Light Therapy, Chinese Tech Brands, and 15 Years in China: Jim Fields on Building Across Both Markets

Jim Fields is an American entrepreneur who has spent over 15 years living and building businesses in China. He speaks fluent Mandarin, began his career at Adobe in Silicon Valley, and moved to China, where he worked at Nokia and Reckitt Benckiser before founding Relay Video in 2016 - a Beijing-based creative marketing agency that helped Chinese tech companies including Xiaomi, Tencent, and Lenovo tell their stories to global audiences. He later founded Relay Club, an influencer management platform for Chinese brands going outbound. He now serves as Chief Growth Officer at Nuon Medical and is involved with Oren Medical, a Shenzhen-based manufacturer within the Kaiyan Medical Group.

In this episode, Jim talks about his journey from Silicon Valley to China, what he learned building Relay Video, and the most common mistakes Chinese tech companies make when trying to go global. He explains why he pivoted from marketing into medtech, and breaks down both companies he works with today: Nuon Medical, which embeds clinical technologies like red light therapy, microcurrent, and PEMF directly into cosmetics applicators for brands including Clarins and Vagheggi, and Oren Medical, which manufactures red light therapy and medical wellness devices with over 300 patents across six FDA-cleared facilities.

Jim also discusses his TEDx talk arguing that light is a fourth macronutrient alongside oxygen, water, and food - the science behind red and near-infrared light therapy and why he believes it belongs in everyday consumer products. He covers the beauty tech market in China versus the West, how US-China trade tensions and tariffs affect a cross-border business like his, and what he's learned from 15-plus years of building across both markets.

Discussion Points

·       Jim's journey from Silicon Valley to 15+ years building businesses in China

·       Relay Video's thesis: Chinese brands are the brands of the future but need help telling their stories globally

·       The most common mistakes Chinese tech companies make when going global, from working with Xiaomi, Tencent, and Lenovo

·       The pivot from marketing to medtech and how Jim's China background connects to his work in beauty tech

·       Nuon Medical: embedding clinical technologies (light therapy, microcurrent, PEMF) into cosmetics packaging

·       Jim's TEDx argument that light is a fourth macronutrient - the science behind red and near-infrared light therapy

·       Oren Medical: China's medical device manufacturing sophistication, 300+ patents, six FDA-cleared facilities

·       Beauty tech market maturity in China versus the West and where China is leading

·       How US-China trade tensions and tariffs affect a cross-border business built on Chinese manufacturing

·       Lessons from 15-plus years building businesses that span China and the West