What is MobileMonday?

Founded in Helsinki in 2000, MobileMonday (www.mobilemonday.net) is now the most developed mobile industry-related community and event organizer. MobileMonday is a non-profit organization, already running in more than 70 cities around the world, regrouping over 80,000 mobile professionals and holding over 400 events worldwide in 2007.

MobileMonday in Shanghai:

MobileMonday Shanghai (www.mobilemondayshanghai.net) is the leading networking community and series of mobile industry events in China. While still strongly focusing on mobile, it has become a platform for internet, technology, mobile and media professionals to meet and exchange.

Focused on the highly attractive mobile industry segment, well-located yet short-enough (3h on average, after business hours), MobileMonday Shanghai has become a favorite among tech entrepreneurs from Shanghai, from the rest of China and from overseas when they travel to Shanghai.

MobileMonday has met immediate success since it was launched in October 2006, and regularly draws between 100 and 150 guests at each meeting. MobileMonday Shanghai has so far hosted 16 events (as of 30/06/2008) on such relevant topics as mobile advertising, mobile user-generated content, mobile TV, mobile payment and transactions, mobile web 2.0, branded handsets, Mobile IM, Mobile gaming, Location-based services and social networking, mobile search, etc. Each topic is presented by leaders in the industry with majority of companies presenting, represented by their CEO’s.

In addition to the regular events organized by the MobileMonday Shanghai team, MobileMonday bi-weekly newsletter reaches out to over 3,000 registered members (database growing by 50 to 100 per month). These members represent the most comprehensive database of mobile and mobile affiliated industry professionals. MobileMonday Shanghai events are also accessible online to worldwide audiences.

Our media partnerships and other industry partnerships, ensure that MobileMonday member organizations and sponsors receive significant exposure through other channels too.

Organizers

Bruno Bensaid

Founder and Organizer, Mobilemonday Shanghai

• Bruno Bensaid is the managing director of Shanghaivest Limited, a boutique financial advisory firm focused on raising funds, M&A and investing in Chinese TMT startups at seed/early stage level. Bruno is also the founder of the Shanghai Chapter of MobileMonday, the premier mobile industry community and mobile-centric event organizer worldwide. www.mobilemondayshanghai.net
• In China since 1997, Bruno has held several executive positions in the local tech industry. In 2002-2005, Bruno worked as China COO of French gaming company In-Fusio, growing revenue from $100k to $3 Mil, and subscriber base from 0.3 to 5 million, and the acquisition of a local VAS company. Bruno also led operations of several other mobile software companies and consulted to French mobile operators on their China strategy.
• Since 2006, Bruno devotes his time coaching Chinese TMT startups as well as European VC funds (and their portfolio companies). Bruno worked on several M&A and operations in the social networking, online advertising and e-commerce fields in 2006-2008, which included a short stint at Ventech, a French VC firm with a China presence. Since founding Shanghaivest mid 2008, Bruno has facilitated fund raising at several local startups in e-commerce, internet and telecom value-added services. Bruno is also working on M&A placements.
• Bruno is a regular speaker and moderator at local and international mobile and internet conferences (GSMA, Ad:tech etc).
bruno @ mobilemondayshanghai.net

Sage Brennan

Sage Brennan, co-founder, is a principal at Pacific Sun, a Hong-Kong based Hedge Fund. In his past position, Sage was JLM Pacific Epoch’s Director of Research, where he was responsible for research projects. Brennan has worked as a technology analyst in China since 2000. Leveraging previous experience in the telecom and IT infrastructure industries in the U.S. along with more recent experiences in China, he contributes a weekly column covering China’s technology industry to Marketwatch. sage @ mobilemondayshanghai.net

Ranjit Singh

Ranjit is the CEO of Fugumobile Limited, a leading mobile marketing and gaming company headquarted in Shanghai and has a deep understanding of brand marketing, consumer entertainment and technology gained from over twelve years in the consumer, Internet and telecom industry.
Prior to Fugumobile, Ranjit was instrumental in the set up of Mobile2win in China and headed marketing solutions and international services for Mobile2win globally, based out of Shanghai, prior to the acquisition of its Chinese operations by Disney.

Ranjit has worked on approximately 200 mobile marketing campaigns for over 80 leading brands and has developed direct relationships with a large number of leading brands and agencies in China

Board of directors

Richard Robinson, CEO of Dada Asia

Presently Richard Robinson is the CEO of Dada Mobile Asia based in Beijing. Richard is initiating and overseeing all business operations across Asia Pacific for this global mobile entertainment player.
Richard is also on the Asia Board of the Mobile Entertainment Forum (www.m-e-f.org), a global trade association representing all participants in the mobile entertainment value chain. He also serves as a Board Advisor for ACL Wireless (www.acl-wireless.com) a dynamic New Delhi-based wireless instant messaging company (voted #1 fastest growing tech company in India in 2005 by Deloitte Consulting).

Previously, Richard was Vice President of International Business Development for Linktone (www.linktone.com), a leading provider of wireless value-added services to mobile phone users in China. Richard joined the company prior to its listing on NASDAQ which was a first globally for a company in the mobile entertainment space. In his role at Linktone, Richard sourced, closed and managed relationships with international wireless content partners such as Sony Music, Disney, Cartoon Network, Kodak, Reuters and NewsCorps’ Channel V, etc to bring their wireless content and services to the mobile Middle Kingdom.

Prior to Linktone, Richard served as Managing Director of China for Mobile Internet Group in Beijing where he oversaw all China client relationships and operations including closing a deal with Yao Ming to create a suite of mobile services for the China market around the NBA All-Star.
As part of the move to Mobile Internet Group, Richard was Founder and CEO of Mobile interactive Games Ltd, which he started in Beijing in October of 2001 in conjunction with MINT, a PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting funded incubator. MiG was fully acquired by Sun Microsystems invested Softgame Pty Ltd in late 2002 (subsequently renamed Mobile Internet Group Pty. Ltd.).

Richard received an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University in The Netherlands in 1996, and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1989.
Richard is married to a feisty Beijinger with whom is he has two wonderful sons. He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.

Nick Zhang, CEO of Mobile2Win

Nick is a seasoned executive of the China mobile and online value-added services industry. Currently CEO of Mobile2Win (acquired by a renowned international media group in 2006), he was previously a founder and CEO of 60 Seconds, a mobile content provider specializing in ringback tone, as well as the CEO from 2000 to 2003 of Linktone, a leading China-based mobile value added services provider (Nasdaq: LTON).

Prior to that, Nick held different executive positions for retail and manufacturing companies in China. Nick is an MBA gradudate from George Washington University, and hold a BA from Xian Foreign Language University.

Mr Tan Yinglan, Director for China, 3i Venturelab, INSEAD

Currently, Yinglan is the Centre Director of 3i VentureLab, INSEAD in China. As the representative for INSEAD in China, Yinglan is implementing expansion plans to enhance 3i Venturelab’s market share in the China market. He will be actively involved in venture opportunities, identifying high potential companies in China, working closely with CEOs in China and USA to develop and manage growth strategies for these high potential companies.

Yinglan serves in different organizations. He is currently a non-executive director of the International Center of Entreprenuership, a research center by Economic Development Board of Singapore and INSEAD. Yinglan is also a judge for the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition and is a mentor in the China Synergy Program. He is also a former President of Carnegie Mellon Economics Society.

A Singapore native, Yinglan graduated with University and College Honours from Carnegie Mellon University, USA, earning dual degrees: a B.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a B.Sc. in Economics. At graduation, Yinglan was awarded the William L. Everitt Student Excellence Award for being a distinguished graduate.

Mark Natkin, Founder and Managing Director of Marbridge Consulting

Marbridge Consulting is a Beijing-based market research and consulting firm specializing in mainland China’s telecommunications, media, and technology industries. Mark has over 10 years experience working in East Asia for telecommunications and IT focused consultancies and various major multi-nationals, including Weyerhaeuser, Qualcomm, Motorola, and General Electric.

He is a graduate of Princeton University, holds MBA and MA Asian studies degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, and is highly proficient in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.