Yalla: A Chinese Venture Built for the Middle East from Day One

Yalla, a Chinese Venture Abroad Going abroad is not quite the right description. Yalla was a social-entertainment tool for the Middle East from the outset, not a product first refined in China. It headed straight for the Middle Eastern market, targeting Muslim customers. Some observations: 1. The founder spent nearly seven years working and living in the Middle East and understood its distinctive Muslim cultural context. 2. The population is young and has spending power, yet lacked a social tool tailored to its religious and cultural setting. 3. Rather than please investors asking why it lacked video or virtual gifts for hosts, it focused on voice chat, partly because users preferred not to show their faces. --- What can we learn? 1. Do not crowd into supposedly obvious markets: China ten years ago, Southeast Asia five years ago, or Japan in the last year or two. Avoid crowds and establish that you have a distinctive advantage. 2. Do not necessarily build at home first. If targeting the Middle East, establish a presence there from the beginning rather than refining in Taiwan and copying abroad. 3. Every place has its own culture. America remains especially advantaged because products built there are more globally transferable. Yet distinctive cultures and religions still offer openings when understood deeply. 4. Difficult fundraising is acceptable. Do not change the purpose of serving customers, meeting needs, solving pain points, and building a good product to satisfy investors who know the market less well than you. 5. Build on your distinctive advantage and core niche. https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5maXJlc2lkZS5mbS9ndWlndXphb3poaWRhby9yc3M/episode/YTQzNDJlYmMtM2U3ZC00OWI2LTkzM2YtMTY4YTllMDMxZTJl?ep=14