Wayne Zhang, Founder of Langhan Technology & INNO100: Crowdfunding Is More Than Pre-Sales — It’s an Amplifier for Global Growth of AI Hardware

On September 17, at the themed forum of the "Accelerate26 Cross-Border Ecosystem Acceleration Conference · China Station," hosted by Pattern with Ebrun as the strategic partner, Wayne Zhang Wenhan, founder of Langhan Technology & INNO100, delivered a speech titled "The New Cycle of AI Hardware Going Global: From Overseas Crowdfunding Validation to Globalized Growth."

Zhang argued that amid the wave of AI smart hardware, truly outstanding brands should not be confined to a single channel — be it Amazon, direct-to-consumer (DTC) websites, crowdfunding platforms, or offline retail. Instead, they should build a closed-loop ecosystem covering product validation, brand debut, user operation, and channel expansion.

In this process, he noted, "newness" does not guarantee market demand, nor does innovation mean consumers are willing to pay. Before mass production and large-scale investment, brands need to validate real demand, price acceptance, and business models. The value of overseas crowdfunding, he added, is no longer limited to financing or pre-sales. Rather, it serves as a concentrated launch event that helps brands accumulate market validation, brand awareness, user communities, and commercial endorsements.

He also proposed that a truly "boundaryless" global brand cannot rely solely on overseas online markets. As products become more vertically specialized and average order values rise, DTC sites, Amazon, offline experiences, and even the domestic Chinese market should be integrated into a unified growth system.

(This article is compiled from the guest’s on-site speech, with minor edits and deletions that do not alter the original intent.)

The following is the full transcript of the speech:

01 AI Hardware “Newness” Does Not Equal Market Demand; Product Insights Require Paid Validation

The theme of today’s event is “Brands Without Borders.” Literally, it refers to borderless brands, but I believe we can extend this to “boundaryless brands.” Especially amid the AI smart hardware wave, a strong brand should not be tied to any single channel. Amazon, DTC sites, offline retail, and overseas crowdfunding should all be parts of a brand’s ecosystem. Brands need to choose growth paths suited to their internal DNA, product categories, and development stages.

Founded in 2017, Langhan Technology initially cut its teeth on overseas crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Today, our business has expanded to cover crowdfunding, DTC marketing, offline experiential retail, and investment. Over the years, we have served, partnered with, and invested in thousands of brands.

Every new product starts with innovative insights. In the past, many brands identified product opportunities through social listening, competitor analysis, and user negative reviews. These methods are highly effective, but they are not the whole picture.

Analyzing negative reviews is closer to qualitative validation: it helps identify consumer dissatisfaction with existing products, but it cannot directly answer a critical question: when brands translate these pain points into new features, will consumers pay for them? There is a significant gap between the two.

From a consumer perspective, it is easy to suggest what features could be added to a phone, coffee machine, or other device. But hardware products have clear physical constraints; unlike software, they cannot receive continuous over-the-air (OTA) updates. Product size, operating voltage, battery life, and internal structure can all limit the implementation of new features.

Even if a new selling point solves a user pain point, it does not guarantee commercial viability. For example, a product originally priced at $500 with three new core features might only see consumers willing to pay an extra $100 — but the bill of materials (BOM) cost to add those features could rise far more. In that case, the product achieves functional innovation but fails to close the business loop.

Therefore, brands must not only identify user pain points but also validate how much those pain points are worth to consumers, and whether the added costs of new features are acceptable to the market. This is the core of quantitative validation.

Crowdfunding or DTC debuts can serve as validation tools, but crowdfunding is not suitable for all products or all brands. A more feasible approach is to select the most competitive product each year for a crowdfunding or DTC launch, while releasing other products through conventional channels.

Crowdfunding products also have a clear window of opportunity. Based on our experience, the effective window for an innovative category on crowdfunding platforms is typically only around two years. This is because crowdfunding is fundamentally a form of pre-sale: users may need to wait three to six months to receive the product.

Consumers are willing to wait only if the product is sufficiently competitive and there are no immediately available alternatives on the market. Once competitors emerge — and consumers can buy a product with 80% of the features on Amazon with immediate delivery — the value of crowdfunding declines rapidly.

What types of products are best suited for a high-impact crowdfunding campaign? I see three directions: identifying blind spots in mass markets, meeting rigid demand in vertical sectors, and creating entirely new categories that did not exist before.

In its early days, DJI built “flying cameras”; Narwal focused on “robot vacuums that mop floors”; EcoFlow initially addressed outdoor emergency power needs. None of these product definitions relied on cold technical specifications — they were rooted in concrete scenarios consumers could quickly understand.

Plaud is another case worth studying. Recording software and hardware already existed, but few products had integrated recording, transcription, and AI-powered information processing. It did not invent a completely new behavior, but reorganized existing demand with AI.

To determine whether an AI hardware product has achieved product-market fit (PMF), at least three questions must be answered: Does it solve a clear, existing problem for users? Can consumers accept this innovation? Can the product build a sustainable commercial loop?

Plaud simplified recording operations, lowering the barrier to use with magnetic cards and physical buttons; its AI capabilities turned recording beyond mere audio storage into transcription and information processing.

More importantly, AI hardware can generate two revenue streams: the first from hardware sales, and the second from ongoing software subscriptions. When users are willing to pay monthly or annual fees for software capabilities after purchasing the hardware, brands can build stronger longevity than one-off hardware sales alone.

AI hardware should not chase “newness” for its own sake. The first step for any brand is still to understand its customers: What are their real needs? Can the product truly solve their problems? Does it align with physical and commercial laws? A product should not end up merely satisfying the team’s own imagination.

02 Crowdfunding Is More Than Pre-Sales; It Is Concentrated Accumulation of Brand Equity

By 2026, overseas crowdfunding will no longer be just a way for cash-strapped brands to raise funds to produce their first product. An increasing number of established brands are using crowdfunding as a launch channel for major new products. Many high-grossing projects are not brand-new Day 1 startups; they already have existing product and brand foundations, and use crowdfunding to achieve concentrated amplification. Therefore, I prefer to think of crowdfunding as a demand accumulation process.

Over one to two months, brands concentrate advertising, influencer, media, and content resources to pre-heat and launch products, allowing target users to become aware of new offerings in a short period. The crowdfunding platform itself is only part of the conversion funnel; what truly matters is all the resources the brand organizes around this debut.

In terms of traffic structure, crowdfunding sits between Amazon and DTC sites. For Shopify DTC stores, traffic is primarily acquired by the brand itself; for Amazon, most traffic comes from within the platform. Based on our experience, roughly 30% of traffic for crowdfunding projects comes from Kickstarter or Indiegogo, with the remaining 70% driven by the brand.

Crowdfunding also has a notable feature: transaction amounts remain publicly visible on project pages long after campaigns end. Strong results can continuously build trust for the brand; poor performance will remain visible to users and channels indefinitely. Thus, crowdfunding is a double-edged sword. Brands must carefully select products and avoid placing all new offerings directly on crowdfunding platforms.

A successful crowdfunding campaign can leave brands with four types of assets:

The first is market validation assets. Transaction volume, first paying users, seed users, and real overseas demand all help brands judge whether product positioning holds. If the same team runs two or three different projects in a year with vastly different sales results, the gap usually reflects differences in product definition, not sudden changes in marketing team performance.

The second is brand awareness assets. Crowdfunding typically uses a concentrated launch strategy. Tech media, content creators, KOLs, and co-launch partners contacted in the pre-launch phase collectively form the first wave of publicity. When products later enter DTC sites or Amazon, they are no longer complete cold starts.

Plaud’s value lies not just in selling an AI recording device, but in making its brand name a category entry point to some extent. When consumers did not yet know what an “AI recorder” was, they were already searching for “Plaud.” By completing the first wave of concentrated communication via crowdfunding, then routing Google search traffic to DTC sites, and finally entering Amazon, brands form a continuous channel pipeline. This raises a key question for brands: should they rent others’ keywords long-term, or create their own? Creating a new keyword within a single platform is extremely difficult; it requires cross-network publicity, user search behavior, and multi-channel conversion.

The third is user community assets. Crowdfunding leaves not just orders, but also email addresses, user information, and owned community traffic. Brands can funnel users to Discord or Facebook groups based on product attributes. Users of products like gaming gear, keyboards, and mice may be better suited for Discord; older demographics may prefer Facebook groups.

In the past, on Amazon, brands communicated with users mainly through reviews and customer service; on DTC sites, brands relied more on email marketing, which is typically one-way communication. Crowdfunding offers a chance to build a highly engaged early user pool, inviting users to participate in product testing, feedback, and co-creation. These early users are often early adopters willing to communicate deeply with teams. Launching the most competitive product via crowdfunding each year also keeps this user base activated.

The fourth is commercial endorsement assets. Based on our project experience, a high-ticket XGIMI projector raised over $20 million in its first month on crowdfunding. This result not only brought consumer orders but also boosted offline channels’ confidence in the product.

For a projector priced around $3,000, strong online sales driven solely by images and videos make it easier for offline channels to judge the product’s sales potential. Crowdfunding results can thus translate into distributor partnerships, channel resources, and offline expansion opportunities.

But the prerequisite for all these assets is successful product delivery. Crowdfunding is not about using marketing to cover up product flaws; it is about amplifying already competitive products through a concentrated launch.

Brands also need to address user trust. Beyond product materials and ads, we now encourage teams to proactively tell the founder’s story: who I am, what I have done before, why I made this product, and where I want to take it in the future.

Smart hardware itself is impersonal, but teams and founders have warmth. By 2026, a strong brand cannot launch by only talking about products. Even big-budget promotional videos cannot replace direct communication with consumers via social media, communities, email, and offline interviews. When users build trust with a brand from Day 1, they may become brand ambassadors, actively share products, and serve as early organic traffic sources.

03 Global Brands Cannot Stop at “Going Overseas”; They Must Connect Online, Offline, Domestic and International Markets

After completing validation via crowdfunding, the next step is DTC growth. Here, DTC refers not just to Shopify sites, but to all online channel expansion post-crowdfunding — whether DTC or Amazon. But as Chinese brands enter increasingly vertical markets, online channels alone may not be enough.

In the past, Chinese companies focused mostly on mature categories such as 3C products, power banks, chargers, and small home appliances. Now, more brands are entering niche markets including smart glasses, 3D printing, outdoor equipment, vertical sports gear, and AI hardware. These products have higher price points and require greater experience and scenario explanation.

For products like e-bikes and projectors, consumers often need hands-on experience before making a final purchase decision. Brands can collect refundable deposits online first, then drive full payment through content, experiences, and ongoing communication. But as products grow more complex, offline remains an irreplaceable link.

This is why we launched INNO100 offline stores. Existing large retail channels primarily serve mass consumer electronics and traditional home appliances, and may not adequately showcase truly innovative AI smart hardware. Since such spaces were lacking, we decided to build them ourselves.

INNO100’s stores in Los Angeles and Shenzhen serve different functions. The Los Angeles store is primarily consumer-facing, hosting product launches, experience events, and online-offline integrated activities. It is difficult for a single offline event to outperform online sales efficiency, but offline settings generate real user experiences, interactions, and feedback content that can be repurposed for online marketing. The Shenzhen store, in addition to consumer events, hosts venture capital sharing sessions, category exchanges, and industry gatherings. Offline spaces are thus not just for product display and sales; they can also host new product debuts, customized experiences, pop-up events, content production, and industry connections.

Today, consumers are not just buying hardware — they are observing the teams behind the products. At offline events, brand teams and even founders can interact directly with consumers. Many core users have backgrounds in software, hardware, channels, or related industries; they are not just buyers, but potential product co-creators.

We have also observed clear market differences. In Shenzhen, average user dwell time exceeds 90 minutes, which is already quite long; at events in the U.S., some consumers stay from morning to night, willing to spend extended time discussing products they love. This means brands cannot simply copy domestic event playbooks overseas; they must understand how local consumers engage with offline activities.

The concept of “No Border” or “No Boundary” should not only mean brands expanding overseas. A global brand must not only “go global” but also return to the domestic Chinese market — a process I call “entering the domestic sea.”

In the past, some export-oriented companies avoided domestic launches due to fears of intense competition and rapid product copying. But in the AI era, information barriers are extremely low. Once a product launches, it will be seen by media, supply chains, peers, and investors. Rather than relying on information asymmetry, it is better to occupy consumer mindshare as quickly as possible.

If resources permit, I recommend brands not only build overseas online and offline channels but also test the domestic market early. Entering the domestic market too late — even if a brand has built strong awareness overseas — may result in local competitors having already completed user education and market positioning.

We are currently helping brands connect with users through consumer experiences and launch events. On-site statistics show we have held 16 launch events with a total of around 7,000 participants.

Beyond growth services, investment is another area of exploration. Service businesses typically operate on cycles of a single crowdfunding project or one- to two-year DTC contracts, earning only phased commissions without sharing in long-term brand growth. Therefore, starting in 2023, we began formally investing in smart hardware brands, aiming to build a model of “investment and incubation on one hand, growth services on the other” to form longer-term relationships with brands.

This forms our current growth flywheel for innovative brands: starting from insights and validation, completing concentrated launches via crowdfunding, expanding into DTC sites, Amazon, and offline channels, and finally extending to capital empowerment.

A truly boundaryless brand does not simply list products across more channels; it connects product validation, user trust, content communication, and channel growth. Only then can brands evolve from a single new product launch toward long-term global growth.

This article was first published on the official website of Ebrun.