36Kr
 | |
Native name | 北京多氪信息科技有限公司 |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| Nasdaq: KRKR | |
| Industry | Media |
| Founded | December 2010 |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | Beijing, China |
Key people | Feng Dagang (CEO) |
| Revenue |  CN¥238.70 million (2023) |
 CN¥−89.25 million (2023) | |
| Total assets | CN¥458.97 million (2023) |
| Total equity | CN¥261.86 million (2023) |
Number of employees | 481 (2023) |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
36Kr (Chinese: 36氪; pinyin: 36 Kè) is a publicly listed Chinese media company that focuses on technology and financial news. It also is a data provider for entrepreneurs and investors.
It has been referred to as China's equivalent of TechCrunch.
Background
[edit]The origins of 36Kr can be traced to the new apps and gadgets tech blog written by Liu Chengcheng (刘成城), who was then a college student majoring in communication engineering at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.[2][3] He then attended the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for a master's program in data mining.[2]
By late 2010, 19 writers were regularly contributing to Liu's blog. It was then that Liu met Wang Xiao, one of the founders of Baidu, at a university alumni party. Wang offered to invest 300,000 yuan in his blog with Liu eventually accepting the money.[2]
That year, Liu Chengcheng established 36Kr.[3][4] Liu is a fan of Superman, who is from the planet Krypton. The element Krypton has the atomic number 36. Hence the company's name is named 36Kr.[2]
In July 2011, 36kr launched 36tr which is a database which collected entrepreneurial projects. A few exclusive investors could access the database. Throughout 2012 more than 1,000 projects were put on 36tr.[3]
36kr also launched 36kr+, a service platform that could provide resources to entrepreneurs.[3]
In 2014, 36Kr launched Kr Space, a business incubator which later became a provider of co-working spaces. It drew comparisons to WeWork. In 2016, Kr Space was spun off as an independent business.[4][5]
36Kr quickly expanded as more startups and investors went to the 36Kr site for news.[2][4] In 2015, 36Kr launched a financing platform that connected entrepreneurs and investors.[3] In 2016, 36Kr launched Jing Data, a subscription-based venture capital and private equity database.[4]As 36Kr gained exposure, it obtained funding from investors such as Alibaba Group, Matrix Partners and e.ventures[2][4] 36Kr was described as a sort of LinkedIn for Chinese startups.[2]
By the end of 2017, 36Kr had amassed a global readership of more than 150 million and published a total of 50,000 stories online.[4]
On 8 November 2019, 36Kr held its initial public offering by becoming a listed company on the Nasdaq raising $20 million. On its first day trading debut, its shares dropped 10%.[6]
In March 2022, Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba Group which held 15.1% in 36Kr sold its entire stake in the company.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "2023 Annual Report". 36Kr. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Zand, Bernhard (13 February 2014). "China Tech Start-Up Scene Turning Heads Globally". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e 方, 园婧 (21 April 2015). "36kr想当创业项目的入口". Jiemian News. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Deng, Iris (3 July 2018). "How the founder of a major Chinese tech news site is building a co-working space empire". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Baigorri, Manuel (31 May 2018). "Chinese WeWork Rival Seeks New Funding Round to Expand". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Yueqi, Yang (8 November 2019). "Chinese Tech News Site 36Kr Flops in Tough Week for U.S. IPOs". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Li, Jiaxing (14 March 2022). "Alibaba affiliate Ant sells stake in tech news site 36Kr". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 11 November 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.