A Talk with Jocelin Zheng of Big Bang Coffee |?CEO郑晶琳访谈
Written by (作者): Ningbo Focus 《宁波聚焦》
Photos by (图片来源): Big Bang Coffee?无中生有咖啡
Ningbo is a city of business and entrepreneurship. As of last year, it was reported that well-over 10000 new innovative startup businesses had opened in the city last year. Plus, with a number of youth-centered maker spaces and incubators opening up throughout the city, its clear Ningbo is opening up to new business ideas and ventures from young people the world over. It goes without saying that Big Bang Coffee should be added to this list. The coffee shop doubles as a space where people can meet with professionals and staff to make their own company, and has hosted a number of excellent startup and entrepreneurship-centered events over the past few years with more on the way. We recently sat down with CEO Jocelin Zheng to learn more about the cool stuff happening at the coffee shop.
Big Bang has two locations, one in Yinzhou and one in Jiangbei. We went to check out the Yinzhou branch, stepping out of our cab to be greeted by a warm sun and the pristine outdoor plaza of Yinzhou Science & Technology Park. Posters for previous Big Bang events coated the mural-covered walls of the café, which had a wide open interior perfect for the events and meetings the shop hosts regularly. It was there we met Jocelin, a reserved yet lively young woman who studied computer science in university before getting hooked on entrepreneurship and aiding startups.
Big Bang’s mission is simple: they seek to turn Ningbo into a vibrant startup community that can eventually help connect the world. Inspired by similar coffee shops serving as startup incubators like Garage Café and 3W Café in Beijing, Jocelin and some of her friends decided to bring the idea to Ningbo, opening their first location in the Ningbo Hi-tech Park in 2013, chosen for its high concentration of entrepreneurs and small businesses. Later they were able to open their second location in Yinzhou, which Jocelin explains they picked due to its proximity to the universities.
Entreprenuership assistance wasn’t always Jocelin’s initial career path. In university she studied computer science and after graduation she found a job working for a startup incubator. Gaining more interest in the field and wanted to combine her love of coffee with something beneficial to the community, she got together with some friends to work on opening Big Bang. Since then, the coffee shop has become the go to name for startup aid programs, regularly hosting Ningbo Startup Week and Startup Grind at their two locations.
The two events have been greatly successful, focusing on helping foreigners and Chinese with setting up their startup in a short period and event presenting to judges and investors for funding. “At present,” Jocelin tells us, “around 10 startups have received funding upwards of 0.13 billion RMB, with at least 7 of the projects being successfully carried out.” More events are coming this Spring, and Jocelin is confident that more people will attend and be able to start more business this year.
Big Bang not only serves some good cups of joe but also is a great location for entrepreneurs to thrive. Along with constant meet ups and happenings for startups – featuring step-by-step aid and assistance from the Big Bang staff and volunteers – budding business owners can be certain their new ventures will do good. Plus, the shop even has a workshop and office space on their second floor if a startup needs a location to set up, making it a safe bet for new businesses.
Thanks to Jocelin and Big Bang, Ningbo is on the way to becoming a place where startups and new businesses can thrive, all over coffee in a comfortable setting, so you can’t go wrong with Big Bang.
宁波是一个商贸和创业城市。据初步统计，去年宁波新增创新型初创企业10000多家。此外，随着许多青年创业园或孵化基地在城市的各个角落不断涌现，宁波显然已经准备好为世界各地年轻人的创业梦想提供落地的机会。毫无疑问，无中生有咖啡也在此之列。它既是咖啡馆也是创业社区，创业者们可以在这里与导师或团队成员会面，共同探讨创业项目。他们在过去几年里已经举办过许多出色的创业活动，目前的活动则更加丰富多样。我们于近日约见了CEO郑晶琳，并从她那里了解到很多关于这家咖啡馆的趣事。
宁波有两家无中生有咖啡馆，一家在鄞州，另一家在余姚。我们与郑晶琳约在了鄞州店。走出出租车后，一个暖阳照耀下的崭新园区映入眼帘。咖啡馆外描绘着壁画的墙上贴着无咖先前举办过的活动的海报，店内格局宽敞开放，非常适合定期举办活动和会议。就是在这里，我们见到了郑晶琳，一位安静却又充满活力的年轻女士。
无咖的宗旨非常简单：成为一个立足宁波、链接全球的创业社区。受到像北京的车库咖啡和3W咖啡这样同样充当创业孵化中心的咖啡馆的启发，张晶琳以及她的几个朋友决定在宁波也开一家类似的咖啡馆，于是他们于2013年在高新区开了第一家无中生有咖啡。之所以选在高新区是因为那里是整个宁波创业者最集中的地方。后来他们在鄞州开了第二家店，郑晶琳解释说他们选择鄞州的原因是那里有很多大学和年轻人。
开这样一家咖啡馆并不是郑晶琳最初的职业规划。在大学里，她学的是计算机科学专业，毕业后去了创业孵化中心工作。由于对这一领域越来越感兴趣并想将她对咖啡的热爱和有益于社会的创业结合起来，她与朋友一同开办了无咖。从那时起，咖啡馆就成了创业扶持项目的开展地，两家店都会定期举办宁波创业周末和创业磨坊。
这两个活动都致力于帮助中外人士在短期内开设自己的创业公司，活动现场还会有评委和投资人出席，至今已经取得丰硕成果。“截至目前，”郑晶琳告诉我们，“大约有10个项目已经融到了资本，资本总额为1.3亿人民币，其中有7个项目正在顺利地执行中。”今年春季，无咖将会举办更多创业活动，郑晶琳相信会有更多人参与进来，并成功创建属于自己的公司。
无中生有咖啡除了供应优质的咖啡外，还是个能让创业者们茁壮成长的好地方。随着无咖员工和志愿者们在定期创客聚会和创业活动中为他们提供循序渐进的帮助和扶持，崭露头角的企业主们坚信自己的事业定会发展壮大。此外，咖啡馆二楼还有一个联合办公空间，能为初创公司提供办公场地。对于新企业来说，这是比较保险的选择。
多亏了郑晶琳和无中生有咖啡，宁波在创新创业蓬勃发展的路上更进了一步。如果你想在一个舒适的环境里畅享咖啡、潜心创业，不妨去无咖看看。
*在杂志三月刊第23页中，我们提到“宁波有两家无中生有咖啡馆，一家在鄞州，另一家在江北”，实际应为“另一家在余姚”。特此澄清。