Former TCL O2O GM Joins the E-Cigarette Startup Wave!

On the evening of July 9, former TCL O2O General Manager Shan Xiaopeng announced his entry into the startup wave and the harm reduction field, bringing his first product, an e-cigarette.<\/span><\/p>

Shan Xiaopeng stated, “After six months of contemplation, research, product selection, and optimization, I am officially starting my entrepreneurial journey in the ‘harm reduction’ field. With a sincere heart, I will steadily lay out my plans in smart health hardware, nutritional meals, elderly care operations, and more, with the first product being an ‘e-cigarette’.”<\/span>
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The reason for choosing this field and product, Shan Xiaopeng said, “Stems from September 2018, when my father suddenly fell ill before my eyes; cancer made me deeply realize the importance of health and forced me to reflect on what is truly precious.……”<\/span><\/p>

In the second half of last year, Shan Xiaopeng accompanied his father in the battle against cancer. Just before his father was about to go into surgery, his father, a smoker for over 40 years, requested to smoke two cigarettes to relieve his pre-surgery anxiety. Watching his father exhale smoke rings, Shan Xiaopeng thought about how to help his father quit smoking or reduce the harm from cigarettes in the future.<\/span><\/p>

While accompanying his father through surgery and chemotherapy recovery, Shan Xiaopeng was also searching for solutions and conducting market research. He discovered that there are 1.1 billion smokers worldwide, with China accounting for 30%, and that the number increases by about 15 million every five years. Smokers average 15.2 cigarettes a day, which can increase by one cigarette every five years. However, under the nationwide anti-smoking trend, seeking new ways to relieve nicotine addiction has become a necessity. With hundreds of millions of smokers, e-cigarettes appear to be a massive market, not just a business opportunity, but also a benefit to the country and the people, allowing smokers to reduce harm while protecting family and friends from secondhand smoke. Thus, he decided to venture into the e-cigarette industry to address smokers' pain points.<\/span>
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After sharing his entrepreneurial idea with his mentor, “Working Queen” Wu Shihong, Wu Shihong affirmed Shan Xiaopeng's entrepreneurial courage, saying, “Go for it, I support you,” which gave Shan Xiaopeng even more confidence! Wu Shihong recognized that this is a harm reduction initiative and was optimistic about Shan Xiaopeng's potential for success, deciding to invest as an angel investor in the team.<\/span><\/p>

With his mentor's affirmation, Shan Xiaopeng became even more determined to pursue his entrepreneurial vision. He quickly assembled a team, with core members from Alibaba, Tencent, TCL, Xiaomi, Lenovo, OPPO, and others resigning to join him in his venture.<\/span><\/p>

After six months of research, product selection, and optimization, Shan Xiaopeng shared that he tried over 50 brands and more than 200 types of e-cigarettes, sometimes using three or four pods in a single day, equivalent to five or six packs of traditional cigarettes, all to focus on addressing the current issues of taste and oil leakage in e-cigarettes. Shan Xiaopeng stated that the first e-cigarette product is about to be launched, and it will definitely surprise everyone.<\/span><\/p>

Shan Xiaopeng remarked: “Currently, the e-cigarette industry is at a stage similar to the transition from traditional feature phones to smart devices, which was also filled with controversy. We actively face the market and adapt to policy changes. Since I chose to start a business, I will firmly pursue it. Many developments will precede policy changes, and I believe that an excellent team can find enough space to thrive.”<\/span><\/p>