Chapter 131: Venture Capital Acquires Baidu
Lin Lang and Chu Yiren exchanged glances, both understanding that this might be a significant business opportunity.
Therefore, Lin Lang looked at Wang Jianlin and said, "We are very willing to consider the possibility of collaborating with Wanda. However, the specific details still need further discussion."
Wang Jianlin nodded, raised his glass, and said, "I am very much looking forward to reaching a cooperation with Chu Group and Chairman Lin."
Chu Yiren said, "Chairman Wang, between three and five in the afternoon tomorrow, I can clear some of my schedule to make two hours available for an in-depth discussion and negotiation on cooperation matters with you in the Chu Group Headquarters conference room."
"Excellent! I will definitely be there on time." Wang Jianlin smiled so wide his mouth couldn't close.
The three of them clinked glasses with smiles, and after enjoying a glass of red wine, they exchanged business cards.
"Chairman Lin, I'll take my leave!" Wang Jianlin proactively shook hands with Lin Lang to say goodbye.
Lin Lang politely shook hands back and replied, "Goodbye, Chairman Wang!"
After bidding farewell to Chu Yiren with a smile, Wang Jianlin moved to leave with a smile on his face.
After Wang Jianlin left.
Chu Yiren looked at Lin Lang and asked, "My dear, do you also think Wanda Plaza has great potential?"
Lin Lang replied, "It doesn't just have great potential, it has huge potential!"
Chu Yiren smiled and asked, "Then tell me why?!"
Lin Lang replied, "The Wanda Plaza that Wang Jianlin plans to invest in and build in Shanghai is just a single large box-style commercial center, completely without considering the surrounding Packages."
"Chu Group only contributes the land for equity and jointly invests in Shanghai Wanda Plaza with Wang Jianlin. The profit sharing is very limited."
Chu Yiren heard this and said, "Then Shanghai Wanda Plaza doesn't seem to have huge potential, does it?!"
Lin Lang continued with a mischievous smile, "We'll get Wang Jianlin into a trap, and we'll make a fortune by trapping him!"
"How do we trap this old guy?" Chu Yiren's lips curved slightly.
Lin Lang replied mysteriously, "Chu Group will provide a piece of land and jointly invest with Wang Jianlin in the Shanghai Wanda Plaza large commercial center."
"When the Shanghai Wanda Plaza large commercial center becomes popular, it will radiate and drive the commercial development of the surrounding area."
"Chu Group will then use Wanda Plaza as the center and radiate outwards to invest in commercial pedestrian streets, Chu Five-Star Hotel, business hotels, office buildings, high-end apartments, and other commercial projects, creating a huge urban complex that integrates shopping, leisure, dining, culture, entertainment, and other functions, forming an independent large commercial district."
"The most important thing is that in this large commercial district in Shanghai, besides the Wanda Plaza single large commercial center, this old guy Wang Jianlin can get a share."
"The remaining commercial projects such as Chu Five-Star Hotel, business hotels, commercial pedestrian streets, office buildings, and high-end apartments are all solely invested and built by Chu Group on their own land, and the huge profits have absolutely nothing to do with Wang Jianlin."
"Hehe..."
Chu Yiren exclaimed after hearing this, "A Lang, your imagination is not ordinary. This grand commercial layout model of yours is not something that ordinary people can come up with."
Lin Lang thought to himself, "I am a transmigrator from the future, and I am completely familiar with the twenty-year development history of Wanda Plaza, its early, middle, and late stages, and the operating models of the four generations of Wanda Plaza."
"The Shanghai Wanda Plaza that Wang Jianlin is currently building is only the first-generation model. I will directly complete all the surrounding Packages and create the fourth-generation Wanda Plaza large commercial district to enlighten this old guy Wang Jianlin."
After thinking, Lin Lang replied modestly, "I am not talented, I just have a slight understanding of venture capital commercial planning, just a slight understanding! Just a slight understanding."
Chu Yiren smiled with admiration in her eyes and intimately linked arms with Lin Lang, teasing, "I just love the way you pretend to be modest, but are actually showing off."
"Then how much capital are you planning to invest in Wang Jianlin's Wanda Plaza project?"
Lin Lang replied with a mischievous smile, "Yiren JieJie, your Chu Group can just invest the money. Anyway, no matter how much money you earn, it will all be brought to our Lin Family as part of your dowry. Your money is my money, so why should I still venture invest in Shanghai Wanda Plaza?"
"Hey..."
"A Lang, are you starting to scheme against Miss now?"
Lin Lang put his arm around Chu Yiren's soft waist and chuckled, "Wife, you need to be diligent and earn money for me~ In the future, if even a single coin falls in Shanghai, it must belong to our tycoon couple."
"A Lang, you're ready to be a kept man who acts tough, and you're already calling me Wife, is that right?"
Lin Lang replied, "Older Sister, I was just joking with you, how could I be scheming against you?!"
"For businesses like Wanda Plaza, which require huge investment, have a long investment cycle, and offer slow returns, an angel investor like me who likes to make quick money should naturally let your Chu Group invest."
"My investment area is more inclined towards investing in the rapidly developing internet industry."
"A Lang, your little plan is not wrong either. Older Sister's life was saved by you from that death flight. After we get married, the Chu Family Consortium's assets will naturally become joint property."
Lin Lang raised an eyebrow after hearing this and said, "Yiren JieJie, call me Husband, let me hear it?!"
Chu Yiren replied shyly, "I'm a little embarrassed, it's hard to say out loud~"
Immediately after, they saw Li Yanhong approaching Lin Lang and Chu Yiren with a glass of red wine and a beaming smile. After smiling at Chu Yiren, he proactively extended his hand to shake Lin Lang's hand and greeted him, "Chairman Lin, hello! I am Li Yanhong, the founder of Baidu."
It was clear that Li Yanhong wasn't coming for Chu Yiren, because Chu Group tends to invest in brick-and-mortar industries, so Li Yanhong was coming for the angel investor Lin Lang.
Lin Lang recognized at a glance that the man in his thirties in front of him was Li Yanhong, the founder of Baidu, who would be worth over a hundred billion in the future.
Therefore, Lin Lang politely shook hands with Li Yanhong and asked, "Li Zong, do you know me?"
Li Yanhong replied with a smile, "Ma Huateng and I are friends in the internet industry. Brother Ma told me that you venture invested in and acquired their Tencent Company and are a very insightful and courageous angel investor, so I also came to Chairman Lin to try my luck."
Lin Lang is a transmigrator and is well aware that according to Baidu's development timeline, Li Yanhong founded Baidu in the millennium.
At this time, the newly founded Baidu was in the downstream industry chain of the internet industry, only providing search technology to internet companies like Sina. To put it plainly, it relied on other companies for a living, and it was just an infant Baidu.
In other words, the current Baidu has not yet transitioned from downstream technical services to an independent search engine website for end-users.
Therefore, Lin Lang replied, "So that's how it is. Since you are a friend of our Tencent President Ma, you are naturally a friend of Lin Lang. It's a pleasure to meet you, Li Zong!"
Li Yanhong replied politely, "Likewise!"
Immediately after, Li Yanhong introduced himself and said, "I graduated from Kyoto University with a major in Information Management, and then went to the State University of New York at Buffalo in the United States to complete a Master's degree in Computer Science. I have successively served as a senior consultant at Dow Jones, a designer of the real-time financial information system for the online version of 'The Wall Street Journal', and a senior engineer at Infoseek."
"I decided to return to China to start a business at the end of last year, and at the beginning of this year, I founded Baidu Company, holding the 'Hyperlink Analysis' technology patent."
"I hope to get a round of venture capital from Mr. Lin to accelerate the research, development, and promotion of the Baidu Search Engine."
In the millennium, the domestic search engine market was a blank space.
Lin Lang's venture capital acquisition of Baidu was definitely standing at the cusp of the era, taking off immediately.
Therefore, Lin Lang held up his red wine glass and said elegantly, "Li Zong is a top student from Kyoto University and has experience in Silicon Valley. I am very optimistic about you. We can definitely discuss the matter of venture investing in your Baidu Search Engine in detail."
Li Yanhong was overjoyed after hearing this and talked endlessly about Baidu's "Hyperlink Analysis" technology patent, describing the future development prospects of the Baidu Search Engine.
Chu Yiren was not very good at investing in the internet field and was completely confused.
Lin Lang's eyes lit up, however, because at the beginning of Baidu's Entrepreneurship, the initial investment was only 1.2 million US dollars, and Baidu Company's current valuation was only 35 million chinese yuan.
"Chairman Lin, you've listened to me talk so much, are you interested in venture investing in our Baidu Company?"
Li Yanhong looked at Lin Lang with anticipation in his eyes, his expression somewhat nervous.
Lin Lang replied with a smile, "Li Zong should have also heard Ma Huateng say that Lin Lang's venture investment habit is to have an absolute majority stake. I wonder how much equity of your company Li Zong plans to offer in exchange for venture capital financing?"
Li Yanhong replied, "That depends on how determined Chairman Lin is to support our Baidu's Entrepreneurship and how much capital you are willing to venture invest."
Lin Lang replied confidently, "Lin Lang can go all out to fully support the development and application promotion of the Baidu Search Engine, continuously adding investment in phases until the Baidu Search Engine ranks first in Chinese search engines."
Li Yanhong's mouth split into a wide grin after hearing this, and he said with barely concealed excitement, "Good horses are common, but a discerning eye is hard to find!"
"If Chairman Lin can truly go all out to help me achieve my entrepreneurial dream, then it would be best for Chairman Lin to be the major shareholder with absolute control of Baidu."
"We Baidu are willing to offer 55% of the equity in exchange for Chairman Lin's 35 million chinese yuan venture capital financing. What do you think?"
Currently, Baidu Company's valuation is only 35 million chinese yuan.
Li Yanhong offering 55% of Baidu's equity in exchange for Lin Lang's 35 million venture capital financing is not a loss at the moment, and is even a gain.
Unexpectedly, Lin Lang replied, "I am willing to venture invest 50 million chinese yuan to acquire 65% of your Baidu's equity. No matter how you calculate it, Li Zong, you won't lose, right?"
50 million chinese yuan could directly acquire all of Baidu's shares, so why did Lin Lang only acquire 65% of Baidu's equity at a premium, deliberately leaving 35% of the equity for Li Yanhong?
Because the development of the Baidu Search Engine must be led by technical talents like Li Yanhong, who will dedicate years of painstaking effort with his team to achieve full success. Li Yanhong must be given some equity, otherwise who the hell will continue to develop Baidu?
Is Lang Ge going to lead a technical team himself and spend several years wholeheartedly developing Baidu for successful financing and listing?
Lang Ge's time is all used to enjoy life to the fullest. This kind of hard and tiring work should be left to Li Yanhong and his technical team to do well.
Upon hearing that the foolishly rich angel investor Lin Lang was willing to venture invest 50 million chinese yuan at a premium to acquire 65% of Baidu's equity, Li Yanhong was so shocked that he agreed without hesitation.
"Chairman Lin is truly a god of wealth!"
"With a financially strong backer like Chairman Lin venture investing in our Baidu Company, why would the Baidu Search Engine not achieve great success?!"
"Deal, deal!"
Li Yanhong shook hands with Lin Lang with barely concealed excitement, happily selling 65% of Baidu Company's equity for 50 million chinese yuan, which was definitely getting rich overnight in that year.
Why was Li Yanhong so happy?
Because Li Yanhong, who had just returned to China to start a business, after being appreciated and venture invested by Lin Lang, directly transformed from a little shrimp internet entrepreneur into a multi-millionaire with considerable wealth.