China Development Financial (hereinafter CDF) has for the sixth time opened the CDF Forum – Venture Capital and Investment Banking Practice program at National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Business Administration. So that students will understand how investment and management is done within the cultural creativity industry, Mr. Liu Shao-liang, Chairman of CDIB Venture Capital, invited investment partners to shed light on the mysteries of the cultural creative industry, such as how e-commerce businesses conducted the November 11 Shopping Festival, how Taiwan’s traditional arts entered Japan, and how performing artist agencies pitched famous Taiwanese singers Jiang Hui & Fei Yu-ching, and Cats (musical) at the same time. Participants are of the consensus that Taiwan has an edge in soft power, but suggest using Taiwan as a to expand outward.
CDF Forum – Venture Capital and Investment Banking Practice offers a series of specialized lectures for students, touching on private equity funds and digital finance, as well as other innovative businesses. In the sixty long years of CDF history, students have found its recent investment in the cultural and creative industry especially interesting. Thus, CDIB Venture Capital’s Chairman Liu Shao-liang has leveraged his experience and connections to enrich the program, inviting Mr. Guo Zon-ling, CFO of Pili International Multimedia, Mr. Shih Kai-wen, CEO of Jollywiz, and Mr. Wang Sheng-bo, CFO of Kham Inc. as guest speakers to educate students about the current state of Taiwan’s cultural and creative industry.
Mr. Kuo Zon-ling says that for expansion purposes, Pili has made an effort to lay down cultural roots, generate creative momentum, and sharpen technical abilities needed to create high-quality content compatible with market needs in the new-economy age. Pili has leveraged Taiwan’s unique glove puppetry to expand internationally. Kham has also been dedicated to expanding overseas. CFO Wang Sheng-bo says concerts, exhibits, and musicals have seen demand growth slow within Taiwan, so once Kham became established as a local leader, it aggressively sought opportunities in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and mainland China. The company has transformed from an agency to a production house by developing proprietary content and establishing copyrights, and has rolled out a diverse portfolio of performances and exhibits. Jollywiz thinks that Chinese consumers have bid farewell to old retail consumption models and are demanding high-quality and personalized products. CEO Shih Kai-wen thinks now is a good time for brand development, recommending brand players to use e-commerce to penetrate China’s consumer market, as marketing based on big-data is the way forward in retail brand development.
CDIB Venture Capital’s Chairman Mr. Liu points out the core issue of Taiwan’s cultural and creative industry, including market, talents and directions. Vice President Liu Ze-sheng of CDIB Capital Management says the cultural and creative industry needs souls that touch people inside and ideas that are constantly renewed to succeed. Be it Pili and Kham, leading players in the cultural creative industry, or Jollywiz, an example of leading industry into culture/creativity, these firms have succeeded in thinking outside of the box to blend cultural and creative elements with commerce, creating value for both enterprises and consumers.
CDF Forum – Venture Capital and Investment Banking Practice enables students to get first-hand guidance from mentors within the industry. Professor Chen Wen-hua, the head course instructor, says students value the opportunity to hear from well-known industry professionals. For us at CDF, education is always the best investment and we are happy to see positive influence coming from cooperation between industry and academia.
