You call this entrepreneurship?

Chapter 454

Qin Shaoyan couldn't say that Mingyue was absolutely right, he could only say in a tactful way that your statement was biased.

Among the companies listed on NASDAQ, there are still some legitimate companies, such as our campus network.

Xiong Xiaoge was sitting next to him and found it funny. He thought the two were just joking around, so he said, "In fact, most of the companies listed on the U.S. stock market are more formal. After all, the U.S. stock market has a history of hundreds of years and the rules are more complete."

"Right, right, right!" Qin Shaoyan nodded wildly. "The way of playing in the United States is more formal. Otherwise, who would come to play if the rules were broken, right?"

Mingyue nodded in agreement and hummed twice.

"But then again, in some places, even if the rules are constantly broken, there are still fools who rush in one after another to give money to people." Qin Shaoyan sighed, "I can only say that money can move people's hearts."

Xiong Xiaoge always felt that Qin Shaoyan's words were sarcastic, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Then Qin Shaoyan began to tell Mingyue many popular stories, such as ginseng that can walk, turtle that can climb trees, and scallop that can run.

Xiong Xiaoge was certain that Qin Shaoyan was just making innuendos, and he looked like he was sitting very straight.

Qin Shaoyan was telling a story vividly. Xiong Xiaoge looked at the two of them with some curiosity, because it was the first time he saw Qin Shaoyan with his girlfriend.

Xiong Xiaoge has met all kinds of entrepreneurs over the years. There are many people who are obsessed with alcohol, sex, money and power. As long as they have money in their pockets, they will spend lavishly.

There is nothing wrong with loving wine and women, as food, sex and nature are part of human nature.

However, drug addicts and gamblers must never cooperate. These two creatures can no longer be considered human creatures. What they can do often breaks the bottom line of human morality, not to mention abiding by any industry rules.

Therefore, whenever these two things happen, investors will quickly cut their shares and run away, and may even give up the money invested in the early stage, otherwise it will be a bottomless pit.

The financial industry is most afraid of gamblers. Anyone with a gambling record will be fired immediately.

It’s because the financial industry is too closely related to money, and gamblers are like a time bomb that may strike you at any time.

In the eyes of venture capitalists, the same applies to entrepreneurs.

Not only should the ability of the person being invested in be examined, but also their character should be understood.

You can be greedy, cunning, lustful, morally corrupt and test the law, but you cannot have no bottom line.

People who achieve great things are at least restrained in their personal desires.

Xiong Xiaoge has also seen people who are not interested in wine and women, as well as those who like money and power. These people are either mediocre or heroes who can accomplish great things.

Judging from Qin Shaoyan's style of doing things in the past two years, Xiong Xiaoge can conclude that Qin Shaoyan belongs to the latter.

Qin Shaoyan doesn't like smoking or drinking, has always been single, has few close relationships with women, works overtime almost every day, and devotes himself to his career.

Apart from his questionable moral standards, his tendency to make false promises and his unexpected work style, he is still a perfect partner.

This time when going to the United States for the IPO, Qin Shaoyan suddenly brought a girlfriend with him, which inevitably attracted attention.

It’s not that Xiong Xiaoge is so gossipy that she has to pay attention to other people’s privacy and private lives.

It’s just that some things are too deeply involved, and every move of the founder and the company’s largest shareholder affects the company’s image and even its stock price.

In this case, the private lives of founders and shareholders will affect the interests of others, so it is normal to be more vigilant.

After all, in another world, the founder of Tudou.com directly ruined his dream of going public because of a divorce property lawsuit, which marked the beginning of Tudou.com's fall into the abyss.

Although Xiong Xiaoge didn't know about this in this world, he had seen similar examples.

Xiong Xiaoge glanced at Qin Shaoyan for a few times, with a smile on his face, and said casually: "Boss Qin, are you considering any personal matters?"

Qin Shaoyan was startled, wondering why Xiong Xiaoge started gossiping, "Why are you asking this?"

"After all, we are partners. I was thinking about what gift would be best for me to give you if you get married." Xiong Xiaoge said with a smile.

Zheng Nan next to him also pricked up his ears and looked over here, "Well, I'll send it off when the time comes."

Qin Shaoyan hesitated for a moment, then said carefully: "I'm still thinking about this matter, a more appropriate and suitable time..."

As he spoke, he looked at Mingyue, but Mingyue just smiled at him and said nothing.

Xiong Xiaoge sneered in his heart, it turned out that Qin Shaoyan and his girlfriend were not serious about it, so he felt relieved.

……

The passenger plane landed smoothly at New York's Kennedy Airport. The long journey made everyone a little tired.

TNB's New York office had sent people to greet them in advance, and Facebook staff also came.

The hotel rooms have all been arranged, waiting for these people from afar to check in.

The staff of TNB company diligently helped the big boss carry his luggage, opened the car door and guided him into the car while introducing the hotel.

"YouTube has also sent someone over, and Mr. Davis Hansen will arrive in New York soon," the TNB staff member asked. "Mr. Hansen's secretary asked when you would be free to meet."

"Let's take a break first." Qin Shaoyan looked at Mingyue, who was leaning on his shoulder and looked a little sleepy. "Let's arrange to meet again tomorrow."

"Okay, Boss." The TNB employee suddenly remembered something, "A game company in Seattle also sent someone over. His name is George West."

Qin Shaoyan was a little surprised. "George from Valve? Why is he here too?"

He hasn't seen this friend for a long time, and he misses him a little.

When he first came to the United States, it was George who picked him up at the airport. It was through George that Qin Shaoyan got in touch with Gabe Newell, which gave him the opportunity to make his first pot of gold.

Afterwards, Qin Shaoyan persuaded the two to invest in Facebook. Presumably, the two have cashed out their shares and made a lot of money.

But this time I came to the United States mainly for the listing, and I didn’t notify George and Gabe Newell.

Are you here to ask me for "Counter-Terrorism: Modern Warfare"?
Although I did seem to be suspected of making empty promises before, I have been working hard on it. At least the folders have been created.

Besides, since he has already received the deposit of 20 million US dollars, there is no way he would just run away with it.

"Okay, I understand." Qin Shaoyan suppressed his doubts, put the matter aside for the time being, and took the time to rest, because there were many more important things to deal with next.

……

Entering the hotel, Qin Shaoyan threw himself on the sofa and couldn't help picking up the documents and looking through them again. Mingyue was angry and distressed when she saw this scene, and pulled his arm, "Stop reading, go and have a rest, didn't you say you have guests tomorrow?"

"Well, I'll go to sleep after I finish reading this. You should rest first." Qin Shaoyan said casually.

"You lied to me again." Mingyue said unhappily, "Last time you said you would go to bed after reading the documents, but you were still reading at four in the morning."

"I'm not lying to you." Qin Shaoyan shook the information in his hand, "It's just two pages."

Mingyue ignored him and turned around to find Qin Shaoyan's pajamas in the suitcase and put them on the bed.

Qin Shaoyan looked at Mingyue's busy back, was silent for a moment, and suddenly said: "When I was on the plane, I said I was serious about considering getting married."

Mingyue paused, stood up and looked at Qin Shaoyan, frowning slightly, "Why did you bring up this again?"

Qin Shaoyan defended himself: "I mean marriage is a big deal, and we should choose a good day. I'm..."

"You don't think marriage is important to me, do you?" Mingyue interrupted Qin Shaoyan, "Or do you and I need this thing to maintain our relationship?"

Mingyue's words stunned Qin Shaoyan. He was confused for a long time and didn't understand what Mingyue meant.

Mingyue walked up to Qin Shaoyan, put her hands on his shoulders, and looked at him seriously. "To me, marriage is a shackle. It's just a formality. I don't need to use it to imprison you."

"My parents are still legally married, but they can't just break up. I still don't know where they are."

"I've figured it out since I was in middle school: things that are more about form than substance have no meaning."

Qin Shaoyan was shocked. He felt that as a radical single man for decades, he was a little too conservative in front of Mingyue.

"I think a wedding is always necessary." Qin Shaoyan asked with a sigh.

"Having your true heart is better than anything else." Mingyue hugged Qin Shaoyan with a smile.

……

The next day, Qin Shaoyan, who had had a good rest, was full of energy.

For this roadshow, not only did Davis bring people from Microsoft to show support, but Xiong Xiaoge and Zheng Nan also actively mobilized their connections and brought people from IDG and Sequoia Capital to the show.

All venture capital firms that have invested in Facebook and YouTube also sent representatives, and with so many people, the scene became very lively.

The listing of Campus Network was entrusted to Goldman Sachs, who sent a senior vice president, Bruce Jennings, to the scene.

Qin Shaoyan's Facebook and YouTube have both received venture capital from Goldman Sachs, so he is not unfamiliar with them. When Bruce was organizing the Global International Marathon before, he used his connections to arrange the competition in New York.

The marathon was held with great fanfare, and Facebook successfully opened up the European market. It was a classic marketing and advertising case, and therefore Facebook's valuation increased significantly.

When Bruce saw Qin Shaoyan again, he smiled and took the initiative to shake hands with him. "John, we meet again. It's a pleasure to work with you. I hope we can make something big this time."

"It all depends on you, Goldman Sachs, to manage this." Qin Shaoyan also smiled and raised his champagne. "Are you ready?"

"You have to believe that we are professionals in this area." Bruce also raised his glass. "Campus Network's share price of $15 is indeed a bit conservative. I think it can be raised to $18 or $23 per share."

Qin Shaoyan was a little surprised. "It's unexpected that Goldman Sachs is so optimistic about the campus network."

"We think Campus Network has great potential, and you, John, are an excellent CEO." Bruce then added, "But let other institutions decide the specific share price."

There are generally three issuance methods: cumulative bidding method, fixed price method, and competitive bidding method.

The bidding method is more common in bond issuance, while the fixed price method is relatively simple but less efficient.

Therefore, this time Goldman Sachs adopted the cumulative bidding inquiry system.

Cumulative bidding is also one of the most commonly used methods of new stock issuance in the world. It means that the issuer determines the issue price through an inquiry mechanism and allocates shares independently.

The so-called "inquiry mechanism" refers to the process in which the lead underwriter first determines the price range of new stock issuance, holds a roadshow promotion meeting, repeatedly revises the issuance price based on demand and demand price information, and finally determines the issuance price.

The general time is 1 to 2 weeks. Under the inquiry mechanism, the issue price of new shares is not determined in advance, while under the fixed price method, the lead underwriter directly determines an issue price based on the valuation results and the forecast of investor demand.

In this way, both underwriters and investment institutions play an important role.

The road show is performed for them. The general process is that the company's CEO goes on stage to give a speech, underwriters and investment institutions ask questions, and then the CEO answers them. Everyone present highly appreciates and recognizes it, and spends money to subscribe.

Then, through various operations, the stocks are redistributed, and everyone works together to make and share the cake.

As for whether the company's performance is real, whether there are any problems, and whether the stock will fall below the issue price after listing...

This is all due to Hayek's big hand and market regulation. It has nothing to do with us stock underwriters.

Qin Shaoyan looked at the crowd of people present and felt inexplicably nervous. He looked at Xiong Xiaoge next to him and said, "Boss Xiong, what if I don't perform well after I go up there?"

"Aren't you usually quite talkative? You gave us a set of PPT presentations." Xiong Xiaoge encouraged, "Just think of them as our venture capitalists. They are all here to spend money on you. Show us your true abilities."

"And we have made all the arrangements. They will cooperate with you."

"Roadshow, roadshow, the key is the performance, just go up!" Zheng Nan also encouraged.

Qin Shaoyan breathed a sigh of relief and walked up to the podium with the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome everyone here today."

"We are sitting here today for one goal, which is the campus network!"

As Qin Shaoyan spoke, he regained his confidence and began to explain to everyone in the audience how good the campus network's current data was, its market share, and then how explosive the gaming business's revenue was, how high its turnover was, and how lucrative its profits were.

In short, the campus network is great in every way, so hurry up and spend some money!
Suddenly, someone in the audience raised his hand, took the microphone and asked, "Mr. Qin, I have a question for you."

"The campus network is modeled after the Facebook cafe in the United States, but the American Facebook has now spread all over the world, while the campus network is still only in mainland China."

"The future prospects of campus networks are a problem, both in terms of size and potential."

"And according to the data, all campus network users are students. Although the campus network has developed rapidly in the past two years, it has already covered most schools in mainland China. The growth has reached a bottleneck. What is the future development direction of the campus network?"

Qin Shaoyan frowned and looked at Xiong Xiaoge with some dissatisfaction.

Didn't you say everything was arranged? Why are you coming here to ruin it?

Qin Shaoyan looked at the person who asked the question and smiled, "Which organization are you from?"

(End of this chapter)