WI Harper Invests in Gexin Interactive, a Leader in Mobile Messaging Services in China


BEIJING and SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - May 25, 2011) - WI Harper Group, a leading US-China early growth and expansion stage venture capital firm, today announced an investment into Gexin Interactive Network Technology Co., Ltd. ("Gexin"), a leading mobile messaging Company in China with proprietary network technology designed to work across multiple mobile platforms such as Android, iOS, Symbian, WM, and Kjava. The management team has impressive experience in the mobile internet space in China, and is cooperating with Sina, Baidu, Taobao, Maxthon, and Lava on its services.

Gexin's first product was launched in November 2010, and quickly became the most popular mobile application of its kind in terms of user volume, attracting over 2 million registered users to date. Its proprietary client technology can save the data rate and battery consumption on mobile smart phones up to 90% against competitors. Furthermore, Gexin recently launched their web version, an application that provides users a more comprehensive way to manage their contact lists, share information, and send SMS (text messaging) free of charge.

Mr. Fang Yi, Gexin's CEO, commented, "We founded Gexin in 2009 to build a social network based on one's mobile contact list. Since then, we have established a strong foundation on product functionality, and after years of development, Gexin has successfully released different versions to support 6 main mobile OS architectures. Gexin's open and cooperative business model will encourage mass synergy."

"Gexin builds a social community based on an end user's phone contact list and applies a layer of value added functionalities to it. At the end of 2010, China had 288 million mobile internet users. This year, the mobile user base is expected to expand to 431 million," said WI Harper Chairman, Mr. Peter Liu. "Because of the unique consumer behavior and operating environment, foreign players have not been quite as successful in China's internet and mobile space. This exposes a large, untapped market for Chinese local players such as Gexin."

About Gexin Interactive
Gexin Interactive (Beijing) network technology Co., Ltd. was officially founded in July 2010. Gexin is focused on building a cross-carrier and inter PC-Phone-Cloud communication platform. It is a leading mobile messaging software company in China. Gexin currently has 80 employees and two offices in Beijing and Hangzhou. http://www.igexin.com

About WI Harper
Founded in 1993, WI Harper Group is a venture capital firm that invests in early growth and expansion stage companies with significant operations in China and aspirations to become global leaders. We are an active partner with a track record of over 100 investments in the technology, clean technology and health care sectors. The firm manages approximately $750 million in capital from offices in Beijing, Taipei and San Francisco. www.wiharper.com

Contact Information:

US Media Contact:
Mr. Derrick Hsiang
Tel: (415) 477 8869
Email: derrickhsiang@wiharper.com

China Media Contact:
Ms. Carrie Bu
Tel: (8610) 6539 1366
Email: cbu@wiharper.com.cn