Xiaomi Eco-chain Enterprise Konjac Technology is planning to launch an e-cigarette brand, and the company’s founder is Xiaomi’s top 25th employee Zhong Yufei. However, whether the e-cigarette product will use the Xiaomi or Mijia brand is still unknown.
Tianyancha information shows that Beijing Konjac Technology Co., Ltd. was established in March 2019, and the legal representative and major shareholder are Zhong Yufei. It is worth noting that Zhong Yufei had already followed Lei Jun in the Jinshan period. He served as the manager of Xiaomi’s mobile phone operation at Xiaomi Company, and was also the 21st Xiaomi old employee.
In addition, Zhong Yufei holds 80% of shares in Konjac Technology, while Tianjin Jinmi Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership) holds 10%. Tianjin Jinmi Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership) is actually the company of Xiaomi which is responsible for investing in Xiaomi eco-chain enterprises. It has invested in hundreds of eco-chain enterprises such as Runmi and Stone Technology. The ultimate beneficiaries of the company are Lei Jun and Xiaomi Technology.
Therefore, Konjac Technology is also a member of the Xiaomi Ecological Chain. Previously, the company launched an AI translator, which is currently on sale in Xiaomi Mall.
Konjac is still planning to get involved in the field of electronic cigarettes. On the recruitment platform, you can see that it is hiring e-cigarette structural engineers, electronic vaping engineers and vape juice perfumers.
According to the recruitment information, the e-cigarette brand name is TAKI. In addition, an official Weibo named TAKI is also registered.
In fact, this is not the first time that the Xiaomi eco-chain enterprise has entered the e-cigarette field.
In January of this year, listed company Jinjia Holdings said in a record of investor relations activities, there has been a joint venture company established named Yinwei Technology, with Beijing Miwu Technology Co., Ltd., an ecological chain company of Xiaomi Company. The development of new tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and heat not burn appliances from Yinwei is expected to be launched in the first half of 2019.
However, Xiaomi responded at the time that “Xiaomi will not step in the vape field. This is purely a rumor” and said that “there is a clear internal regulation,”any ecological chain enterprise’s own products or self-owned commercial activities” are not allowed to use the Xiaomi or Mijia brand. “.
At present, there is no sale of electronic cigarette products on Xiaomi mall. Therefore, whether the e-cigarette products being planned by Konjac will use the Xiaomi or Mijia brand in the future is still unknown.
Update: May 15th, 2019
Xiaomi refutes the rumor that “it will launch electronic cigarettes”.
On the afternoon of May 13, Guanwei, a spokesman for Xiaomi Company, said, “We reiterate that Xiaomi will not launch electronic cigarettes. We reserve the right to investigate the legal liability of relevant organizations, institutions and individuals for the suspected using Xiaomi brand without our permission and mislead the consumers.”
Update: May 18th, 2019
Zhong Yufei, the Xiaomi’s top staff, explained why he wanted to market electronic cigarettes
Zhong Yufei, an old Xiaomi employee under Lei Jun, ranked 21st in the number of Xiaomi staff, is a veteran of the science and technology industry who has worked for nearly 20 years.
Since the creation of the TAKI brand and the marketing of electronic cigarettes, there have been “many different voices, support, suspicion and criticization” on the Internet. Zhong Yufei said he knew it very well.
Zhong Yufei confided, “Even many of my friends will come to me when they see the news report and ask me about what made me choose the electronic cigarette industry.”
He also asked himself, “It is well known that even in this year when the capital market is not so prosperous, the investment and financing of the electronic cigarette industry is still hot. There are more than 600 e-cigarette companies on the market, so why do we need another brand named TAKI in the market? What can TAKI bring to users and industries? In fact, this is also the proposition that my team and I repeatedly asked ourselves from the very beginning of the idea of making electronic cigarettes.”
After repeated questioning and thinking, Zhong Yufei gave the answer to make electronic cigarettes, “First of all, electronic cigarette products have their existence value, especially from a health point of view, for traditional smokers, electronic cigarettes are actually a better choice, which is the starting point of my team and I want to make electronic cigarettes.”
On May 15, it posted on Weibo that “TAKI has one and only one goal: to reduce harm by introducing vapes that really appeals to smokers.”
He cited data, “Scientific data show that compared with traditional tobacco, electronic cigarettes do not contain tar, low-temperature atomization replaces high-temperature combustion mode which can significantly reduce harmful substances in smoke, whether for smokers themselves or the surrounding people, electronic cigarettes are less harmful to health than traditional tobacco. The Ministry of Public Health estimates that electronic cigarettes are 95% less harmful to health than traditional cigarettes.
Regarding the current market situation, he pointed out: “However, the current mainstream e-cigarettes, whether product experience or propaganda methods, are mainly for young people who have never been exposed to tobacco products before. This is also one of the important reasons that the electronic cigarette industry has brought a negative impression to many people.
“However, for the traditional smokers, the attractiveness of these products is far from enough to meet their needs, and they can not really become a substitute for traditional tobacco, and can not achieve the role of electronic cigarettes to help traditional smokers reduce harm.”
“So the first step we want to move is to bring an electronic cigarette product that really meets the needs of traditional smokers and help them reduce the negative impact of tobacco consumption on their health and the surrounding environment,” Zhong said.
“So, what kind of electronic cigarettes do traditional smokers really need? How do we make such an electronic cigarette that really meets the needs of traditional smokers? Interestingly, Zhong Yufei kept it a secret at this time, and did not tell them what kind of product they made.
Just say, “For the answer to these two questions, I will hold a new product launch with my team on May 21, when I will officially bring the first electronic cigarette product of TAKI brand, and share the story behind the product development.”
However, from TAKI’s external release dynamics, we can see a rough picture. On the morning of the 16th, TAKI released the first countdown poster, suggesting that the new product will have a very delicate taste. In the countdown poster, TAKI asks the industry, “E-cigarette = throat feeling?”
In addition to bringing delicate taste, TAKI also proposed that “good vapor is smelled” in the official poster, referring to the new product will pay attention to the user’s olfactory experience, adding more high-quality aroma.
TAKI new product launch with great controversy – CEO Zhong Yufei’s whole speech was exposed
