Everyone turned their heads at the sound of the voice, spotting a teenager who appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen years old! Beside him stood a striking young woman, exuding an air of beauty. The young man strode confidently toward the Chinese youth in the crowd, and instinctively, everyone parted to let him through.
The young Chinese stood there, stunned, staring blankly at the advancing youth.
Henry looked at the crowd with disdain. How foolish and ignorant they were to overlook something so valuable!
What an incredible opportunity online real-time chat software presented, yet they dismissed it as worthless!
Henry approached the young Chinese and took a closer look. The boy stood around 178 cm tall, was handsome, and had sparkly, energetic eyes. What impressed Henry the most was the firmness in the boy's voice when he proclaimed, "You can laugh at me, but you can't laugh at the Chinese!"
"What's your name?" Henry asked calmly.
"My name is Tian Shuai," the young man replied.
Henry nodded, then asked, "Are you willing to accept the investment from Prestige Capital? If so, we can invest $8 million in financing, and Prestige Capital will hold 80% of the shares while you and your team retain 20%."
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted into surprised murmurs and discussions!
Tian Shuai's eyes glistened with tears. He had been struggling to secure funding and was feeling nearly defeated. But here, in this moment, he saw a glimmer of hope, as if discovering an oasis in a desert!
The prospect of a chat software with over 700 users being valued at $10 million by Weifeng Capital was almost beyond his comprehension!
Feeling truly recognized and respected was a priceless experience.
Tian Shuai's face turned a healthy shade of pink as he exclaimed, "I am willing! I am very willing!!"
Henry smiled back. "Your decision is very wise."
If Tian Shuai had said no, Henry would have assembled a team to develop the chat software themselves. The outcome would have been predictable...
With a formidable gaze, Henry turned to the crowd that had mocked Tian Shuai and declared, "Just look at these people! One day, those who have laughed at you will certainly look up to you!"
Just then, Smith, the man in gray from a venture capital firm, chuckled scornfully. "You have no shame, do you? Who do you think you are? Go ahead and dream—I'll just watch and see if I ever look up to you! What's your name again?"
"Hehe, Mr. Smith, his name is Tian Shuai," someone in the crowd informed him with a grin.
Smith responded with mockery, "Oh, well then, be sure to remember it. I'll see if I ever look up to him!"
"Yeah, we'll remember too!" others chimed in, derisively laughing.
Henry snorted in annoyance, choosing to ignore them as he guided Tian Shuai to the Prestige Capital booth, where he began asking about his situation in detail.
It turned out that Tian Shuai was a Chinese-American studying at the University of California, Berkeley. He had developed the chat software on his own. His drive to seek out venture capital stemmed not just from a passion for refining the software but also from a desire to win the affection of a girl he liked. Tian Shuai's parents ran a small but successful Chinese restaurant, yet the woman he admired—the campus goddess—had many suitors. He often felt like just another face in the crowd, but because she also had Chinese roots, he held onto hope.
The truth was that the goddess treated him with indifference!
His original intention for creating the chat software was simply to communicate with her online. But soon, classmates found out about the program, copied it, and installed it on their computers, causing it to gain traction throughout the university. As a result, someone suggested that Tian Shuai seek venture capital and turn his software into a business.
The goddess had even told him that if a venture capitalist showed interest, she might consider dating him.
This motivated Tian Shuai immensely, and he had approached dozens of venture capital firms in hopes of securing investments. Yet, he had faced rejection each time.
Upon hearing about the technology exhibition in Silicon Valley, which not only showcased products but also attracted venture capital firms, Tian Shuai hurriedly attended, pitching his chat software to one company after another.
Henry felt inspired by Tian Shuai's journey. Meanwhile, Kailena had prepared the contract.
"Take a look and see if you have any issues with it. If not, we can sign!" Kailena said as she handed the document to Tian Shuai.
He accepted the contract and scrutinized it, shaking his head as he replied, "No issues!"
"Good! It's time to sign then!" Kailena exclaimed.
Tian Shuai nodded, and the two parties formally signed the contract.
Henry turned to Tian Shuai and asked, "Have you thought about the company's name?"
Tian Shuai turned red, shyly admitting, "I had a name in mind before..."
"What name?" Henry inquired.
"An Jiayi Chat Software Company..."
"What kind of ridiculous name is that?" Henry replied in disbelief. "What does An Jiayi mean?"
"It's the name of the girl I like..." Tian Shuai confessed shyly.
Henry suddenly burst into laughter. "Well, I have to admit you must really like this girl named An Jiayi! But starting a company is serious business! The name is its façade; it must be chosen wisely!"
"I still can't think of a good one. Do you have any suggestions?" Tian Shuai asked.
Henry proposed, "How about naming it ICQ? The chat software can be called ICQ, which stands for 'I SEEK YOU'!"
"That name is great!!" Tian Shuai's eyes lit up in agreement.
"Then it's settled. We'll go with ICQ. Don't you dare rename it to An Jiayi at some point; otherwise, I'll withdraw my investment!" Henry joked.
Tian Shuai laughed and replied, "Hehe, no, don't worry!"
Henry handed Tian Shuai a check, stating, "Here's three million dollars. The rest will be wired to the company's account in installments. You can register the company right away. I've chosen a location for you—a capital incubation base that's less than ten minutes from Prestige Capital's headquarters. We've rented an entire building for you." He then handed over a business card with the addresses of both the headquarters and the incubation base.
"The company will initially establish itself at the Weifeng Capital Incubation Base while you plan for future expansion. in addition, Global Online, Isearch, and Nicholas are all strategic partners of Weifeng Capital. They can assist you with the promotion of ICQ online, and rest assured, they will offer you an internal preferential price!"
"Internal preferential price?" Tian Shuai's mouth dropped open in surprise.
Henry merely smiled mysteriously, not elaborating further.