Eric Duan

China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)

“An indescribable business programmer with life-style, self-iteration, tech background, Internet experience and entrepreneurial spirit.”

Hometown: Shenzhen, China

Fun Fact About Yourself:

• I once spent one month cycling 2500 km from Chengdu, Sichuan to Lhasa, Tibet.
• As an Advanced Open Water Diver working with an NGO named DFH, I helped children with autism to relax their emotions through scuba diving and gain more social care.
• I volunteered to provide local life assistance and guidance for athletes of 26th Shenzhen Summer Universiade from various countries.
• I achieved the highest rank level in King of Glory by only using Arthur.

Undergraduate School and Major: Computer Science – Chu-kochen Honors College of Zhejiang University

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Co-founder & CTO, Dive+

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the MBA curriculum or activities that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I think the most important characteristics of CEIBS is its positioning of “China Depth, Global Breadth.” Dive+, my start up project, is based in China, but 80% of our users are abroad. At CEIBS, I can systematically learn business cases, models, and knowledge inside and outside of China, which will be of great benefit to both personal and the company’s future development.

In terms of activities, the CEIBS eLab is the most valuable one in my opinion. It connects students with alumni from different programs and holds intensive sharing discussions and private board meetings on a regular basis every month. At the same time, there are many opportunities to get in touch with high-quality entrepreneurial projects. With the eLab, I can leverage valuable perspective from elites in different fields and build up a diversified high-level network.

What is the biggest appeal of earning an MBA in China? The biggest appeal of earning an MBA in China is to have a close experience of the Chinese perspective, innovation, and practice, while applying the international MBA knowledge to analyze the current situation and future development of China. In many areas, China’s business cases may be even more instructive. This is exactly what CEIBS offers.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Dive+ has 1 million users from more than 200 countries. We have 120,000 monthly active users, covering 35% of active divers in China, 80% of the instructors, and 15% of the overall divers in the world. The Dive+ is a comprehensive vertical platform for enthusiastic divers. It provides a diving community with more than 6 million user-generated pieces of content in the form of photos and videos. At the same time, it has a novel itinerary booking platform with rich and real-time information. Divers can also use our smart diving system to shoot underwater photos, log their dives, and ensure diving safety in an easy way. Besides, the most popular feature is the one-click underwater color correction feature based on our self-developed algorithm.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? My biggest accomplishment has been to let the CEIBS community know more about Dive+ and enlist the help of the community. I often discuss the problems and future developments of Dive+ with my classmates, enthusiastic professors, and experienced mentors. I have also shared Dive+’s growth strategy, business model and insights to audiences in the CEIBS eLab. Diving chat activities have been organized to allow classmates, alumni and guests to experience SCUBA diving and talk freely in a cozy and pleasant environment and to discuss how entrepreneurs can grow better in the CEIBS MBA program.

What quality best describes your MBA classmates and how do they demonstrate this quality in your interactions? Talented,  diverse, and resonant. I can always find new insights or even answers from my classmates, no matter what problems I encounter. As the conversations have developed, I have been impressed by their interesting souls and blooming thoughts.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? During the COVID-19 pandemic, while my company needs to grow steadily, it is a perfect timing for reflection and replenishing sound business knowledge to fulfill personal growth. More comprehensive business knowledge and broader resources will enable me to better lead Dive+ in the next phase of its development.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE CIEBS MBA CLASS OF 2022