I'm back in 1990

Chapter 1061: A Different Perspective on the Issue

Back in her dorm, Tang Ruixuan sat down at her desk and carefully reviewed Tong Hua's fundraising plan again. To be honest, she had no trouble understanding the technical aspects; Tong Hua's approach to continuous speech recognition was indeed very innovative.

After reading it, she fell into deep thought.

"Xuanxuan, what are you thinking about?" Lin Weiwei had just dried her hair and was now holding a hairdryer to dry Tang Ruixuan's hair.

"By the way, is Senior Tong trying to borrow money from you?" She was standing next to him downstairs, so she overheard some of what they were saying.

"Yes and no. Senior Tong is planning to start a business, but he's short of money, so he wanted me to help him find investors," Tang Ruixuan replied casually.

"Oh! Is that so? Here, let me blow-dry your hair." Lin Weiwei didn't ask any more questions. These weren't things she was interested in. The most important thing now was to dry her roommate's hair.

While Lin Weiwei was blow-drying her hair, Tang Ruixuan stared at the five million on the project proposal, constantly calculating in her mind.

She didn't have that much cash herself, but it wasn't entirely out of the question. She just needed to ask her uncle about it.

After drying her hair, she made an excuse to go for a walk on the playground and went out to make a phone call.

The call connected quickly: "Xuanxuan, what made you think of calling me today?" came the voice of her uncle, Huang Xiaochuan, from the other end of the line.

"Uncle," Tang Ruixuan briefly explained Tong Hua's situation, including his current research direction, technological progress, published papers, and difficulties in financing.

"He needs five million, which may be too small for you, Uncle. So I just wanted to ask if you know any other investors you could recommend."

Huang Xiaochuan laughed: "Xuanxuan, why didn't you think of investing in this project yourself?"

"Me?" Tang Ruixuan was taken aback. "I don't have that much cash!"

"I'm not telling you to take it from your allowance. I'm saying you should invest in him as an angel investor." Huang Xiaochuan felt he needed to teach his niece a lesson. "You just mentioned Tong Hua, you understand his technical area, and you have a basic understanding of his character. Aren't these the qualities an investor should have?"

Tang Ruixuan held her phone, and she began to understand.

"Here's what we'll do. I'll cover the five million for you. Remember, this isn't pocket money; it's my first investment for you. Tomorrow, I'll have the legal and financial people contact you. They'll assist you with due diligence and signing the agreement. But remember, the decision is yours. You decide whether to invest, and if you do, under what conditions. You have to decide all of that yourself." Huang Xiaochuan was doing this to train his niece. In his view, these were things she would have to deal with sooner or later, and it was better to get involved sooner rather than later.

"Uncle, I..." Tang Ruixuan felt somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected her uncle to make such an arrangement.

Huang Xiaochuan interrupted his niece: "Xuanxuan! Let me finish. I've been in business for many years and have seen too many entrepreneurs. Do you know what's most important in early-stage investment? It's not the business model, not the market size, not even the technology, it's the people! Does the entrepreneur have resilience? Does he have the ability to learn? Will he give up when he encounters difficulties? These are the most crucial things. You can't see these things in financial statements, but you often see them in school, so you should be able to tell."

Tang Ruixuan listened quietly. Her father couldn't explain these things; it was her uncle who could.

Over the phone, Huang Xiaochuan continued to share his experience with his niece: "Another characteristic of technology investment is that the best investment opportunities are when most people don't understand it. Once others understand it, the value will have multiplied many times over. You're in school, closest to the forefront of technology, which is your biggest advantage. You can see earlier than those investors sitting in offices what technologies can truly be broken through and who are truly capable."

But Tang Ruixuan still hesitated, after all, investing wasn't her forte: "But Uncle, I know absolutely nothing about investing!"

Huang Xiaochuan patiently said, "If you don't understand, you can learn. I will arrange for an experienced investment manager to explain it to you in detail. With your intelligence, I believe you will quickly grasp the knack. Remember, investing is not gambling, but making decisions based on your understanding. You understand the technology, that's understanding; you understand this entrepreneur, that's also understanding. With these two points, you are much better than most investors. As for the intricacies of business, those can be learned gradually."

Hearing this, Tang Ruixuan nodded: "Then I'll give it a try! But I'll figure out the money myself, you don't need to give me any."

"It's not about trying it out, it's about doing it seriously. Five million may not be much to your uncle, but it's your first investment. You have to be responsible for this money. After you invest, you're not done with it. You have to help your investee sort out their direction, introduce resources, and even encourage them when they're confused. A good investor is a partner to the entrepreneur, not a hands-off manager."

"I understand, Uncle!" Tang Ruixuan said solemnly.

Seeing that his niece understood his meaning, Huang Xiaochuan smiled and then instructed, "Alright, a lawyer will contact you tomorrow. He will handle all your legal documents from now on. As for your senior, observe him for a while longer. Find some time to have a meal with him and have a serious talk. Remember, before you make an investment decision, you need to know more about the person than you know about his project."

After hanging up the phone, Huang Xiaochuan thought for a moment, then called Gao Song and asked him to look into Tong Hua.

When she returned to the dormitory, Chen Yue and Zhou Xiaoyu had also returned. Lin Weiwei was already in bed, looking at something on a tablet.

Tang Ruixuan thought for a moment and asked, "Weiwei, do you think it would be presumptuous of me to invite Senior Tong to dinner?"

Before Lin Weiwei could react, Chen Yue, with a gossipy look on her face, darted to Tang Ruixuan's side: "What's going on?"

Zhou Xiaoyu looked shocked, while Lin Weiwei threw the tablet aside and quickly got off the bed.

"No way? Xuanxuan, you've fallen for someone else?"

As everyone knows, for more than two years, Tang Ruixuan has been conservative about dating in college. Today's sudden move has surprised her roommates in room 301.

"What are you thinking about?" Tang Ruixuan rolled her eyes at the three of them. "I need to talk to Senior Tong about serious matters."

Chen Yue drawled, "Oh, you want to talk to Senior Tong about serious matters? Then I'll go ask him for you and see if he'd be willing to come out for dinner with you."

Tang Ruixuan ignored the three gossipy women and sat back down at her desk, picking up the financing plan again. This time, she looked at the plan from a different perspective.