I recently interviewed Peony Li. Peony is originally from Hong Kong and now lives in London where she has her own stealth startup in the elderly healthcare space.
Peony moved from Hong Kong to UK in her teenage years, driven by a desire to study, work, and live in the UK. After graduating from Cambridge, she started her career within investment banking, followed by an incredible role as Head of Investments at Founders Factory, and then Head of Operations at Daye. Afterwards, Peony was driven to entrepreneurship and inspired to build a great business of her own.
Peony’s professional experience has brought her to the forefront of the most exciting businesses in Europe and her own life experience makes her attuned to China’s relationship with the rest of the world.
When you hear Peony’s perspective, you’ll learn a lot about the Chinese experience and the evolution of Asia over the last two decades. We talked a lot about soft power, which describes economic and cultural influence within international relations. There’s a major difference between being Chinese and being from Mainland China, a nuance that’s often misunderstood in the West. Different generations of Chinese immigrants to the West have pursued different things. The role of China (and more broadly, Asia) within Western society will continue to grow and become one of the most important topics of the next decade.
What did we talk about?
Peony’s story through investment banking, technology, and startups
The evolution of China’s economy and Chinese culture on the world stage
The role of soft power when talking about international relations
Misunderstandings and cultural stereotypes of the Chinese in the West
The future of business relationships between the East and West
As the world enters economic turmoil, the bright opportunity ahead
Peony’s Recommendations:
Sara Blakely’s Masterclass on Self-Made Entrepreneurship
My Interview with Peony Li - The Spirit of Entrepreneurship, International Soft Power and Evolving Chinese Identity