CASE STUDY

How we filled a Shanghai workshop with cold outreach alone

May 12, 2026

Alibaba Center, Shanghai

CAMPAIGN RESULTS

149+

Signups

+50

Attended

LinkedIn

Only channel used

0

Existing audience in China

Companies that trust StartLabs

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THE CHALLENGE

Chinese founders hit a wall when they go global

The moment a Chinese B2B founder tries to sell into Europe or the US, their network disappears. No warm intros. No WeChat. No business relationships （关系）.

They're starting from zero in a market that doesn't know them. StartLabs identified this as both an education gap and a business opportunity — and decided to prove the solution by running a live workshop in Shanghai, filling it the exact same way we teach clients to fill their pipelines.

OUR APPROACH

LinkedIn outreach only. No ads, no sponsors, no existing

audience.

StartLabs ran direct personal outreach on LinkedIn, targeting Chinese founders and international operators building cross-border from China.

- WHO WE TARGETED

· Chinese founders going to market internationnally

· International operators from EU & US based in China

· Early-to-mid stage builders

- HOW WE REACHED THEM

· Direct LinkedIn DMs

· Tracked via Luma registration

THE WORKSHOP

How Chinese Brands Sell B2B Internationally Without business relationships（关系)

The session covered a full system for building international pipeline without relying on relationships — from ICP definition to live outreach messaging.

1. Debunking 4 core misconceptions — from 'I need guanxi to sell' to 'Made in China kills trust'.

2. Systemized Guanxi framework — engineering relationship outcomes through outreach, content & meetings.

3. ICP definition — live Sales Navigator session to build a targeted prospect list.

4. Outreach messaging — first and second message frameworks that start conversations.

"Relationships are not built at conferences. It's activated there. The companies closing deals at industry events spent 60 days before the event warming up the exact people they wanted to meet."

Ready to build international Go-to-market engine?

Get In Touch

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