-- Yahui Zhou's story is not just about simple wealth accumulation or business expansion, but also a complete narrative about continuous learning, strategic pivots, and execution. At every critical juncture, he seems to be able to grasp the pulse of the times.
01 Initial entrepreneurial experience, the entrepreneurial seed in Tsinghua University
In 2000, Yahui Zhou, a student from the Department of Precision Instrumentation at Tsinghua University, became one of the first students to apply for a leave of absence to start his own business. He and his classmates founded the animation website "HuoShenWang" and received a venture capital investment of 500,000 yuan from Tsinghua Science Park. Although this experience did not achieve commercial success, it planted the seed of entrepreneurship in Yahui Zhou's heart.
His first entrepreneurial attempt taught him the importance of combining technology and business in entrepreneurship, and laid a unique foundation for his career. When Yahui Zhou later summarized this experience, he pointed out that "not understanding technology enough" was the key factor that prevented Huoshen.com from making breakthroughs.
This initial entrepreneurial experience shaped Yahui Zhou's unique mindset. His candid attitude towards failure and ability to learn from it became important assets for him later when facing more complex business environments.
02 The Key to Transformation: The Crossover Path from Gaming to Investment
In 2008, Yahui Zhou founded Kunlun Tech, initially focusing on web game development and overseas distribution. Unlike domestic gaming companies at the time, which were closely focused on the local market, Kunlun Tech adopted a strategy of going global, avoiding direct competition with giants such as Tencent and NetEase.
By expanding overseas through web games, Kunlun Tech quickly gained a foothold in the Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian markets, and successfully listed on the ChiNext board in 2015. After going public, Yahui Zhou's vision broadened, and he began the investment layout stage.
He has invested in companies such as Qudian and Yingke, with the investment return on Qudian being as high as tens of times, earning him the title of "unicorn hunter". However, Yahui Zhou clearly realized that investment is only a way for him to understand the business world, not the end goal.
03 The turning point in OPay's strategic focus, from diversified investment to strategic concentration
Occurred at the end of 2020. Yahui Zhou made an unexpected decision: to resign as chairman of Kunlun Tech and devote over 60% of his time and energy to OPay.
This decision stems from his profound insight into emerging markets. As early as 2016, Kunlun Tech acquired Opera, a Norwegian browser company, and OPay is the African mobile payment platform incubated by Opera in 2018.
Yahui Zhou saw a blue ocean market: the combination of Africa's hundreds of millions of "unbanked" people and the increasingly popular smartphones is driving a huge demand for mobile payments. He described the African market as "the most potential Internet market in the next decade".
04 The Art of Execution: Strategic Retrenchment and Deep Market Penetration
OPay's journey was not smooth sailing. In its early days, the company ventured into diversified expansion, entering into motorcycle ride-hailing (ORide) and food delivery (OFood) businesses, but soon faced challenges from local policy restrictions and financial pressures.
In early 2020, Yahui Zhou and the OPay management team made a pivotal decision: to strategically retreat, shut down non-core businesses across the board, and focus on the core business of mobile payments. This decision required immense courage at the time, but it laid the foundation for the company's subsequent rapid growth.
OPay, which focuses on payment services, has swiftly emerged as the leading mobile payment platform in Nigeria. Data indicates that OPay's share of the Nigerian mobile wallet market has reached 51%, with monthly transaction processing exceeding $12 billion.
05 Growth of Values: From ROI-Driven to Mission-Driven
Yahui Zhou's entrepreneurial journey is not only about the expansion of his business empire, but also about the evolution of his personal values. He openly admits to having undergone a transformation from being "ROI-driven" to being "mission-driven".
"I used to be a very typical ROI-driven person," Yahui Zhou once shared, "but now I increasingly realize that for entrepreneurs, time is the most precious cost, not money. We should invest our time in undertakings that truly create value." This shift in values is reflected in his long-term commitment to OPay. Unlike investors who chase short-term returns, Yahui Zhou is willing to invest years or even longer in projects like OPay.
Nowadays, Yahui Zhou spends at least one-third of his time each year in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, gaining a deep understanding of the local markets. Yahui Zhou has set a longer-term goal for OPay: by 2031, to serve 1 billion users and 10 million merchants worldwide, creating 3 million job opportunities.
When street vendors in Africa use OPay, they are not only using a payment tool, but also a bridge connecting to the global financial system.
Contact Info:
Name: Bob
Email: Send Email
Organization: Opay
Website: https://www.opayweb.com/
Release ID: 89182083
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