On September 6th, with the exposure of the second project of Innovation Works - Umeng, the company also gained significant industry attention due to its association with Kai-Fu Lee, the former president of Google Greater China. Recently, Umeng's founder, Fan Jiang, frankly stated that Kai-Fu Lee's reputation has become a valuable asset for the team in attracting talent.
Umeng primarily focuses on creating a mobile developer service platform.
It is understood that the Umeng team is one of the investment projects by Innovation Works, consisting of over ten members with an average age of only 26 years old. The founder, Fan Jiang, comes from Google China. Similar to the previously exposed first project of Innovation Works, Wandoujia (a mobile app manager), Umeng also focuses on the mobile internet sector.
Currently, the team's first product, "Mobile Platform Application Statistical Analysis Tool," has been launched. This tool is mainly aimed at China's mobile internet developers, helping them monitor and analyze user behavior, application error situations, user regional distribution, and collect user feedback.
Since being revealed as the second project of Innovation Works, Umeng, like Wandoujia, has received considerable industry attention. When discussing why Umeng ventured into the mobile internet sector, Fan Jiang pointed out that this market is vast and will grow faster than traditional internet. What took traditional internet ten years might only take mobile internet three years.
Fan Jiang emphasized that currently Umeng primarily focuses on creating a mobile developer service platform. From their perspective, Umeng's most important task now is to refine the product and attract more users and developers.
"Whenever a new industry emerges, there will be a wave of new entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs usually start from small teams or even individuals and gradually grow, so opportunities definitely exist for them."
Fan Jiang noted that from current data, a large portion of domestic mobile internet applications are developed by teams or even individuals, and they have a substantial user base. "They may initially pursue this due to interest and passion for the industry. Gradually, they turn into companies with opportunities to succeed in the mobile internet field."
Fan Jiang stressed that as the mobile developer service market grows, such as in three years, there will certainly be many profitable opportunities. Therefore, Umeng currently does not overly focus on profitability.
From Engineer to Project Founder
Previously, Fan Jiang was an engineer at Google China, working on the development of Google Maps. However, this year, he resigned to join Innovation Works as a project leader. Discussing this role transition, Fan Jiang mentioned that as a project leader, his considerations have become more comprehensive, focusing more on product execution and technical aspects.
Fan Jiang believes that the mindset of an engineer still influences him, but the users he faces are often developers, which experience helps him better understand user needs. "At this stage, we're not just promoting our product but also collecting user requirements. We spend a lot of effort communicating one-on-one with developers."
Fan Jiang pointed out that the team's basic needs mostly come from user suggestions. For instance, if a user reports an incorrect analysis report, after the team helps solve the problem, they incorporate the user's needs into the next version.
As an incubated project by Innovation Works, Fan Jiang admitted that the project received significant support from Innovation Works, including team formation, market cooperation, and leveraging Kai-Fu Lee's brand to attract more talent. Additionally, Innovation Works has many experienced successful entrepreneurs who provided immense help to the team. "This is particularly meaningful for someone like me with limited entrepreneurial experience."
"Through exchanges with these successful individuals, I can learn a lot—not just from experienced entrepreneurship mentors but also from various knowledge domains, allowing for rapid learning."
Below is the full transcript of Tencent Technology's exclusive interview with Umeng's founder, Fan Jiang:
Tencent Technology: Hello, netizens. Welcome to follow Tencent Technology's guest interviews. Sitting here with us is Fan Jiang, the founder of Umeng, which is also the second project exposed by Innovation Works. Let’s listen to Fan Jiang discuss wireless technology and his entrepreneurial thoughts. Please give a brief introduction to everyone.
Fan Jiang: Hello! I am Fan Jiang, the founder of the Umeng team at Innovation Works, and I'm glad to share some of my ideas with netizens.
Tencent Technology: What were you doing before joining Innovation Works?
Fan Jiang: I joined Google in 2006 and left this year, working on map-related R&D.
Tencent Technology: Why did Umeng decide to enter the wireless domain?
Fan Jiang: It was seeing the rapid growth and significant opportunities in the wireless domain over recent years. Personally, I’ve always had some entrepreneurial aspirations, and choosing this timing felt like a good opportunity to start something.
Umeng provides a series of services tailored for mobile developers in China’s mobile internet space. Our main product currently offers statistical services to mobile developers, helping them understand their applications' usage, error conditions, and user preferences.
Tencent Technology: When using Umeng or observing partners using it, what core data do they focus on?
Fan Jiang: Mobile internet differs significantly from traditional internet because mobile apps dominate at this stage, influenced by bandwidth and connectivity factors. In mobile internet, understanding app distribution channels and user retention after updates is crucial for developers.
Tencent Technology: Are the majority of your users small teams or individual developers?
Fan Jiang: Our primary service targets small teams and grassroots individual developers.
Tencent Technology: Can small individual developers compete effectively against large enterprises in the mobile internet space?
Fan Jiang: Any new industry, including the internet or mobile internet, will bring forth a new wave of entrepreneurs who usually start as small teams or individuals. Opportunities definitely exist for them. Currently, a significant portion of domestic mobile internet apps are developed by small teams or individuals with large user bases. They may start out of interest or passion and gradually grow into companies with potential in the mobile internet space.
Tencent Technology: Do you see more applications based on open platforms emerging?
Fan Jiang: Yes.
Tencent Technology: Based on your backend data, which areas are these individual teams focusing on?
Fan Jiang: Initially, mobile internet focused on entertainment and utility apps, gradually expanding into online games, e-commerce, and eventually reaching advertising levels. Many game developers, small teams, or individuals create apps out of personal interest and discover their popularity, leading to further growth.
Tencent Technology: How do they promote their products?
Fan Jiang: Promotion channels are relatively singular in China, primarily through app stores for Android and closed ecosystems like Apple's App Store.
Tencent Technology: How do domestic app stores compare with community growth in terms of user engagement?
Fan Jiang: Currently, app stores dominate, though mobile communities hold a certain proportion. As smartphone penetration increases among mainstream Chinese users, distribution channels may shift, reducing the influence of forums.
Tencent Technology: Are there any surprising numbers in Umeng's daily data?
Fan Jiang: Yes, mobile app developers focus on different metrics compared to traditional internet. For example, update frequencies and user engagement cycles vary significantly between apps.
Tencent Technology: How do small teams compare with large enterprises in terms of app longevity and sustainability?
Fan Jiang: Mobile internet introduces new features like location-based notifications, giving smaller, agile teams advantages in adapting quickly to new trends. Larger enterprises tend to extend their traditional services into the mobile space.
Tencent Technology: What differences exist between developing internet and mobile products?
Fan Jiang: Mobile internet involves frequent use during fragmented time periods and addresses different user needs compared to desktops. Features like push notifications and geolocation introduce new dimensions requiring a different mindset when designing products.
Tencent Technology: What challenges have you faced transitioning from an engineer to a founder?
Fan Jiang: Transitioning requires a broader perspective, considering both product and business angles while focusing on execution and technical details. My engineering background helps understand developer needs effectively.
Tencent Technology: How does Innovation Works assist you in this journey?
Fan Jiang: Innovation Works supplements my entrepreneurial shortcomings, especially in team building, leveraging Kai-Fu Lee's brand to attract talent, and facilitating partnerships. Learning from experienced entrepreneurs accelerates my growth.
Tencent Technology: What direction do you envision for profitability?
Fan Jiang: Currently, we prioritize growing the product and user base. With the market's growth, we expect profitable opportunities within a few years.
Tencent Technology: Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences.
Fan Jiang: Thank you.