment and Investment Center) have benefited from the Growth Ladder Fund's investments.

The success of those small and micro-sized enterprises has not only brought extremely high returns to the growth ladder fund, but has also provided tens of millions of jobs.

Meanwhile, the growth ladder fund model has also attracted worldwide attention. As the world's largest venture capital fund, its returns are extremely high, but what is even more noteworthy is that its purpose is not just to make money, but to help people here start their own businesses.

"The threshold for funding provided by the Growth Ladder Fund is very low. Basically, as long as you are a member of SEA and your project is feasible, you can get venture capital from the foundation. If we were to invest here, Growth Ladder would be our biggest competitor."

In fact, when Zhou Kaixuan talked about his competitors, he completely overestimated himself. Their total capital is worlds apart.

It's like a baby telling a giant, "We are competitors."

How could a giant possibly pay attention to the baby's ramblings?

“You’re right. As long as they are from SEA and have the desire and idea to start a business, they can get help from the foundation. This is a very good way, and it is precisely because of this that SEA’s economy is far more dynamic than that of its European and American countries.”

While expressing his agreement, Li Jiachen added:

"But look at Silicon Valley..."

He pointed to the passersby and said:
“In Silicon Valley, there are not only local young people, but also many young people from other countries. They obviously cannot get the help of growth funds as easily as the SEEA people. After all, the purpose of the growth ladder is to help SEEA people start businesses, which has made them ignore foreigners who are paying attention to this place to some extent.”

Li Jiachen picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and then said:

“But 15% of young people in Silicon Valley come from all over the world, and these people also need venture capital. However, they are hard to get the attention of the growing class.”

"Boss, it's not a matter of neglecting them."

Zhou Kaixuan shook his head and said:

"To a large extent, this is exactly what they did on purpose, boss. According to the investment principles of the Growth Ladder Fund, if a local resident owns 50% of the shares, the company is considered a local startup eligible for the Growth Ladder Fund's investment. Therefore, many young people from other countries invite locals to participate when they start a company here, so that they can enjoy the same benefits as local startups."

Zhou Kaixuan emphasized the word "treatment" and then spoke with a rather envious tone.

"This is precisely its biggest characteristic: prioritizing its own citizens. Although on the surface it is very open, welcoming talent from all over the world and providing them with a supportive environment and various forms of assistance."

However, on the other hand, they have consistently adhered to the principle of prioritizing their own citizens for many years. This principle also applies to their entrepreneurial endeavors.

Li Jiachen was familiar with what Zhou Kaixuan was saying. He nodded and said:

"Yes, that's exactly why I like it here. If we had received this kind of support back in Hong Kong Island, our business would definitely be much bigger now."

Those British people…

He paused slightly, then said:

"Just like them. They all insist on putting their own people first. We're just eating the leftovers from the British."

When talking about leftovers, Li Jiachen's tone was full of helplessness.

Back in Hong Kong Island, he ate leftovers that the British looked down on; now that he's in the SEA, he's eating the same leftovers that others look down on.

This is perhaps the saddest part.

No matter where they are, they will not be treated as their own, even on Hong Kong Island, since Hong Kong Island belongs to the British.

With these thoughts in mind, Li Jiachen continued.

"However, even just eating a little bit of leftovers is enough to fill us up and make us feel full, after all, the market here is still very large."

This is precisely why Li Jiachen chose to come here. Compared to Hong Kong Island, the market here is much larger and it is open to the whole world, unlike Hong Kong Island, which is just a small island.

A larger market means more opportunities and more wealth. Of course, as an outsider, Li Jiachen knew that he wouldn't be considered one of them here.

Therefore, although he had made up his mind to get involved in the investment field, he was still unsure of himself.

After chatting with Zhou Kaixuan for a while, Li Jiachen asked again:

"Have you made an appointment with that gentleman?"

(End of this chapter)