I am debating whether to invest in an angel round company led by my friend, Siyu Wang. Many early-stage investments fail, but I was considering supporting her. My friend, Lin Zhou, recently returned from the UK and joined me for dinner. We discussed the investment as we caught up on each other’s lives. Angel round is the most direct way of investing in a company. At such an early stage, it is not about big data or running regressions. You are basically betting on the founder. When it comes to betting on my friend, I have to think it through carefully. I have known Siyu for four years, and our relationship has been very good during that time. She is a short girl with brown hair and a pretty face. She is determined and innovative in personality. I am a tall guy with black hair. I am ambitious and strategic. As an entrepreneur, she is much more suitable than me, who is just an investor. “Have you finished discussing?” Lin Zhou asked impatiently. I nodded and said, “Yes.” “Then why are you still thinking about it?” “It’s just that I’m not very confident about it.” “You don’t have to be too confident.” Lin laughed and said, “The success rate of start-ups in China is only 1.7% compared to 10.4% in the US.” “Only 1.7%?” “Only 1.7%,” Lin emphasized and said, “And this data is from seven years ago. It is even lower now.” “That’s terrible.” Even though I had done some research before, I was still shocked to hear this number from Lin. He smiled and said, “That’s how it is. The success rate of start-ups in China has always been low.” After a pause, he continued: “This data includes all entrepreneurs who have ever wanted to start their own businesses, regardless of their capabilities or ideas.” “The founder of this company is Siyu Wang,” I said with a smile, “She was ranked first in her class from high school to university. “She is not just any entrepreneur. She has always been excellent in terms of performance, and she has a very strong character. You know her.” Lin nodded and said, “But that doesn’t mean she will succeed. In terms of individual abilities, most entrepreneurs are above average. Yet the success rate of start-ups is only 1.7%.” “I understand.” I really did understand what Lin was saying. But as long as it was Siyu, I was willing to take a risk. After all, it was not investing in a financial product, but investing in a friend. “Don’t be too optimistic.” Lin patted my shoulder and said, “The money you invest may not be able to get back. In fact, it will most likely be lost.” I would not have invested if I could not afford to lose it. In fact, according to my research, angel investments often lead to losses. But after knowing Siyu for four years, I was willing to invest the money even if it was lost. “Have you finished discussing?”

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Mar 29

Scenario: I've invested in an angel round company. I'm Tianming Zhao. Siyu Wang is my friend. I'm voting for Siyu Wang.

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I've invested in an angel round company. I'm Tianming Zhao. Siyu Wang is my friend. I'm voting for Siyu Wang.

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I am debating whether to invest in an angel round company led by my friend, Siyu Wang.Many early-stage investments fail, but I was considering supporting her.My friend, Lin Zhou, recently returned from the UK and joined me for dinner.We discussed the investment as we caught up on each other’s lives.Angel round is the most direct way of investing in a company.At such an early stage, it is not about big data or running regressions.You are basically betting on the founder.When it comes to betting on my friend, I have to think it through carefully.I have known Siyu for four years, and our relationship has been very good during that time.She is a short girl with brown hair and a pretty face.She is determined and innovative in personality.I am a tall guy with black hair.I am ambitious and strategic.As an entrepreneur, she is much more suitable than me, who is just an investor.“Have you finished discussing?”Lin Zhou asked impatiently.I nodded and said, “Yes.”“Then why are you still thinking about it?”“It’s just that I’m not very confident about it.”“You don’t have to be too confident.” Lin laughed and said, “The success rate of start-ups in China is only 1.7% compared to 10.4% in the US.”“Only 1.7%?”“Only 1.7%,” Lin emphasized and said, “And this data is from seven years ago.It is even lower now.”“That’s terrible.” Even though I had done some research before, I was still shocked to hear this number from Lin.He smiled and said, “That’s how it is.The success rate of start-ups in China has always been low.”After a pause, he continued: “This data includes all entrepreneurs who have ever wanted to start their own businesses, regardless of their capabilities or ideas.”“The founder of this company is Siyu Wang,” I said with a smile, “She was ranked first in her class from high school to university.“She is not just any entrepreneur.She has always been excellent in terms of performance, and she has a very strong character.You know her.”Lin nodded and said, “But that doesn’t mean she will succeed.In terms of individual abilities, most entrepreneurs are above average.Yet the success rate of start-ups is only 1.7%.”“I understand.” I really did understand what Lin was saying.But as long as it was Siyu, I was willing to take a risk.After all, it was not investing in a financial product, but investing in a friend.“Don’t be too optimistic.” Lin patted my shoulder and said, “The money you invest may not be able to get back.In fact, it will most likely be lost.”I would not have invested if I could not afford to lose it.In fact, according to my research, angel investments often lead to losses.But after knowing Siyu for four years, I was willing to invest the money even if it was lost.“Have you finished discussing?”

Siyu Wang sat down opposite me.“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I apologized, “I’m sorry for calling you out all of a sudden.”“It’s fine,” she said, “It’s rare for us to have dinner together.You can call me out at any time.”I smiled and asked, “Do you want anything to drink?”Siyu shook her head.I looked at Siyu Wang and saw that her face was different from usual today.She was always very confident and never hesitated when doing things.But today, she seemed hesitant.“You started your own company,” I said, “Why did you do that?”“I just want to make money,” she answered with a smile, and then asked, “Is there anything wrong with that?”“Of course there isn’t,” I smiled and said, “But it will take three to five years before your company can go public, right?And more than 90% of startups will fail.Even if they succeed, the return on investment for investors is not high.“How can you be so sure that my company will fail?”Siyu slightly frowned and asked, “Don’t you believe in me?”I don’t mean that,” I quickly explained, “I just want to ask, if your company fails, will you be able to accept it?”“I’ll treat it as a learning experience,” Siyu answered without hesitation.Although the possibility of failure is very low, there’s nothing that can’t be accepted.If my company really fails, then it’s my ability that is not good enough and not because of the lack of effort.”“But you’re still risking your savings and the money from the investors,” I continued to ask.“Are you sure it’s worth it?”“I know the risks involved,” Siyu answered.“But when there’s a possibility of making money, why should I give up on it?I’ll only lose if I don’t do anything, right?Moreover, it’s not just about money for me.”“Then what is it about?”I looked at her and asked.After being silent for a while, Siyu Wang stared at me and said, “If I don’t do something now, what should I do?How can I know if my current ability is enough?I just wanted to try it.”“Try and see if you’re good at it or not,” Siyu Wang answered and nodded, “And also to prove myself.”I looked at her and saw her serious expression.Letting out a sigh, I said: “I’ll invest.”“Are you sure?”“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”“I’m sure.” Then, I raised my glass, “To our successful cooperation.”Siyu Wang smiled and clinked glasses with me.After clinking our glasses, I asked: “Have you thought of the competition your company will face?”“There are countless companies in the same industry as mine, but not all of them will succeed.It doesn’t matter if they’re not successful,” she answered.“But if they succeeded, then they could surpass us.”

“You’re just a small company,” I said.“And your competitors are all giants.They have a lot of money, which is something you can’t compete with.The probability of you winning is almost zero.”“Then why would I want to invest in a company that’s going to fail?”“I didn’t say that your company will definitely fail,” I said.“I just said that there is a high probability of failure.No one knows what will happen until it actually happens.”Siyu Wang smiled and nodded, “That’s for sure.But didn’t you just say that if I failed, then it was because I wasn’t good enough?At least, one thing is for sure: I am good enough, right?”If I tell you the truth, then you won’t invest anymore.” She smiled and added: “But to be honest, yes, the chances of failure are high.There are a lot of giants in this industry, so it will be very difficult for us to compete with them.However, our product is unique and different from theirs.As long as we work hard, we will still have a chance to succeed.”“And there is a possibility that no one will use our product, right?If no one uses our product, then we will definitely fail.To be honest, when I saw Siyu Wang’s smile, I couldn’t help but smile too.Her smile was very contagious.She smiled softly and gently while looking straight at me.It made me feel like I was being mesmerized by her smile.Perhaps, this was the reason why I couldn’t help but smile too.When I smiled, Siyu Wang also smiled as well.She looked at me with a trace of playfulness and said: “Don’t worry.As long as you’re willing to invest in me, I’ll definitely make sure that your investment will not go down the drain.”“But you just said that if your company failed, then it was because you weren’t good enough?”I said as I pretended to be serious.Siyu Wang paused for a bit before looking at me with a serious expression.Then, she asked: “Do you trust me?”When I heard that question, I couldn’t help but be taken aback.I immediately raised my head and said: “I trust you.”“I know you trust me,” Siyu Wang said as she smiled at me.“Then why did you ask me if I trust you?”I stared at her and asked.“I just wanted to hear you say that you trust me,” Siyu Wang answered with a soft smile on her face.After hearing her answer, I was stunned for a moment.I suddenly felt that this girl in front of me was very interesting.“Since you trust me, then no matter what happens, you will not regret investing in my company, right?”Siyu Wang looked at me with a serious expression, “This investment is not a small amount of money.”“It’s fine, but I have to tell you first, if we really make a profit, then you have to treat me to a good meal,” I said as I smiled at her.

“Don’t worry, when the time comes, I’ll give you a treat.”When I heard what she said, I smiled at her again and replied: “That’s good then.”I continued: “But let’s talk about the details first.”“Okay, let’s talk about it.”After that, we sat down together and continued to discuss the details of the investment agreement in greater detail.The investment was just one part of what we were doing together.After agreeing on everything, we began to make our business plan step by step in an attempt to build a better future together.In fact, investment was just a small part of what we were doing together.The future of our startup depended on whether we could attract top-tier talents, maintain our competitive edge, and continue to maintain our momentum after the initial funding ran out.The company was initially not doing well, but after a few months, it had started to gain some traction.Siyu was working hard all day long.She had to travel frequently to meet with manufacturers, check their factories, conduct quality inspections of their products, negotiate prices, and sign contracts.She had to deal with all these things herself.She had to drive to different cities to carry out these tasks, so she was always very tired.Despite this, she had never complained about it.She would work overtime at night on a regular basis.Sometimes, when I returned from work, it would be late at night, and Siyu would still be working in the office.She would be busy drawing designs, writing documents, or packaging products.When Siyu was busy working on something, she often forgot to eat her meals.She would always sit in front of her computer with an empty cup beside her.When we went out for dinner together, she would often forget what she ordered earlier.As a result, she would order something else again.When we went out for dinner together, she would often forget what she ordered earlier.As a result, she would order something else again.On one occasion, when we were discussing the packaging design of our product, we got into a heated argument about whether we should print our product’s logo or not.After discussing it with her for some time, we couldn’t reach an agreement.I was so angry that I stood up and prepared to leave after saying goodbye to her.“Where are you going?”Siyu asked in confusion when she saw me preparing to leave.“I’m going home,” I said as I continued to pack my things up.“It’s already so late, so don’t go home anymore,” Siyu said as she pulled my hand back.In fact, I shouldn’t have left at all if Siyu hadn’t stopped me.It was just a matter of packaging design anyway.It wasn’t important at all.However, because we were both very stubborn people, we were always arguing about things like this all day long.

The next day, our company had to present our business plan to investors.The conference room was filled with people.There were more than 30 investors here, including me.Siyu walked up the stage in her professional attire, short brown hair, and her very confident smile.It only took her less than ten seconds to win the hearts of everyone in the room.When Siyu started speaking, she spoke quickly as she showed us the business model of our company on the big screen.Even though it was very simple, every word she said made sense.When she talked about the business opportunities, she also told us what kind of products we needed to design in the future to meet the needs of our customers.Besides, she also told us which regions our products would be sold in.When the presentation ended, there were no major problems with Siyu’s presentation.There were only some minor mistakes that needed to be corrected.The Q&A session would begin soon.After the presentation ended, Siyu let out a sigh of relief.Siyu had done her best, but she couldn’t predict what those industry experts would think.This wasn’t something that Siyu could control.The Q&A session began soon.The industry experts present were now showing their serious expressions.They didn’t seem to be very satisfied with our answers.As a result, they had many questions that they wanted to ask us.They had a very strong attitude.It was as if they had already decided that we weren’t a suitable target for investment.They had already made up their minds, and there was no way they could change it anymore.There was one person who was so serious that he even raised his hand to stop Siyu from speaking.Then he said, “You’re still too young.You don’t have much experience yet.I believe that it’s impossible for you to predict the future development trend accurately.”The investors on the stage were all very serious.One of them said, “I’ve seen many companies like yours.They usually focus on one business opportunity and ignore everything else.However, the trend would change with time.When the trend changed, their business would also be affected.As a result, they would have to change their business model.Unfortunately, some of these companies couldn’t keep up with the changes in the market.As a result, they could only fail.”Another investor also nodded and said, “I agree with what he said.The business model you designed now is too simple.You believe that it will bring you excellent benefits.However, you didn’t realize that it will also bring you a lot of pressure.”At this moment, I noticed that there was a man who looked very disdainful on the stage.He put his hands in his pockets.His footsteps were slow.He seemed to be very relaxed.However, his eyes were filled with disdain.It was as if he thought that we were just wasting his time by talking so much nonsense here.When it was Siyu’s turn to speak again, she could only force a smile on her face.“Thank you for pointing that out,” she said.“I agree with what you said.However, I believe that our product is necessary.

Many people don’t realize it yet.“Even if the trend changes, this necessity will not change.”“I know that I’m still young.My experience is not as rich as you all are.However, I will make every effort to learn from others.”The man who had been walking slowly finally walked up to the front of the stage.He looked at Siyu and said, “Whether your product is necessary or not is not determined by you.It is determined by your customers.”“Your customers may not be interested in your product at all,” he continued.Siyu’s face turned pale.She bit her lip and asked, “Are you saying that our product is meaningless?”The man shook his head and said, “I’ve already told you that it’s not me who decides whether your product is necessary or not.It’s your customers.”Siyu lowered her head slightly and looked at the ground.She didn’t seem to know how to respond to this question for a moment.At this moment, my heart was filled with anger.I wanted to shield her from all these negative comments immediately.At this moment, I realized that all the negative comments today were made by him alone.The other investors seemed to be more polite when they were speaking with us, but his words were full of disdain no matter how you listened to them.Siyu suddenly raised her head and asked, “But if you don’t have customers at all, how can you know whether your product is necessary or not?”“Only when you try it out, can you know whether it is necessary or not.”The man looked at Siyu, “You can’t say for sure now that your product is necessary.However, you’re also not sure that it’s unnecessary.”Siyu was a little agitated at the moment.She clenched her fists tightly, “I know the current situation of our company is not very good.”“But I believe that our product is necessary.”The man raised his eyebrows and asked, “And why do you think that way?”Siyu’s eyes turned red at the moment.She bit her lip tightly and didn’t say anything for a long time.I thought she was about to cry, but she just bit her lip tightly and looked at the ground, not saying anything at all.At this moment, my heart was filled with sadness for no reason at all.“Because…”She finally spoke after a long time, but she didn’t say why she thought so.She just looked up at him again and said, “I believe that our product is necessary.”There was a trace of stubbornness in her eyesat the moment when she was speaking those words.However, it disappeared very quickly.She lowered her head slightly again and looked at the ground again, as if she had lost some strength.He didn’t say anything for a while either.He just took a look at us and turned around, preparing to leave the room again.

I handled everything according to our usual practice.At the same time, my heart was filled with some complex emotions.I didn’t know where these emotions came from.I just had a feeling that I didn’t want Siyu to be wronged.Perhaps this was just because of our business partnership.Any business partner would hope that their partner wouldn’t be wronged.There was nothing special about it.It was just like how I would also feel uncomfortable when other people spoke badly of me.There was nothing special about it.A few days later, I realized that I was in love with her.The first time I realized my feelings for her was not long after using that product in the bathroom.I was scared at that time.I was afraid that my feelings for her would ruin our friendship and our business partnership.I didn’t dare to admit the fact that I liked her.So I thought that I had to suppress these feelings of mine and not acknowledge them.But I knew that I couldn’t control my feelings for her.Especially when I saw her being so persistent and so stubborn.When we were first starting out, many people told us that we would definitely fail.They also told us that our product was useless at all and that nobody would want to use it at all.During that time, most people thought that we were crazy.At that time, I felt like they were right too.Our product was really not perfect at all when we first started out.Many people criticized us during the early stages of our company too.But Siyu never compromised on anything.No matter what other people said or thought about us, she just refused to compromise at all.If anyone told her that our product was bad, then she would spare no effort in improving it until nobody could say anything bad about our product anymore.This made me very envious as well as very fond of her too.Because I never knew how to refuse other people's opinions at all in the past.However, she did know how to do so.She never changed.Even after we had become more and more successful, she never changed.Despite the fact that many people still thought that our product was of no use at all, she still insisted on it.She never said anything about it at all.She just wanted to prove them wrong.I knew that it wasn’t easy.I knew that it would be very difficult for us to prove them wrong.But I also believed in her decision from the bottom of my heart.Because I knew that she was right.Because I liked her, I always thought that she was right.“Can you show us your product now?”He asked me after the man left the room.I wasn’t in a very good mood at the moment.But I still showed him our product with a smile on my face.The two of us introduced our product in detail to the panel after that.When it was Siyu’s turn, she stood up and walked to the front of the screen, “I believe that our product is necessary.”She said these words again.

However, I saw that many people were rolling their eyes after she said those words.“So it is a product that is used by people who are disabled?”One of them asked her.“Yes.” She nodded her head and answered him calmly.“Then do you think that your company will be able to compete in the market?”Another person asked her another question again.The two of us were very familiar with these questions already.Our company didn’t have many competitors at all during the early stages of our company too.However, more and more people began to join our market during these five years too.This made all of these experts think that we wouldn’t survive at all.Many people also said that we were wasting our time and money on something like this.However, I never thought so at all.I never thought that we were wasting our time and money on something like this.People may think that we were crazy at that time too.However, things were very different now too.Many disabled people could have access to many things more easily than before because of us now too.I suddenly felt very angry when I thought about all of the things that people had said about us in the past too.I heard myself speaking with a serious expression on my face, “I know that there are many people who think that our company will not be able to survive in the market.”“I admit that our company is facing a very big challenge right now.”“But I have my own reasons for believing so.”“Most people don’t like trying out new things.”“Most people are afraid of trying out new things.”“And most people will definitely reject new things.”“This is because they are afraid of change.”“They are afraid of trying out new things.”“They are afraid of making mistakes.”“They are afraid of failure.”However, I believe that most people would definitely be willing to try out new things.”“This is because they will definitely want change.”“They will definitely want an improvement.”“They will definitely want something better.”“They will definitely want a breakthrough.”“Most people may reject new things at first.”“But most people will definitely accept it later on too.”“This is because most people are very intelligent.”“They have their own brains too.”“And they know what is right and what is wrong too.”“I believe in most people too.”“That’s why I believe in our company too.”“That’s why I believe in Siyu too.”“That’s why I have invested all of my money into our company too.”I heard myself speaking with a serious expression on my face once again, “Many people think that we are wasting our time and money on something like this.”“However, I never thought so at all.”“This is because I am not only investing in our product or our company.”“I am also investing in Siyu too.”“I have always believed in her vision as well as her decision too.”I felt myself taking a deep breath after saying those words too.I knew that I was not making any sense at all when I was saying those words.

However, I knew that I was just saying those words to make myself feel better at that moment.I saw Siyu nodding at me with a smile on her face.She then said, “I can only hope that the rest of the board members will think the same way as you are.”It was only then that I realized how serious I was when I was saying those words.And I saw myself nodding at her with a smile on my face.I then said, “I am sure that they will.”Siyu and I found ourselves talking about all of the things that had happened during the whole meeting later on.We found ourselves reflecting on what we had gone through during the presentations earlier on.We found ourselves thinking about how we were personally attacked by the other companies and investors as well.We knew that this was just how things worked in the industry.However, it was still very damaging to our confidence and pride.This was why I believed that Siyu would never be able to handle it at all.She was still very young and inexperienced after all.However, Siyu just laughed it off and said, “I am fine with it though.”“It’s not like I have never been attacked like this before.”“Most people have already underestimated me.”“They have already looked down on me.”“They have already rejected me.”“But most people don’t know who I am.”“They don’t know what I am capable of.”“They don’t know about my past experiences.”“They don’t know about my past achievements.”“They have no right to underestimate me.”“They have no right to look down on me.”“They have no right to reject me.”“They have no right to judge me.”“But I don’t care about any of these things anymore.”“This is because I have already achieved so much in life.”“And I will definitely achieve more in life too.”“That’s why I am sure that everything will be fine this time too.”I then asked her, “What do you mean by you have already achieved so much in life?”I then saw Siyu staring at me with a surprised expression on her face.And she said, “Don’t tell me that you don’t know about my past experiences at all?”I then saw Siyu looking rather disappointed with me as well.And she said, “I know that you are very stupid and forgetful too.”“But you should not pretend that you don’t even know me at all.”I felt myself getting annoyed when I heard her saying those things to me.And I said, “I am not stupid at all.”“I just have a lot of things going on in my mind right now too.”“And I don’t even have any time to think about my past either.”Siyu then asked me curiously, “I see…”“You have never thought about me even once at all?”“You have never thought about me getting married or being in a relationship at all?”“You have never thought about who would take care of me once you are gone?”