China-based professional social network, Ushi, shared some of its plans for the future today. And they are ambitious plans too, I think.
In the statement, Ushi said that it is looking to be profitable by 2013. And it is going to do it by providing human resources solutions to HR managers, helping them find talent across its network. Ushi’s core members are white collar workers, investors, HR managers, and entrepreneurs, so the product will be built to cater for this core group.
Regarding LinkedIn, Ushi believes that the U.S.-headquartered professional network isn’t working well in China. Ushi explains that LinkedIn’s “Do it yourself” model hasn’t been popular in China. In contrast, China-based Ushi claims it understands what professionals in the country really want and thus is “gradually gaining acceptance” in the market.
Ushi is also looking to the West for inspiration on how it could better engage with entrepreneurs and investors who are registered on its network. In fact, CEO Dominic Penaloza is currently in the U.S. discussing the possibility of working with AngelList closely. Penaloza said that Ushi has been studying how AngelList works, so it looks like there’s a fair chance that Ushi will have AngelList-like features in the future too. On a side note, there are in fact similar services in China, like AngelCrunch for example.
Personally, I’m not sure what exactly the communication goals are for Ushi. I would have thought most Chinese companies are usually silent about their strategic movements, so as not, to use a Chinese expression (“hit the grass and alert the snake“). But Ushi seems to be pretty transparent about its plans and I’m sure competitors are listening.
A month ago, you may recall, we reported that Ushi aims to raise $5 million this year.
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