Li Mu really wants to take Sequoia’s money, not only because of Sequoia’s strength, but also because of Sequoia’s unique Internet genes.
There are many more powerful capitals than Sequoia, but there are too few companies with such a strong influence on the Internet as Sequoia.
In later generations, half of China's Internet companies have Sequoia's shadow. It belongs to the kind of owner who invests in almost all the Internet companies that can be invested. If he feels that it is not enough, he will invest again. Cooperate with capital that understands the Internet. Not only is it more efficient, it’s also more worry-free.
But capital itself is ruthless. Even if Li Mu prefers Sequoia, he still has to look at money. Now that Makino Technology is developing too fast, he has enough initiative in his hands, and there is no need to show Sequoia alone. good.
The only advantage of Sequoia in Li Mu's mind is that when no one bids higher than Sequoia, he will definitely choose it. And even with this advantage, Li Mu didn't want Sequoia to know about it, so he didn't publicize his arrival. Regarding the news from the United States, there was no clear communication with Sequoia in advance, which was intended to catch Sequoia and the U.S. capital market off guard.
Li Mu has been aloof towards capital since the beginning of his business. Unlike most founders of start-up companies, his thirst for capital even exceeds his desire for the opposite sex, nature and hormones.
In Li Mu's eyes, cooperation with capital is like a marriage centered on interests. If you are not strong enough or not strong enough, and you lack that bit of backbone, you can only bow to the other party and lose yourself in your future marriage. The initiative is obviously his own property, but he lives like a married woman;
But for Li Mu, he doesn’t look at anyone’s face, and he doesn’t need to bow to anyone for capital, because his financing is by no means as passive as a marriage with his wife. Makino Technology’s Series C financing is like a marriage between princes and nobles. , is very powerful in his own right, so he has enough confidence to choose the other party. No matter whose eldest lady wants to marry, she must first put away her temper and prepare a heavy dowry. She doesn’t need to look at anyone’s face, because she wants to marry There are so many girls coming in, if this one is not good enough, there are other girls.
Eric Hanks, a member of the board of directors and senior vice president of Sequoia Capital, is the general person in charge of Makino Technology’s financing project. He accidentally discovered YY, an office artifact, and then strongly recommended Makino Technology to the CEO. Later, Makino The popularity of technology company YY among elites in Silicon Valley and around the world also proves Eric.Hanks’ unique vision, so the group gave him this major task.
Eric.Hanks has been looking forward to Li Mu going to the United States to meet him. He was originally waiting for Makino Technology to report the news of Li Mu going to the United States in advance, but he did not expect that Li Mu would appear in Silicon Valley without any notice.
Before Eric Hanks could decide whether to take the initiative, the group CEO also received news of Li Mu’s arrival in Silicon Valley and immediately summoned Eric Hanks to his office.
As soon as Eric Hanks entered the office, the CEO asked him: "Eric, did Li Mu make an appointment with you before coming to Silicon Valley?"
Eric.Hanks shook his head and said: "I know nothing about Li Mu coming to the United States. Makino Technology did not inform me of any relevant information in advance."
When the CEO heard this, he immediately frowned and said, "It seems like Li Mu will stay in the United States for a long time this time."
Eric.Hanks heard the meaning of the other party's words and said with a helpless smile: "It should be like this. Li Mu wants to get the best offer, and it is estimated that he will have frequent contacts with major investment banks in the near future."
The CEO said: "Although I don't know Li Mu personally, I have heard about his style of doing things. In this case, we don't want to hide from Li Mu. You should take the initiative to contact Li Mu with a more sincere attitude and get it done as soon as possible." Make an appointment with him, it doesn’t matter if you want more money, but the key is to sit down and let him talk first.”
Eric.Hanks nodded and said: "I understand, then I will tell the assistant and ask her to contact Makino Technology immediately."
"Okay." The CEO said: "We have discussed the situation of Makino Technology many times. In view of the fact that it has been developing at an alarming rate, and PayPal's current market value is growing too fast, the most we can do about Makino Technology's valuation is When it comes to US$16.5 billion, you have to control your own pace. It would be best if we can negotiate within this range. If we can't negotiate, we will hold board consultations again."
"clear!"
…
Li Mu sat at the Silicon Valley branch of Makino Technology for a whole afternoon and half an afternoon. During this period, domestic and Lin Qingya received requests from 23 capital companies to meet with Li Mu. Li Mu said he was busy recently and the meeting was pending. After dismissing it, Sequoia was more interesting. After the company-level meeting request was declined by Lin Qingya, Eric.Hanks privately found Ding Zhenglin, who was traveling with Li Mu, and expressed the hope that he could help and invite Li Mu to have dinner.
However, Li Mu simply refused on the grounds that he would have a dinner with the employees of the Makino Technology Branch today. It was his first day at the Makino Technology branch. As a competent boss, he naturally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make a When the whole company gathers for dinner, it’s like you’re doing team building for the American branch.
Eric.Hanks did not give up even after being rejected by Li Mu. He still hoped to make an appointment with Li Mu for a clear meeting time. Li Mu did not put on airs this time, but he still did not give up pretending. He asked Ding Zhenglin to reply to Eric.Hanks, saying that he would meet at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. There is no schedule for the 20 minutes from 10:30 to 10:50. If he wants, he can come to Makino Technology's office space in Silicon Valley to meet him.
Eric.Hanks was shocked when he heard the news. Twenty minutes? What the hell is Li Mu doing? This is a very large-scale financing of more than one billion US dollars. Does Li Mu want to settle the matter of more than one billion US dollars in twenty minutes
To take a step back, if a matter as big as a billion dollars is concerned, let alone 20 minutes to decide it, even if it takes 20 minutes to discuss it, it really seems too disrespectful, right? What problem can be solved in twenty minutes
However, although Eric Hanks was quite dissatisfied, he immediately agreed to the twenty-minute meeting and confirmed with Ding Zhenglin several times, because no matter what, he had to meet Li Mu himself first.
So after Eric.Hanks locked this time period, he began to think about two things:
First, I will go to Muye Technology to meet Li Mu tomorrow. What kind of souvenir should I bring to Li Mu? He knows that Chinese people pay attention to courtesy. As the saying goes, it is not strange to be polite to many people. Bringing a small gift can sometimes make a difference. effect;
Second, twenty minutes is too short. One minute to introduce yourself, one minute to greet, one minute to say a few polite words of welcome on behalf of the United States and Silicon Valley, one minute to give gifts, and one minute to bring the topic to the point. Even if it is efficient, It is already very high, but five minutes of time will still be wasted. All in all, the time to really talk about things is only fifteen minutes. How to talk about the topic as much as possible in fifteen minutes, and let Li Mu understand himself and the other party Sequoia was deeply impressed and became Eric.Hanks' biggest problem at the moment.
Like Eric.Hanks, investors from at least a dozen venture capital companies throughout Silicon Valley made arrangements with Li Mu to meet the next day.
When Eric.Hanks prepared souvenirs for Li Mu, he heard from some friends in the industry that Li Mu had made appointments with more than a dozen venture capital investors tomorrow, and each meeting was for a standard 20 minutes. It seemed very It's rushed, but even so, it will take at least a few hours to have a quick chat with more than a dozen people. If you arrange a moderate break in the middle, you can just arrange all the working time for the day.
In this way, there are several things that can be foreseen for tomorrow's meeting. First, it will be difficult to have flexibility in the twenty-minute meeting time. I have to make good use of these twenty minutes. Secondly, Li Mu is coming to the United States this time and is interested in an interview. There is too much capital. No matter whether tomorrow’s initial contact goes straight to the topic of financing, in the end Li Mu’s financing plan in the United States will still have to be discussed one by one.
Eric.Hanks has been investing for many years and is very experienced. He knows that super high-quality investment projects like Makino Technology have been rarely seen since the Internet bubble. He knows that all peers are determined to win Makino Technology. He also knows that once a company Having to negotiate with multiple venture capital investors at the same time, it is easy for the person in charge of the company to suffer from aesthetic fatigue. If there are too many talks, Li Mu will probably have to make a comparison through the price offer. In this way, if he wants to stand out from the tight encirclement, he will have to Spending more money puts a lot of pressure on yourself.
Early the next morning, Li Mu went from the hotel to Makino Technology's office space in Silicon Valley. At exactly 9 a.m. local time, he began to meet the first wave of guests he had made an appointment with.
For today's intensive interview arrangement, Li Mu's biggest goal is to set the pace. Although the entire industry knows that he has a financing plan, he did not express his intention to any venture capital in advance, which seems to be half-hidden. , the more this happens, the more nervous and pressure the capital side will feel.
Eric.Hanks arrived at Makino Technology's Silicon Valley branch before ten o'clock. Since he arrived early, he was not in a hurry to get in. Instead, he sat in his car and kept thinking about all the possibilities that would happen after meeting Li Mu. Condition.
He has never been in contact with Li Mu, but he knows that Li Mu does not follow the rules. This can be seen from the fact that he came to the United States quietly this time. He guessed that Li Mu might do Tai Chi with him today, or he might get straight to the point. He was caught off guard. He had rehearsed many times in his mind how to deal with any situation. He was just waiting to meet Li Mu and actually fight with Li Mu.
…
PS: It’s over. I lay down in front of the computer and fell into a daze again. I’m so ashamed that I owe the next chapter an update. I’ll make it up tomorrow... I’m so embarrassed...
(End of chapter)