• How do startups evolve business models to go global?
• How do Silicon Valley firms successfully launch and localize in China?
• How do apps monetize in different markets?
• How do firms not only sell globally but innovate globally?
• How do startups hire the right people globally?

China 2.0 of Stanford Graduate School of Business hosts a special event connecting entrepreneur and university communities in Silicon Valley and Beijing:

Evernote (印象笔记) is a rapidly growing startup for cloud-based productivity tools through a suite of software and services. Founded in 2005 with its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Evernote has received four rounds of investments for a total of over $250 million and now has 100 million users worldwide. Evolving company growth strategy, marketing, talent recruitment, and product development specifically for the China market, Evernote has quickly attracted over 10 million users in China, now its largest market outside the U.S.

Building on its success within the highly dynamic China market, Evernote has set its sites on innovation from Beijing for global customers: "We’re in Beijing, because Beijing is one of the top centers of innovation. Evernote is in China so that the crucible of innovation can help us build Evernote for the world.”

This invitation-only seminar will employ HD video technology in the "highly immersive classrooms" at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Stanford Center at Peking University to give participants in both locations the feeling that they are in the same room. Up to 25 faculty, students, entrepreneurs, and innovators at each location will be able to participate in this cross-Pacific presentation and interactive discussion with Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni Ken Gullicksen (MBA ‘94) and Amy Gu (MBA ‘09) and moderated by Professor William Barnett.

About the Speakers

Ken Gullicksen (MBA '94) is an experienced technology executive who has been involved in the formation and growth of several prominent Silicon Valley companies. At Evernote, Ken serves as COO, heading-up Evernote Business, the company's SMB and team-focused service. He is also responsible for investor relations, corporate development and the global sales and support teams. Prior to joining Evernote, Gullicksen spent over a decade as a general partner at Morgenthaler Ventures where, among other accomplishments, he led the first Silicon Valley venture round in Evernote and served on Evernote’s Board of Directors.

Gullicksen began his career as an engineer at Sun Microsystems before shifting focus to business strategy, market development, and engineering management at companies including Nortel Networks, Hitachi-Raychem Display Systems, and Sun Microsystems. He holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS in electrical engineering from San Jose State University.

Amy Gu (MBA '09) has extensive experience in running start-up in the mobile internet space in China with focus in making world a better place with the technology innovation. Gu has established Evernote corporate presence in China and directed the strategy initiatives with the goal to make Evernote “the best second brain to Chinese users.”

Currently Gu runs Evernote's full operation in China, including marketing, business development, IT operation, customer support and product improvement. Prior to joining Evernote, Ms. Gu founded two internet start-ups in China and worked in China Mobile and British Telecom developing strategic partnership and product design. Gu has an MBA degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

William Barnett is the Thomas M. Siebel Professor of Business Leadership, Strategy, and Organizations at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Barnett studies competition among organizations and how organizations and industries evolve globally. He is conducting a large-scale project that seeks to explain why and how some firms grow rapidly in globalizing markets. After receiving his PhD in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988, Barnett was an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison School of Business.

In 1991, Barnett came to the Stanford Business School as an Assistant Professor. He became an Associate Professor in 1994 and received tenure in 1996, and has been a full professor since 2001. Barnett has also twice been a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and is a Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. Barnett serves as associate editor or editorial board member for several academic journals.

Join Victor Koo in this special seminar co-hosted by China 2.0 and Global Speaker Series, as the founder of Youku discusses his 20-years as a part of the internet industry in China and what to expect in the future. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

Victor Koo (MBA '94)

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Youku Tudou Inc.; Founder, Youku Victor Koo is the Founder of Youku and has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer since the company's inception in November 2005. He has more than a decade of experience in internet and media-related industries in China. From 1999 to 2005, Koo worked at Sohu, China's leading internet portal, helping to grow the site from an early stage company to a NASDAQ-listed internet media property. Prior to joining Sohu, Koo worked at the private equity firm Richina Group as Vice President and was responsible for leading media, entertainment, and industrial venture capital projects. Previously, Koo worked at Bain & Company in San Francisco from 1989 to 1992. Koo received his MBA from Stanford University and was a Regents' Scholar at the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a bachelor's degree.

Youku Tudou Inc. (NYSE: YOKU) is China’s leading internet television company and enables users to search, view, and share high-quality video content quickly and easily across multiple devices. Youku, which means “what’s best and what’s cool” in Chinese, says that it is building a combination of Hulu and Netflix for China at a YouTube-like scale. With a market capitalization of over USD$4 billion, Youku has over 400 million unique PC users viewing video on the platform each month. Youku also attracts more than 150 million monthly mobile users and ranks as the third most popular mobile app in China in terms of user time spent online. On April 28, 2014, Alibaba and a private equity firm cofounded by Jack Ma agreed to buy a $1.22 billion stake in Youku Tudou Inc.

ORGANIZERS

China 2.0 of Stanford Graduate School of Business focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship in China by looking at the drivers and dynamics of China as a digital power and its implications for commerce, communications, and content in the global economy. China 2.0 convenes thought leaders in China and Silicon Valley, supports cutting-edge research and curriculum development by faculty, and organizes programs to educate students as next generation leaders.

The Global Speaker Series seeks to enrich the GSB community’s global perspective by inviting top executives, government leaders, and other distinguished guests to speak on globally relevant topics. Speakers share personal reflections on leading a global career and inspire students to develop as future leaders in their fields of choice.

#StanfordGSS  #China20

ADMISSION

The event is free to all. For non-Stanford attendees, please RSVP here.

DIRECTIONS

For information about getting to the Knight Management Center for the event, please visit: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/visit, and the map of Knight Management Center can be downloaded here.