The "2021 eBay National Cross-border E-commerce Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition" ushered in a peak showdown, and the winning team was signed on the spot by a venture capital institution

October 28, 2021, Hangzhou – The national finals of the "2021 eBay National Cross-border E-commerce Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition" ushered in a peak showdown in Hangzhou. 22 outstanding teams from the four major competition areas of North China, South China, East China and Midwest China competed in the final round. After fierce competition, 6 teams stood out and won the first, second and third prizes respectively, and received employment and entrepreneurship support. The "Kaixing Team" from Qianjiang College of Hangzhou Normal University took the lead and won the first prize in the country, received an entrepreneurial bonus of up to 100,000 yuan, and won the investment intention agreement signed on the spot by the venture capital institution.

【Photo description】 2021eBay National Cross-border E-commerce Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition Finals

eBay has been continuously investing in the training of cross-border e-commerce talents. As an important part of eBay's talent training program, the "2021 eBay National Cross-border E-commerce Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition" provides college students with a platform to gain an in-depth understanding of and participate in cross-border e-commerce. At the same time, eBay has also joined hands with local governments, investment institutions, high-quality cross-border e-commerce companies and partners to provide students with comprehensive support for employment and entrepreneurship, including the first, second and third prize teams in the finals will receive 100,000 yuan, 50,000 yuan and 30,000 yuan in entrepreneurial bonuses respectively; one year of exclusive coaching from eBay's exclusive account manager; employment opportunities in high-quality cross-border e-commerce companies; investment opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship by investment institutions; and Hangzhou's preferential policies and talent settlement policies.

Since the competition was launched in December 2020, it has received positive responses from universities across the country. 2560 teams from 288 universities, with a total of more than 10,000 people, have registered to participate, covering 27 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across the country. Over the past six months, participating teams have competed at various levels and competed for the winning teams in the four major sub-competition areas of North China, South China, East China, and Central and Western China, and finally selected 22 outstanding teams to enter the finals.

"As a new form and model of global trade, cross-border e-commerce is developing rapidly, and the demand for talent is becoming more and more prominent. Zhejiang, as the starting point of e-commerce, has always attached great importance to talent work. The cultivation of talent is related to how far and how fast an industry can go. The holding of this competition is a vivid practice of the Ministry of Education's vigorous promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship education for college students." Han Hongxiang, second-level inspector of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce, said.

Zheng Changqing, General Manager of eBay International Cross-border Trade Division in China, said: "As one of the world's largest and most dynamic trading platforms, eBay has been committed to promoting the development of the cross-border e-commerce retail export industry. We hope that through the competition, we can better connect the resources of the government, universities, enterprises and other parties, cultivate compound talents with international vision and resource integration capabilities, solve the problem of talent shortage in the industry; at the same time, we will encourage and guide outstanding college students to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship."

Since the competition officially launched the actual store operation in May this year , the participating teams have shown their talents. The sales categories cover almost all categories such as auto parts, home gardening, sports and outdoor products, and the destinations cover major global e-commerce markets including the United States, Australia, France, Italy and Spain.

At the finals, the contestants showed their abilities and talents in the form of roadshows. Through marketing demonstrations, video presentations, on-site defense and other methods, the team's cross-border e-commerce operation capabilities, teamwork capabilities, communication capabilities and innovative entrepreneurial capabilities were demonstrated in a multi-dimensional and comprehensive manner. The judges on the scene comprehensively considered the performance of the on-site roadshow and the scores of store operations. A total of 6 teams won the final and received funding and employment support. The "Kaixing Team" from Qianjiang College of Hangzhou Normal University won the first prize in the national competition, received a startup bonus of up to 100,000 yuan, and won the on-site signing of venture capital institutions. And 4 teams, including the "Zero Point Team", signed employment cooperation agreements with cross-border e-commerce companies on the spot.

[Photo description] eBay awarded the first prize "Kai Xing Team" with an entrepreneurial bonus

[Photo description] The first prize winner "Kaixing Team" was awarded venture capital on the spot

[Photo description] Group photo of the winning teams of the 2021 eBay National Cross-border E-commerce Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition Finals

[Photo Description] The winning team signed an employment cooperation agreement on the spot

"Success does not come overnight, nor is it all smooth sailing. This competition made me deeply realize the hardships of starting a business and gave me a clearer plan for my future. From the East China competition to the national finals, I watched my teammates work all night for business plans, product selection, and sales. Today we won the first prize, which is an affirmation and encouragement for us. Although the competition has come to an end today, we will continue this cross-border e-commerce 'career' that was started by the competition." Wu Jiacheng, captain of the "Kaixing Team", said with emotion.

Lian Yiwei, general manager of venture capital firm Linjiao E-commerce, exclaimed: "These student teams are not simple! We saw their vitality in the competition. They are quick to accept new things and lead the trend. The entrepreneurial teams we invested in were trained by 'eBay E Youth' in the early stage, and then trained and run-in after half a year of competition. The cost of trial and error in future entrepreneurship has been reduced a lot. In addition, we also see that these teams have a very strong sense of social and personal responsibility. They hope to sell their brands globally through cross-border e-commerce, which is very consistent with our demands."

Feng Jing, deputy secretary of the Gongshu District Committee and district head of Hangzhou, also extended an olive branch to the participating teams in his speech. He said, "Gongshu District has established the Canal Youth Entrepreneurship Alliance specifically for cross-border talents and issued a special policy, 'Seven Measures for Canal Youth Entrepreneurship', to provide all-round, multi-angle, precise and continuous entrepreneurial assistance for professional talents. We sincerely invite the cross-border talents present to take root in Gongshu and work together for a career."

Lu Chengnan, Chairman of Zhejiang International Trade Digital Technology Co., Ltd., the organizer of the competition, said: "As one of the organizers, we hope to take advantage of Zhejiang's e-commerce first-mover advantage and the good atmosphere of 'mass entrepreneurship and innovation'. On the one hand, we hope to discover and select a group of high-quality projects through the competition, gather and cultivate a group of high-quality talents; on the other hand, we are committed to building a comprehensive service platform for 'double innovation', providing professional services covering the entire industry chain and the entire process for young talents who are interested in using cross-border e-commerce to innovate and start businesses, and promote the development of the cross-border e-commerce industry."

It takes ten years to grow a tree, and a hundred years to cultivate a person. The road to cultivating talents in cross-border e-commerce is long and arduous. eBay will continue to work with the government, universities across the country, and industry ecosystem partners to continue to increase investment in cross-border e-commerce talent cultivation, "using competitions to train and competitions to promote learning", and prepare and guarantee talents for the sustainable development of the cross-border e-commerce industry.

Appendix: List of winners of the 2021 eBay National Cross-border E-commerce Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition Finals

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