314: One last investment before the new year: Pinduoduo and CATL!

The outside world was buzzing with noise.

Everyone thought that after Wang Lin's recent investment, he would remain quiet for a while.

But little did they know, Wang Lin still had one last dance for the year.

And that was Pinduoduo and CATL!

If the investment in ByteDance Company was Wang Lin's play in short videos,

Then Pinduoduo and CATL were his investments in e-commerce and new energy.

E-commerce had risen with Taobao and JD.com; investing in those two now would be far too late.

There was simply no profit to be made there.

But if one were to say which enterprise could still emerge as a dark horse in the post-modern era, it would definitely be Pinduoduo.

In a way, Wang Lin actually liked this thing quite a bit.

It needed no introduction; as soon as the name 'Pinduoduo' was typed out, experts in 'refund-only' policies would naturally step up to debate its merits for me.

Of course, this thing was still very convenient for the general public.

Not just the ten-billion-yuan subsidies, but also various fresh produce, and so on.

Pinduoduo truly managed to drive prices down.

Of course, this is all getting a bit off-track.

Wang Lin had been paying close attention to the developments of this matter.

Once Pinduoduo's angel round of financing passed, Wang Lin knew it was time for him to make a move.

Pinduoduo's angel round wasn't so much a standard round as it was a product jointly created by several well-connected bosses who had put their heads together.

Its angel round had four investors: Boss Duan, who founded the Red and Blue factories; Ding Sanshi of the Pig Farm; President Wang of SF Express; and someone who truly understood this business deeply,

The former President of Taobao, Sun Tong.

It could be said that the four of them each contributed their strength in the four major platform fields of consumption, the internet, logistics, and e-commerce.

They solved all the necessary problems for Pinduoduo's earliest development.

This was the key reason Pinduoduo could rise so rapidly.

Now,

After the incubation of the angel round, Pinduoduo had already begun to show its unique charm.

Of course, at this stage, not many people had actually noticed it yet.

What people cared about was what kind of e-commerce these few individuals were trying to create by coming together.

It was just curiosity.

Wang Lin was actually still pondering.

Whether he should invest under the identity of Junlin Finance.

With Wang Lin's current status, if he invested in Pinduoduo right from the start, it would attract too much attention.

But then Wang Lin had a second thought.

What was there to fear from more attention?

For something like Pinduoduo, it didn't fear attention; in fact, it feared nothing at all.

Spreading like a virus across the internet was its specialty.

His investment would simply bring that specialty forward.

Thinking of this, Wang Lin laughed. "What's wrong with me? Why am I being so hesitant?"

"Nuannuan, go contact the people at Pinduoduo for me. Tell them I want to invest in them!!"

When Leng Nuannuan heard this, she was actually quite puzzled.

Pinduoduo.

What kind of e-commerce company was that?

She had never heard of it.

And when Wang Lin had asked her to look into it before, she had seen that it was just something a few big shots had cobbled together.

Could such a thing really catch Brother Lin's eye?

Given the relationship between Leng Nuannuan and Wang Lin, she didn't need to overthink things; if she had a question, she simply asked it.

Wang Lin explained with a smile, "You're wondering why, if I'm optimistic about e-commerce, I don't invest in Taobao or JD.com, right?"

"But this e-commerce platform has actually pioneered a new model. How should I put it? It's very addictive!"

Addictive!?

Leng Nuannuan didn't quite understand the meaning of the word in this context.

But she didn't ask any more questions and instead contacted Pinduoduo's current head, Huang Zheng!

.

Shanghai.

Huang Zheng was in his office looking over materials, thinking about where his company could secure its next round of funding.

According to his vision, Pinduoduo, an e-commerce platform focused on social interaction, was bound to lose money in the early stages—and it would be a massive, astronomical amount of money.

For a company like this, it was lucky that his angel round had four partners with good status in the industry.

He expected they would be able to find suitable venture capital to help them through the difficulties.

But with the New Year approaching, Huang Zheng couldn't help but feel anxious.

If he couldn't raise enough funds before the year ended, his plans would be put on hold.

"I wonder which of those big venture capital bosses will take an interest in us?"

In his hands were files on Junlin Finance, IDG, Sequoia Capital, China Growth Capital, Hillhouse Capital, and so on.

He even hoped that Tencent might invest in them.

If that happened, it would be extremely beneficial for his next move.

The next second.

Ring, ring, ring.

The phone rang. Huang Zheng saw the caller ID: CEO Leng from Junlin Finance.

He was so startled he immediately stood up, his voice filled with respect. "Hello, CEO Leng! What wind has blown you our way?!"

Leng Nuannuan said, "Is your company currently seeking financing?"

Hearing this, Huang Zheng's heart instantly leaped into his throat. He could feel his heart thumping wildly.

What did CEO Leng mean by this?

Could it be that Junlin Finance had thoughts of investing in his company?

But that shouldn't be right. Junlin Finance was personally controlled by Brother Lin.

Would he take an interest in his company?!

Even though he had many ideas for his company's future,

They were just ideas after all. Facing giants like Taobao and JD.com, he hadn't even thought about going head-to-head with them. Instead, he planned to sink into third- and fourth-tier cities, focusing on being 'down-to-earth.'

Since you, Taobao and JD.com, don't want these markets, it shouldn't be a big problem if I quietly take a few bites, right?

Could it be that this move of his had caught Brother Lin's eye?

With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Huang Zheng immediately said, "Yes! CEO Leng, your information is so sharp. Could it be that you have thoughts of investing? Is it your idea or Brother Lin's?"

"How about I fly over right now and personally give a presentation to Brother Lin?!"

Leng Nuannuan smiled upon hearing this.

To be the boss of a company, his emotional intelligence was indeed high and his intuition sharp.

She said, "Brother Lin thinks very highly of you, but you also need to show your capability. To be honest, I don't see what advantages your company has."

Huang Zheng naturally knew what Leng Nuannuan meant. His company was indeed just a shell right now.

The subsequent community viral growth was something he was still planning.

But since Brother Lin thought highly of it, he couldn't afford to slack off even more.

He immediately said excitedly, "Don't worry, CEO Leng! I will fly to Zheng County right this instant. Please tell Brother Lin that I will definitely give him a satisfying answer!!"

After hanging up the phone,

Huang Zheng paced back and forth in his seat with excitement.

Was he happy?

He was ecstatic!!

He actually managed to attract Brother Lin's attention! This was an absolutely legendary start!!

He hurriedly told his secretary to buy the earliest flight.

At the same time, he quickly changed into his most decent suit before telling the driver to head out.

He was going to meet Brother Lin.

This was something he hadn't even dared to think about before.

Only after getting into the car did he start calling his angel investors.

Namely Boss Duan, Ding Sanshi, Wang Wei, and Sun Tong.

It was only with the help of these four in the early stages that Pinduoduo could be where it was today.

After the conference call connected, Huang Zheng quickly explained the current situation.

And his words left everyone shocked.

Ding Sanshi was the first to be shocked. "Brother Lin? He actually contacted you? Didn't he just invest in TikTok a few days ago? Now he's doubling down on e-commerce. Even though yours is just a startup, his vision is clear!!"

Boss Duan was also shaken. For someone like him who stood at a high level, the more he understood Brother Lin's weight.

He had once reviewed Brother Lin's investments.

It could be said that every venture capital play was a pinpoint-accurate investment, resulting in massive profits every time.

As for his operations in the stock market, they were precise to the extreme.

No one had ever seen him lose money.

All they ever saw was rise, rise, rise!

Under such circumstances, Brother Lin had actually taken an interest in Pinduoduo.

Did this mean that Pinduoduo's business model had gained his recognition?

Boss Duan hurriedly said, "You must perform well this time. If you can truly get Brother Lin's approval, then our early-stage launch won't require too much effort!!"

"Current Junlin Finance is actually more powerful in some aspects than Hillhouse Capital, Sequoia Capital, IDG Capital, and the like!!"

Wang Wei was also somewhat envious. "Our express delivery industry is also a sunset industry. There's never a shortage of players. I want Brother Lin to invest in us too!!"

Sun Tong laughed. "Express delivery? Brother Lin definitely won't invest in that. The ceiling is visible at a glance!"

Huang Zheng sighed. "Big brothers, quickly tell me what I should do now!!"

Boss Duan was speechless. "What else can you do? Can't you see everyone is envious of you? Fortunately, we are all angel investors and have shares. This time, we'll just hitch a ride on your car—a car that's about to take off!!"

"Remember to perform well!!"

Huang Zheng understood now.

It seemed they were truly envious.

He was the only one who was still a bit dazed, not truly knowing Brother Lin's weight... Under the Junlin Group building.

Having just seen off the ByteDance boss, the Pinduoduo boss arrived.

The lady selling food downstairs looked at this man and smiled, calling him over: "Young man, are you here to see President Wang? Have a Jianbing Guozi; it'll bring you good luck."

Huang Zheng had been thinking about the meeting all the way and hadn't realized he was hungry.

He smiled and said, "Alright, Auntie, give me one then!!"

Eating the crispy Jianbing Guozi, Huang Zheng organized his thoughts and walked into the Junlin Group.

As soon as he stepped inside, Huang Zheng felt the difference.

"As expected of the company of the world's richest man; it just feels different!!"

As for what exactly was different, he couldn't quite say.

In the conference room.

When Huang Zheng arrived, he was a bit constrained, just like everyone else.

Wang Lin finished his work before coming over.

Seeing Huang Zheng, Wang Lin smiled.

This man behind the last e-commerce company of the 'Dharma-Ending Age,' who would one day pressure Taobao and JD.com so much they could barely breathe in his unique field.

He finally met him today.

Although Pinduoduo had various flaws, its advantages were also very obvious.

Investing in this company, the profit would definitely be terrifyingly high.

So Wang Lin just asked a few casual questions and decided to invest.

He also conveniently set the valuation for this Series A round at 100 million USD.

Wang Lin would invest 10 million USD for a 15% stake.

The extra 5% was for the prestige of the Junlin Group.

Believe it or not, Huang Zheng actually agreed.

This 5%, of course, wouldn't be written as such in the contract; instead, it was written with a very high-level term: 'Technical Fee.'

Because he understood very well that with Wang Lin on board, Pinduoduo would, like TikTok, rapidly pass its cold-start phase.

It would quickly step into the eyes of users.

This was the most precious wealth for a company in its early stages!

But in the whole world, someone with such ability who he could also come into contact with was probably only Brother Lin.

Other companies couldn't possibly do this.

Only before Brother Lin, with his absolute authority, could such a situation occur.

"Alright, you go on with your business. I hope to see you again during the next round of financing," Wang Lin said with a smile.

Huang Zheng left.

His whole being was in a daze.

It was that simple?

The world of a 100-million-dollar valuation was achieved?

This was too awesome!!?

As he was leaving, he saw another man coming over and entering the conference room.

Who was he?

This thought only existed in Huang Zheng's mind for a few seconds before vanishing.

He had to go back and celebrate!!

The one entering the conference room was the boss of CATL, Zeng Yuqun.

Actually, the connection between him and Wang Lin was already very deep.

Ever since Wang Lin announced his entry into the new energy market, he couldn't bypass CATL.

This was CATL's confidence!

This face-to-face talk with Brother Lin was also for CATL's subsequent development.

"So, are there any new technologies this time?" Wang Lin asked with a smile.

Zeng Yuqun nodded. "Fortunately, I haven't failed my mission. There has been a qualitative breakthrough in energy storage technology. I believe a company valuation of 70 billion is absolutely no problem."

70 billion.

This number could not be considered small.

But CATL truly had the confidence now. After he presented the specific data, Wang Lin also nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Juntu Automobile happens to need batteries; we'll use your latest ones!!"

"As for the financing, it wouldn't be too much if I asked for another 10%, would it?"

Zeng Yuqun nodded repeatedly. "Not at all! Being able to cooperate with Brother Lin is our CATL's good fortune!!"

Many people who had talked with Brother Lin understood.

Why did they like cooperating with Brother Lin so much?

He paid quickly, was straightforward, and didn't interfere in the company's specific matters.

This was simply the capital of one's dreams!

Not to mention the prestige bonus brought by Brother Lin's continuous investment.

.

Just look at how popular TikTok had become recently.

Those netizens who constantly followed the internet had basically all downloaded it.

Now their goal was to promote it to the next level of society.

And Huang Zheng, who had returned to Shanghai, was also actively contacting Tencent. With Brother Lin's funding, he could finally start the viral growth!!