Many years after the concept of digitalization was coined, small stores in local communities across the country remain some of the slowest movers when it comes to digital transformation, even though they are often the lifeblood of the economy. The post-pandemic world will need to figure out how to restore the resilience of these vital businesses and boost stable and sustainable economic growth. In this process, digitalization and smart operations may be the solution to these issues.

SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 20, 2020, YEAHKA LIMITED ("Yeahka", Stock Code: 09923.HK) will host the LINK 2020 Smart Business Ecosystem Summit (the "Summit") in Shenzhen. More than 100 C-suite executives from leading SaaS service providers will attend this annual event and jointly search for the key to a new world of digitalization.

Prominent speakers from SaaS businesses, research institutes, investors and regulators to share insights on the "small-store economy"

During the first half of 2020 when the entire society was paralyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, small and micro merchants found themselves among the most vulnerable, with outdated facilities and stale marketing methods. They began to see the need for digital transformation and to gradually upgrade from traffic-centric business models to full-life cycle smart operations.

According to statistics ^⑴, there are more than 100 million small stores across China, including restaurants, mom and pop shops and convenience stores. Most have been stagnant in their development due to a lack of digital awareness and capabilities.

These small and micro merchants come from various sectors, with different business models and digital needs. Yeahka's event will seek to find answers to this thorny issues and explore effective digital solutions that help them unleash synergies and build life cycle resilience.

The event will feature a number of prominent speakers, including SaaS leaders, researchers, investors and regulators. In particular, Yang Tao, Professor and Deputy Director-General at the National Institution for Finance & Development will deliver a keynote speech on economic and financial changes in the digital age and share his insights on macro finance policy and practice, financial markets, fintech, payments and settlement.

Wu Sitao, Director of Corporate Finance and Capital Markets at CLSA, will address how to leverage the capital markets to surpass competitors in challenging times. He has more than 12 years of experience in corporate finance and capital markets, and has led more than 20 capital market financing projects for companies.

Tan Beiping, Vice President of Mininglamp Technology Group, will also deliver a speech to demystify how to tap shifting consumer trends and digital marketing to boost business growth. Mininglamp Technology is popular among investors, having raised RMB2 billion and USD300 million in its D round and E round funding in March 2019 and March 2020, respectively.

In addition, Yeahka will release its "Small Business Big Dreams: 2020 Report on Small-Store Economy Dynamics", a report compiled in collaboration with iResearch that analyzes emerging trends in the small-store economy in China following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Summit will also invite senior executives from Joy Spreader Interactive Technology, RUIPOS, SmartMore Technology and Juewei Food to discuss emerging business trends and share their latest insights and cases for smart business enabled by digital transformation, covering industry policies, business strategies and technologies. There will also be a roundtable themed "How traffic, solutions, data and digital business services interact across the life cycle of business operations".

More than one hundred CEOs to discuss intelligent business solutions in China

It is worth noting that Zhu Zinan, Chairman and CEO of Joy Spreader Interactive Technology, will also attend and present at the Summit.

Joy Spreader Interactive Technology (Stock Code: 06988.HK) recently announced its plan to list on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange by issuing approximately 544 million shares, of which 10% will be publicly offered. As a cornerstone investor in the deal, Yeahka (09923.HK) will invest US$2 million in Joy Spreader Interactive Technology, becoming an important part of Yeahak's investment portfolio.

Joy Spreader Interactive Technology is just one of Yeahka's portfolio companies.

To shortlist more high-quality portfolio companies, Yeahka will host at the Summit a "LINK Night: Emerging CEO Salon", where CEOs of SaaS service providers from different industries will share their insights on the industry. Luke Liu, Founder and Chairman of the Board at Yeahka will attend the Summit.

RYK Capital Partners is an investment platform jointly established by Yeahka and its shareholder Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd., a renowned Japanese internet company.

Soon after the establishment of the investment platform, Yeahka, through RYK Capital Partners, increased its capital in Fushi Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.'s payment and service platform "Haoshengyi", and made an exclusive and strategic investment in Shenzhen Zhibaiwei Technology Development Co., Ltd., a SaaS software developer that specializes in the retail and catering sector in China.

As a vehicle for the development and enhancement of Yeahka's investment portfolio, "LINK Night: Emerging CEO Salon" will continue to attract new and outstanding companies to join. As the organizer of the LINK 2020 Smart Business Ecosystem Summit, Yeahka (Stock Code: 09923.HK) will continue to host industry events such as this going forward.