JAMES LALONDE: The Language of Entrepreneurship

James LaLonde is a 6th generation Texan. He grew up on a ranch in South Austin and has had a very unexpected journey. He was part of Microsoft's early efforts in Japan, but he always had his eye on China.

#048 - The Language of Entrepreneurship  | James LaLonde

James LaLonde is a 6th generation Texan with a French-sounding name, but he’s been a student of Asia for decades. He grew up on a ranch in South Austin but his interest in and passion for languages and cultures led him on a very unexpected journey. He was an intern for IBM and later a key team member of Microsoft’s early efforts in Japan, but he always had his eye on China. He met his current partner and founded Yodo1, which has become the most successful private company in China's online gaming space. The story of Yodo1 is a podcast in itself, but there is a lot more to discuss - including James and partners’ new venture Yoli, which is the leading on-demand language learning app on WeChat. We also talk about his efforts mentoring young entrepreneurs for Chinaccellerator, his upcoming book The Tao of Startups (which he’s writing natively in English, Chinese, and Japanese for the different editions), the potential impact of China’s Belt and Road initiative and the new Free Trade Zone on Hainan Island, and much more. 

I’ve previously met James at two of the EO events that I released as bonus episodes, so if you’d like to hear him presenting to a live audience, be sure to check those out, too. Links to everything discussed are in the show notes, so be sure to check out James’ website and writings to to hear his thoughts on a wide range of issues from his highly accomplished, unique perspective. Enjoy!

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GUEST:
James Lalonde links and QR codes -
Yodo1:
http://www.yodo1.cn/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yodo1

Chinaccelerator bio:
https://chinaccelerator.com/mentors/james-lalonde/

LinkedIn: 
https://linkedin.com/in/jameslalonde

Yoli: 
http://yolichat.com/

Articles:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hainan-legend-making-james-lalonde/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/imitation-sincerest-form-flattery-james-lalonde/

The Tao of Startups (book page):
https://www.startuptaobook.com

HOST / SHOW:
“Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigFishMiddleKingdom/
Brendan Davis on WeChat: BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter: @VeritasInLux