Just an hour away from Shanghai by fast train is Hangzhou. Arguably the most entrepreneurial city in China, it is home to Alibaba, one of the most globally visible Chinese companies. The capital city of Zhejiang province boasts a vibrant start-up ecosystem of lesser known young companies, whose founders hope to emulate the success of Jack Ma, Alibaba’s founder.
Falafel Games is one such aspiring start-up. The company, which creates games for mobile devices, is an unknown entity to most western and Chinese audiences but has enjoyed much success in the Middle East. That is because Vince Ghossoub, its Lebanese founder and chief executive, set up a Chinese company to address what he saw as an opportunity to provide high-quality Arabic content to game-lovers.
Another young international entrepreneur in China is Julia Zotter, whose eponymous family chocolate business in Bergl, Austria, offers a range of unconventional flavours, such as bacon bits, pink coconut and fish marshmallow, saffron and pistachios, among its more than 400 chocolate products.