I am very proud and happy to announce that CIC has received a round of strategic investment. Since our start 3 years ago, we have seen substantial interest from investors in our technology, methodology and team. Choosing the right investors has taken considerable effort and patience, not unlike choosing a partner for marriage. I must admit that we have been rather picky in choosing our partner, but this investor team is very smart and we are honored to be working with them.

The team is led by Marc van der Chijs, co-founder of Tudou (the investment has NO relationship to Tudou). Individuals in the group have experience in Internet Word of Mouth (IWOM) industry in the West, raising capital in China, taking Chinese companies IPO, Chinese online gaming as well as experience in more traditional industries within China. Marc in particular has been an incredible mentor and help to me, well before our formal relationship was confirmed. I feel so fortunate to find an investor that is so honest, ethical and all in all a “top shelf guy” (as we say in America).

CIC has experienced phenomenal growth in the last 3 years and we see no signs of this letting up. We started providing IWOM research and consulting well before anyone in China really knew what that was, and as the marketing communications industry wakes up to IWOM”s impact and importance, we expect our growth to continue. We are fortunate to have ongoing strategic relationships with the most innovative and interesting companies in the world, some lasting 3 years. Contributing to the success of companies like Pepsi, Nike, and many others which I cannot name publicly, has taught us so much. We strive to be the best in pioneering the IWOM industry in China by working with the best. Having this investment and support will help us keep ahead of the game and accelerate our growth and development even more.