Staryoo.com is a revolutionary concept that will provide a Web-based trading platform for Chinese equities and securities investors and institutions. Staryoo.com will change the way millions of people invest in China. Particular to Staryoo.com will be investment features that have recently not been available to the investor in China, including, real-time stock price quotes, technical and fundamental analysis, expert commentary on market action and recommendations, investment forums and chat rooms, online bank transfers, remote pager notification, and educational material including books and tapes. The platforms' intelligent graphic interface will be fully configurable, thereby allowing users to optimize the interface to meet their level of experience and investing profile.
With both the development of the Chinese national super highway project and China's imminent membership into the World Trade Organization (WTO), Internet use and Internet investing will grow very rapidly. According to a recent report by the China Internet Information Center, there were 4.5 million Internet users in China as of June, 1999. This number is double the 1998 estimate and is expected to increase to 20 million by the end of 2000. Among the 45 million investors in China, 40 million are individual investors. It is anticipated that as foreign equities markets (in particular the U.S. markets) are made available to the individual investor, their trading volume will increase enormously. According to Mr. Pen Reng, Vice President for Shanghai Securities Co., LTD., the second largest brokerage in China, it is estimated that the number of individual investors in China will increase to 250 million by 2005. Staryoo.com has anticipated this trend and will be the first to support international trading.
The U.S. market for equity securities has grown dramatically in recent years. The large increase in the average daily trading volume on NASDAQ has resulted from the combination of historic market highs and the growing number of issuers listed on NASDAQ. At the same time, technology has advanced to the point where more investors are trading online. This has created a new class of self-reliant and value-oriented investors who are comfortable with electronic commerce. We believe that these same trends will develop in China and that we will be well positioned to take advantage of the significant market opportunity that will exist for faster, easier, more reliable, and less expensive trading systems.
Staryoo.com is based in Shanghai, China with a Sunnyvale, CA office. Initial seed capital and technical support has been provided by Starmile Systems Engineering, Co. LTD. (Starmile) located in Shuzhou, China. The goal of setting up Staryoo.com as a U.S.-based company is two-fold: the first is to facilitate the transition from a Chinese equities market to one allowing for the access of the U.S equities markets and, second, to quickly and efficiently allow Staryoo.com to go public in the U.S. To develop and market this trading platform, Staryoo.com will require heavy first and second round funding. Additional rounds of financing may be required by fourth quarter (Q4), 2002 to achieve the objectives listed below.
1.1 Objectives
- Alpha and Beta testing of Web-based platform, January 15, 2000 and May 15, 2000, respectively, with strategic partners in China.
- Complete negotiations with two large brokerage firms for initial deployment of trading platform by June 1, 2000.
- Secure first round funding by June, 2000.
- Staryoo.com available for individual investors beginning June 1, 2000 (without online trading).
- Staryoo.com available for online trading beginning September 15, 2000.
- U.S. equities markets available in China via Staryoo.com in Q2 2001*.
- Achieve revenues of £300,000 by year end, 2000.
- Sign up 18,000 members and 14 brokerages by Q4 2000.
- Deploy Staryoo.com as a trading platform in the U.S. by Q3 2002.
- Staryoo.com U.S. public company by Q42002.
* - anticipated WTO membership in Q4 2000.
1.2 Mission
It is Staryoo.com's mission to provide investors with the most comprehensive Web-based trading platform available. We will devote ourselves to the constant evolution of this trading platform by listening to our users and enhancing our product mix to satisfy their requirements. Staryoo.com is committed to providing an exceptional customer experience that will ensure investor trust and confidence. First class image, first class quality, and first class service will be our goals while making a fair profit for employees and investors. Recognizing that our employees are our most valued resource, Staryoo.com will nurture and reward its' employees as milestones are achieved, technologies are developed, and the company flourishes.
1.3 Keys to Success
To succeed in this business we must:
- Differentiating Staryoo.com's Web-based trading platform from all others with increased functionality and features required by investors for advanced Internet trading.
- Provide 100% customer satisfaction with Staryoo.com order transmission and customer service to ensure repeat and consistent usage.
- Provide 100% brokerage satisfaction with Staryoo.com online trading implementation and cost effectiveness.
- Leverage Starmile's technical expertise and client base to ensure that a wide range of customers are informed about Staryoo.com's equities trading platform and the advantages of using this platform.
Highlights
1.4 Strategic Advantage
Staryoo.com will have a competitive advantage over competing Web-based trading platform providers due to the following strategic reasons:
- Starmile has extensive technological knowledge in the fields of bank information processing including transaction processing, account inquires, and settlements.
- Starmile has developed a payment cryptography system certified by the National Cryptography Administration Committee and ISO9002 compliant.
- Starmile has developed an online non-Web-based security trading system for China JiangQian Tide. This system includes most of the functionality being proposed for the Staryoo.com trading platform, including: transactions and trading of Shanghai A shares, statement of account transactions/balance, Windows NT based, online retrieval of market reviews and exchange information, downloading of historical data, input of stock symbol and lookup, network security/firewall implementation, and built-in analysis systems.
- An experienced and diverse management team and Board of Directors. With backgrounds in the technology, banking and securities industries.
- Being a U.S. company with a solid relationship with Starmile provides a lower barrier of resistance for achieving market penetration in China: American companies will find it difficult to obtain market share due to cultural preferences.
