If everyone is reborn, who will work for capital?

Chapter 78 Ma Chunmei is valuable

"Boss Geng, if we're going to raise funds, what percentage of shares do you think would be appropriate to give up?" Zhang Xuhao asked immediately.

"It depends on the market conditions and your leverage," Geng Zhi said seriously. "If we're in high demand, we can take more money and give up fewer shares. If the market is so-so and we urgently need money, then we'll have to sell more shares."

"Yes, that makes sense." Zhang Xuhao wholeheartedly agreed.

"So, Mr. Geng, how many shares are you planning to sell with your 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker'?" Kang Jia pressed for details.

After a brief hesitation, as if weighing his options, Geng Zhi finally spoke:

"To be honest, we are under a lot of competitive pressure right now and we need to seize the market, so we are prepared to give up 30% of our equity."

……

After leaving the Shancheng Chicken Pot restaurant, Geng Zhi wrapped his coat tighter and went straight to meet up with Li Haipeng.

Zhang Xuhao, Kang Jia, and Wang Yuan walked towards the Jiaotong University dormitory area while processing their conversation.

"Brother Hao, what are you thinking about? You look so deep in thought." Wang Yuan nudged Zhang Xuhao, who seemed lost in thought, with his elbow.

"I'm thinking... about Boss Geng's slip of the tongue just now." Zhang Xuhao didn't stop walking, his brows furrowed slightly, clearly still deep in thought.

"Brother Hao! That's exactly what I was thinking about!"

Kang Jia leaned closer and continued, "Especially when Boss Geng said, 'I only think of our products when I'm hungry'... The more I think about it, the more I feel that 'delivery when you're hungry' sounds better than 'delivery meals'!"

"What if... instead of 'Ele.me Delivery,' it were 'Ele.me'?" Zhang Xuhao suddenly stopped and turned to look at his two partners.

"Think about it—doesn't 'Hello?' sound more like a casual question? More vivid, more colloquial, and easier to remember and spread?"

Having just been baptized by straightforward "marketing" theories, Wang Yuan and Kang Jia felt enlightened when they heard Zhang Xuhao's suggestion.

"Hungry? Hey! This is great! I can picture it right now!" Wang Yuan slapped his thigh.

"Yes, from a communication perspective, this kind of colloquial question is more likely to trigger subconscious resonance and create memorable moments," Kang Jia added.

The three became more and more excited as they discussed, and before they even reached the dormitory building, they had already reached a consensus: to immediately launch a brand upgrade and officially rename "Fanjisong" to "Ele.me"!

Back in their familiar dormitory 526, the excitement subsided, and the three of them refocused on a more pressing issue—financing.

"Brother Hao, we're so grateful to Boss Geng for reminding us today!" Wang Yuan said indignantly, thinking of Zhu Xiaohu. "Otherwise, we'd still be foolishly reporting data to that smiling tiger Zhu Xiaohu regularly! He's been getting freeloaded from us for so long!"

"+1!" Kang Jia nodded vigorously. "Luckily, I met a really honest person like Boss Geng."

"That's right!" Zhang Xuhao made up his mind. "From today onwards, we'll no longer be led by the nose by Zhu Xiaohu! Our data will only be shown to investors who are truly interested!"

"Fine! I won't let him lead me by the nose anymore!" Zhang Xuhao was also very angry.

Having been taken advantage of for so long, even the good-tempered Zhang Xuhao was quite annoyed.

Having just jotted down the keywords "brand renaming," "online system," and "growth script" on his computer, the meticulous Konka turned around and lowered his voice, saying:

"Brother Hao, Wang Yuan, do you think Boss Geng mentioned that 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' is in contact with a venture capital firm with a warm heart? Could that venture capital firm be Arctic Capital?"

Zhang Xuhao was holding a water glass to his lips when his arm suddenly froze in mid-air.

"Exactly!" He slammed his cup down, splashing a few drops of water. "That's entirely possible! Teacher Jin learned about us through the entrepreneurship competition. If he can connect us with someone, he'll definitely connect us with Boss Geng, who won first place!"

"What if Arctic Capital thinks 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' is more mature and popular, and invests money in them? Wouldn't we be in trouble?" Kang Jia voiced his concerns.

The dormitory was quiet for a few seconds.

"No...it can't be that bad, can it?" Wang Yuan said somewhat uncertainly. "They're big investors; investing in one or two more companies shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Yes, definitely no problem! Arctic Capital is definitely a large company; investing in us and investing in them won't conflict." Zhang Xuhao said, but his actions betrayed his words as he immediately sat back down at his computer. "You two, hurry up, let's get this going and refine our strategy for the phone conversation with Arctic Capital again, making sure it's a perfect shot!"

Faced with the choice between his benefactor, Boss Geng, and his own project, it was clear that he had to choose himself.

……

Meanwhile, at the Starbucks coffee shop on the commercial street at the north gate of Jiaotong University.

Li Haipeng and Lin Zixia from Jiangsu TV sat facing each other.

The coffee in front of them had gone cold, and the previous small talk and friendly probing had long since ended, with the conversation entering a somewhat stalemate.

Lin Zixia adopted a businesslike attitude, attempting to gain the upper hand in terms of momentum:

"Li, on behalf of the Jiangsu Satellite TV program team, I would like to reiterate that the name of our upcoming major dating and matchmaking program is 'If You Are the One'."

"This is a major IP project with huge investment and high expectations. Your offline events using the exact same name as 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' will cause serious public confusion. We kindly request that you proactively change the event name to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Before Li Haipeng could answer, she added in a more conciliatory tone, "Out of support for college student entrepreneurship and recognition of your creativity, our program team is willing to provide some resource compensation, such as inviting your team to participate in the recording and observation of the program in the future."

Li Haipeng listened attentively, his brows furrowing slightly, but he was not intimidated by the other party's identity or words, and calmly retorted:

"Director Lin, I understand your position. But the 'If You Are the One' brand was built from scratch by our team through countless events. In Shanghai's university circles, this name already represents our provision of genuine, high-quality dating services; it's an intangible brand asset that we can't afford to give up."

"Furthermore, our event came first, followed by your station's program promotion, which has been reported by many media outlets. The confusion you're referring to is actually your station confusing us, isn't it?"

Lin Zixia's smile faded slightly, and she leaned back slowly, her voice filled with concern as she spoke:

"I understand your dedication to the project, but you also need to understand that our program is a key project for the TV station with a huge impact. If legal disputes arise due to the name, it could potentially cause unnecessary negative impact on the reputation of your alma mater, Shanghai Jiao Tong University."

"It's a good thing that Shanghai Jiao Tong University supports student entrepreneurship, but they certainly don't want to get involved in legal disputes, right?"

When Li Haipeng saw that Lin Zixia had indeed started to exert pressure through the school, he couldn't help but secretly admire Geng Zhi's insight and foresight.

He first feigned a confused expression, then smiled in a relaxed tone, "Oh, please don't worry about that at all. Perhaps you didn't do enough research before you came."

"Our company is a completely independent startup and has nothing to do with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Moreover, the founder and legal representative of the company is Ma Chunmei, and our CEO Ma is not a student of Shanghai Jiao Tong University."

For the first time since joining the company, Li Haipeng felt the value of Ma Chunmei.