Why did I start Leapfrog?

I’ve been covering China tech since its heyday in 2017. I, alongside my colleagues from outside the U.S., belonged to a company Slack channel called “Rest of World.” It was an unsatisfying label, because the entrepreneurs from ROW were in fact reshaping important facets of the global tech landscape.

In the meantime, as geopolitical tensions began to overshadow tech coverage, some ROW founders became reluctant to share their stories.

I wanted to tell the personal stories of the global outsiders, delving beyond their funding efforts, business models or whether they posed national security threat to the West. I wanted to know why they ventured out of their native land and how they navigated resettling in new territories. The urge led to the inception of Leapfrog at the beginning of summer 2024.

What is leapfrogging?

When I first started covering China, Western media was enamoured with the narrative of China “leapfrogging” the West in mobile payments by skipping the credit card stage. I’m now using the term to describe a generation of founders — not just from China but from “ROW” — who are matching or even overtaking their counterparts who enjoy greater resources, capital and market access.

Why subscribe?

You will hear ROW entrepreneurs tell their stories in their own words, as well as their views on technology, society and humanity, which might otherwise be overlooked in American-centric media. I’m starting with podcasts, but I do aim to write whenever I can, reflecting on the stories I collect and tech news that’s making waves.

Do you need to pay?

No, I’m keeping all stories free at the moment because I believe they need to be heard by more people. Nonetheless, I’d be overjoyed if you want to support my effort and buy me a cup of tea! There are options to pay under Subscribe.👇

Who am I?

I’m Rita Liao, and I’ve written about China’s changing tech industry for TechCrunch (following US-China tech competition), Tech in Asia (the golden age of China tech), and TechNode (Chinese internet circa 2013!). Prior to journalism, I managed PR for the venture capital firm SOSV’s Asia-based accelerators. At one point, I was making documentaries and learning how to run mindfulness retreat centers in New England. I’m a Cantonese raised in a Chinese city where billionaire tech bosses go to work in flip-flops. This is the most professional look I can pull off:

Thank you for reading and listening. I look forward to hearing from you about anything via Twitter, LinkedIn, or email (leapfrogpodcast@gmail.com). Happy leapfrogging! 🐸