Guanglong Zeng (L) of EHANG shows attendees the Skyway drone at the 2015 International CES at the... [+]
Large Chinese tech companies such as
Indeed, if you're looking for a sign that Chinese tech companies are their way up, consider that one in four of the exhibitors at CES were from China! I did hear a lot of Mandarin.
Although the Chinese tech titans took center stage at CES, it was the startups from China that caught my eye. They are thinking big, gaining confidence and seem to have few qualms about their ability to scale up outside China.
A Chinese drone maker, EHANG, stole attention from the many competitors that had drones on display at CES, and won kudos for their drone's easy-to-use features. Co-founders Derrick Xiong and Huazhi Hu are now shuttling from Beijing to Guangzhou to the Valley to ramp up their Ghost Drone product with more R&D power and marketing. With EHANG and Ghost Drone, you have to give it to them for good brand names!
Another China-influenced invention, Handscape, also drew interest at CES. Handscape has a patented technology that allows users to tap or swipe their mobile device from the back side of screens without obscuring the screen with their hands. This sort-of-weird but practical technology works this way: HandScape smart case attaches to an iPad and includes multi-touch touchpad technology on the backside of the tablet. The user can interact with the iPad using all fingers from both hands, and can, in effect, see through the device. You have to see it to believe it.
Handscape is the brainchild of Tong Luo, founder and CEO, a PhD graduate in computer science from Duke University who sports Bachelors and Masters in electrical engineering from Xi'An Jiaotong University and University of Science and Technology in China, plus 15 years' experience at such tech-heavy places as Bell Labs GTE Labs. Originally from China, he founded Handscape in 2013 in Silicon Valley, and is now putting all his energy into make it a success.
Lepow International, a mobile device accessories company that hails from southern China, made a splash too at CES with its creative designs for portable battery packs, Bluetooth speakers and messenger bags/backpacks with high tech features. Jackie Fan, Lepow's founder and CEO, is from Shenzhen and has recently moved to Silicon Valley to get a jumpstart on taking the products globally.
The co-founders of Handscape and EHANG will be speaking at our Silicon Dragon Valley 2015 event, February 5, in Palo Alto.
