Chapter 98

The author knows that many people will be dissatisfied with the choice of venture capital, and the Japanese will be even more unhappy! Originally, I planned to change SoftBank Group to Sequoia Capital, but in the end, I decided not to. There are two reasons: Masayoshi Son has a far-sighted vision and a "crazy" gambling spirit, so he can offer Song Chen conditions that cannot be refused; Sequoia Capital also has a very far-sighted vision, but compared to SoftBank Group, they are much more cautious. Another legendary venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins, has a similar investment style to Sequoia Capital! So I still chose SoftBank Group! Please understand!

First update!

Cai Congxin was greatly surprised and said, "If that's the case, shouldn't we accept the terms of the venture capital even more?"

"Venture capital seeks to maximize profits!" Song Chen smiled slightly, "The way to profit is through investment, listing, and then cashing out! There's nothing wrong with that, but I've said that five million or even ten million dollars can't solve the funding gap of the e-commerce company. Too much financing will force me to lose control of the company! I hope to obtain a large amount of funds in the first round of financing, which will create an unparalleled positive effect for the company's future financing and listing!"

"Additionally, I can't help but worry that once we list, Alibaba and the entire Chenxing Group will fall into a restless mood, which is not conducive to the company's development! The most important things for the three major departments right now are product quality, market share, and orderly expansion! Talking about profitability and listing is still too early!" Song Chen looked intently at the three main technical managers of the company: Yao Hua, Ruan Lika, and Zhu Tiejun.

Seeing their eyes flicker and their faces show embarrassment, Cai Congxin nodded, affirming Song Chen's concerns. His boss, besides having a sharp vision and an extraordinary strategy, also has a remarkable ability in self-evaluation (delegation) and recognizing talent.

"Trust me, you will achieve greater and more distant accomplishments than Jerry Yang! So there's no need to be tempted by short-term benefits!" Song Chen smiled and comforted them, "Besides a long-term vision, I admit my abilities are limited, so I hope you can assist me in building a vast internet empire! To put it bluntly, you will become my 'founding ministers,' the Chenxing Empire is mine, and it will also be yours!"

Yao, Ruan, and Zhu nodded vigorously, and Cai Congxin smiled and said, "I believe in the boss's strategic vision! This confidence didn't start today, but from the expansion plan in the Chenxing Internet Cafe project!"

Except for Zhai Yan and Jiang Yan, the other managers looked at Song Chen with shock. After all, the opening of the second top-tier chain store of Chenxing Internet Cafe in less than a month had become a hot news item, but they never imagined it was planned by Song Chen. They only heard that Song Chen had shares in Chenxing Internet Cafe.

Seeing Song Chen and the two beautiful managers looking at him in surprise, Cai Congxin smiled and said, "Before investing, we will definitely investigate everything about the boss! Otherwise, what if we invest in the wrong person? Moreover, the boss didn't actively keep the expansion plan of Chenxing Internet Cafe a secret, so it's normal for us to know!"

Subsequently, Cai Congxin said solemnly, "Modern companies should avoid family-style relationships and promises. Given the profit information revealed by the general manager in the three major industries, I believe our company must draft a new employment contract with a confidentiality agreement!"

Jiang Yan was silent for a moment and asked Song Chen, "I think Mr. Cai is very talented and should not be the CFO of Alibaba. The parent company..."

Song Chen didn't wait for Jiang Yan to finish and waved his hand to interrupt, "During the period when QQ is still in the development stage and the search engine hasn't yielded results, Manager Jiang is fully capable of handling this job! Alibaba is currently the company's focus and requires Manager Zhai and Manager Cai to personally handle it!"

Song Chen smiled slightly and said to Cai Congxin, "I'll leave the drafting of the contract to you!"

Cai Congxin didn't hesitate and smiled, "I'll do my best!"

After the meeting, as Song Chen led everyone out of the meeting room, he saw Zeng Qian standing respectfully at the door, saying crisply, "General Manager, Mr. Masayoshi Son, the president of SoftBank Group, has been waiting for you in the office for a while..."

Masayoshi Son? He came in person?

Hearing this name, all the executives except Song Chen and Cai Congxin showed shocked expressions.

Cai Congxin looked at Song Chen, the young man whose chin was still smooth, and after a moment of thought, he said to Zhai Yan, "Let Jiang Xiaoqing... ah!"

Although Zhai Yan knew English, her proficiency was clearly inferior to Jiang Xiaoqing's. But Song Chen then realized that he had a more suitable person right beside him. Song Chen smiled and looked at Cai Congxin, "Congxin, would you like to accompany me to meet the god of wealth?"

Cai Congxin nodded and smiled, "I would be delighted! I also want to meet this famous internet guru!"

In the simple general manager's office, Song Chen met Masayoshi Son, the Korean-Japanese man who was only five feet tall, bald, and unremarkable in appearance, but was known as the "internet guru" because of his massive investments in internet companies. A few years later, SoftBank's holdings in listed internet companies accounted for 8% of the global stock market value; some called him a madman because he invested $100 million in Yahoo shortly after its founding... Masayoshi Son created a miracle in the internet industry and became a legend in the global internet investment world. Even a nobody like Song Chen was well aware of his reputation.

To a large extent, the reason he rejected so many venture capitals was to wait for this "madman," because only the far-sighted Masayoshi Son could truly and accurately assess the value of Alibaba. Once he decided to invest, only he would be willing to invest heavily without hesitation and without caring about external evaluations.

Of course, once he chose to have Masayoshi Son invest in Alibaba, there would be headaches in the future. Masayoshi Son, once he saw the potential of an important internet company, would not care about stock price fluctuations and would choose to hold it long-term. This made Song Chen, who was determined to make a move in the internet bubble, hesitant.

The worry about not having a translator was unnecessary; Masayoshi Son, who didn't speak Chinese, clearly brought his own Chinese translator.

Song Chen extended his hand and said, "Welcome to my company, Mr. Masayoshi Son! Your visit is a great honor!"

"Thank you! Please forgive my sudden visit! Mr. Song Chen, the performance of the Alibaba website is excellent, which has made me very excited. A successful businessman would not let a business opportunity slip by!" Masayoshi Son smiled and explained his purpose, pausing, he added, "But what truly caught my attention about Alibaba's prospects was when Mr. Song frequently rejected angel funds and Mr. Cai joined your company! In the current internet industry, where people are holding business plans and looking for investments, these are two very intriguing pieces of news!"

After the translator finished, Song Chen's face broke into a bright smile, and he glanced at Cai Congxin, saying, "Manager Cai believes my company has a bright future, so he came! Mr. Son believes my company has a bright future, so you came!"

Cai Congxin nodded approvingly, and Masayoshi Son smiled and nodded. Song Chen continued with a smile, "The reason I repeatedly rejected venture capital is that I was waiting for someone!"

"Waiting for someone?" Masayoshi Son looked at Song Chen in surprise and asked curiously, "Can I ask who?"

Song Chen didn't answer but looked at Masayoshi Son and smiled without speaking.

Song Chen's meaningful gaze was not lost on the worldly-wise Masayoshi Son. Even Cai Congxin looked at Song Chen in surprise; Song Chen hadn't said anything like this in the meeting. Was it flattery or was Song Chen really waiting for Masayoshi Son?

"Are you waiting for me?" Masayoshi Son raised an eyebrow with interest and asked, "Why?"

"Because only you can see the true value of an internet company!" Song Chen said without hesitation, adding casually, "Of course, if there is another venture capital firm worth mentioning, it would be Sequoia Capital!"

Sequoia Capital is a legend in the investment industry, and Song Chen's comparison with it pleased Masayoshi Son. He smiled and said, "I understand! I think we can start formal negotiations! Mr. Song, I have to ask an old question, how much do you think your company is worth?"

Song Chen smiled slightly and countered, "That depends on how Mr. Son understands the e-commerce industry! To be precise, how do you see the prospects of Alibaba?"

Masayoshi Son smiled and said, "Perhaps it would be more appropriate for the founder of Alibaba to answer that!"

Song Chen didn't hesitate and said solemnly, "We need to start with the global economic background. In the early 1990s, China's reform and opening up connected it with the global economy, and a notable phenomenon was the global manufacturing industry shifting to China!"

Cai Congxin and Masayoshi Son nodded together, "That's right!"

"Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises, mainly focused on export processing, rapidly rose and grew. They needed foreign customers, and foreign customers were actively seeking Chinese suppliers. The lack of appropriate information channels became a bottleneck for mutual benefit! This is the main reason I founded the Alibaba website and made it one of the three core business departments of Chenxing! Because I understand the enormous value of this website!" Masayoshi Son knew that Chenxing had three main departments: the IM department centered around QQ, the Alibaba department centered around e-commerce, and the search engine department under development!

So he nodded in agreement and said, "The prospects are clear!"

"Additionally!" Song Chen looked at Masayoshi Son and smiled, "Mr. Son, don't forget the financial crisis currently ravaging Southeast Asia!"

Cai Congxin and Masayoshi Son were startled, and Masayoshi Son listened intently.

"I believe the Southeast Asian financial crisis is spreading to Asia and even the entire world, affecting the economies of various countries to different degrees. At this time, high-quality and affordable Chinese goods will attract attention!"

Song Chen pondered for a moment and said confidently, "The shift in industries and the lack of traditional information channels are the soil that nurtures Alibaba. I also believe that with China's population of 1.2 billion, it will have more than 200 million internet users within ten years, and the prospects for e-commerce in China are limitless!"

"You have made a very reasonable argument!" Masayoshi Son pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, "But Mr. Song, you've said a lot, but you haven't mentioned a profit plan! After all, what venture capital cares about most is the company's performance!"

Song Chen said dismissively, "I doubt most listed internet companies have achieved a balance between income and expenses yet?"

Masayoshi Son smiled but didn't contradict this fact, "If you can tell me your profit plan, I think I would consider offering you an investment condition you can't refuse!"

Song Chen was silent for a moment and shook his head, "I do have a profit plan, but I will reveal it at the right time!"

Masayoshi Son was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "Why don't you reveal it if you can make a profit?"

"Alibaba hasn't yet gained a dominant position in the domestic and international e-commerce market! Revealing a profit plan too early may alleviate the company's profit pressure, but it will also lead to a fragmented e-commerce market!" Song Chen explained his plan frankly, "Mr. Son should understand that a market without profit has the opportunity to create a de facto monopoly!"

Monopoly! A word full of imagination!

Masayoshi Son's eyes flashed, and he looked at Song Chen with a very cautious gaze, asking, "One last question, but you can answer it in two parts. As the planner of the Chenxing Internet Cafe, why didn't you initiate it yourself? Why didn't you seek help from your father?"

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