The Do’s and Do Not’s of China Market Entry – with O’Melveny Managing Partner Walker Wallace

The Shunwei China Venture Capital Podcast

We sit down with Walker Wallace, managing partner of O’Melveny’s Shanghai office, to discuss how foreign tech companies should think about entering the China market. It’s worth noting that most tech start-ups should not even consider China entry in the early days, as building up tech and achieving a focused product-market fit should be the only priority, and a premature obsession over China could very well be a huge distraction. But for companies that have built up a relatively sustainable business and are looking to scale, a thoughtful, well executed China strategy could create significant value. Today we discuss: what type of tech companies should consider entering the China market? What should their key considerations be before designing a market entry strategy? What are the different options and structures available? How do JVs work, and what is the value exchange between JV partners? Any other best practices to keep in mind? Walker J. Wallace is a leader in O’Melveny’s China practice. He has extensive experience in international transactions and has worked with clients in a wide range of projects across Asia, from multi-nationals seeking to invest in China, to private equity funds pursuing investment strategies in Southeast Asia. In China, Walker has helped clients negotiate the complexities of investing and structuring business operations in numerous industries, including consumer products, healthcare, real estate, software, media and entertainment, retail and education. Walker has been working in the Shanghai office since 1997. He is the former Chairman of the Legal Committee for the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, and is the co-author of “Acquisitions of Companies with Chinese Assets,” “Foreign Private Equity Investment in China: Which Way to the Exit?,” “Onshore Financial Investing in China,” and “Enforcement on Defaulted Loans and Mortgage on Real Property under Chinese Law.” Walker was named as a leading lawyer by Chambers Asia 2016/2017 under the categories “China, Corporate/M&A” and “China, Private Equity: Buyouts (International Firms)”. Walker earned his J.D. from Columbia University, and his B.A., cum laude from Williams College. He is admitted to the bar of New York.