TRANSCRIPT 🔗
WEBVTT
1
00:00:01.730 --> 00:00:03.770
What it is, what it do, cyber world. It is
2
00:00:03.790 --> 00:00:07.530
your girl, the one and only, Ash Brown, and this
3
00:00:07.610 --> 00:00:13.539
is the Ash Said It Show. Over 2,200 episodes since 2014, 700,000
4
00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:17.620
streams globally. None of this is possible without you guys,
5
00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:20.379
so thank you so much for the shares, the cares.
6
00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:23.839
It makes a huge difference. Today, we are talking to
7
00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:27.800
the founder of Tutu. We've got Matz Wang with us today.
8
00:00:28.019 --> 00:00:33.539
Hey, Matz. Hey, Ash. Good morning.
9
00:00:33.619 --> 00:00:35.340
Good evening for you.
10
00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:36.579
Yes, I know.
11
00:00:36.700 --> 00:00:37.490
Thank you so much.
12
00:00:37.409 --> 00:00:38.009
For having me.
13
00:00:39.189 --> 00:00:41.429
Well, thank you so much for joining us. So, Matt,
14
00:00:41.469 --> 00:00:43.909
I want to get into the origin story. Where did
15
00:00:43.950 --> 00:00:45.990
the idea for your brand even come from?
16
00:00:49.070 --> 00:00:52.579
The original idea actually goes back many years before I
17
00:00:52.590 --> 00:00:58.859
started Tutu. I used to be working in Sweden before.
18
00:00:59.420 --> 00:01:03.579
I was in a long-distance relationship with And, you know,
19
00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:08.260
so long distance relationship means we could call each other,
20
00:01:08.340 --> 00:01:09.700
text each other, but.
21
00:01:09.700 --> 00:01:12.420
Always I felt something was missing.
22
00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:16.400
So sometimes you don't really need a conversation. You just
23
00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:20.209
want the other person to feel one for one second
24
00:01:20.269 --> 00:01:23.870
that I'm thinking about you. So, but I didn't start
25
00:01:23.909 --> 00:01:29.349
a company because of that experience, but that feeling stayed
26
00:01:29.390 --> 00:01:34.890
with me. And, uh, years later, wearable technology suddenly became
27
00:01:35.010 --> 00:01:35.750
a big trend.
28
00:01:36.049 --> 00:01:38.519
So, you know, speech-to-speech.
29
00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:45.079
At that time, almost everyone here in China was building
30
00:01:45.140 --> 00:01:51.019
some version of fitness band. And I remember thinking, do
31
00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:56.200
we really need another device measuring the same thing? So
32
00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:59.120
that was when my.
33
00:01:59.099 --> 00:02:00.060
Old experience came.
34
00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:04.579
Came back to me, and I started thinking about jewelry,
35
00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:08.210
because jewelry has carried human emotion.
36
00:02:07.750 --> 00:02:09.930
For thousands of years.
37
00:02:10.830 --> 00:02:17.580
Rings, necklaces, can stand for love, commitment. But traditionally, the
38
00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:22.979
meaning is symbolic. And I thought, if wearable technology is
39
00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:30.439
becoming popular, Emotional jewelry is the only symbolic. Why can't
40
00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:34.969
a piece of jewelry actually help one person feel the
41
00:02:35.110 --> 00:02:40.430
presence of another? That was when I began to see
42
00:02:40.449 --> 00:02:45.599
smart jewelry, not a smaller smart watch, but as a
43
00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:47.840
completely different category.
44
00:02:48.659 --> 00:02:50.759
And, yeah, so for me, it.
45
00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:56.379
Should be technology built around emotion, relationships, and human connection.
46
00:02:56.719 --> 00:02:59.030
That was really the beginning of Tutu.
47
00:03:00.189 --> 00:03:04.330
I love that. Now, as you were building this brand yourself,
48
00:03:05.050 --> 00:03:07.270
what was the first challenge that you faced?
49
00:03:10.759 --> 00:03:18.310
The challenge is nobody did it before. I mean, the
50
00:03:18.370 --> 00:03:23.530
know-how is zero. I cannot ask anybody how to do
51
00:03:23.629 --> 00:03:30.120
small jewelry. It's 10 years ago. So even me, my
52
00:03:30.180 --> 00:03:32.460
background is not a jewelry person.
53
00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:32.620
Right.
54
00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:44.050
And before, I haven't done anything about hardware either. So
55
00:03:44.069 --> 00:03:51.729
I was from the internet and the media industry first.
56
00:03:52.189 --> 00:03:56.389
Which means, from the beginning, it's very.
57
00:03:56.090 --> 00:04:02.949
Difficult for me. So, especially jewelry, you.
58
00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:09.159
Know, it's a very traditional industry. Everything is about handmade.
59
00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:14.819
But the smart technology is another thing. So, we have
60
00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:25.339
to combine jewelry craft with smart technology. We have to solve.
61
00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:32.379
A lot of problems. Yeah, so, yeah, that's, you know,
62
00:04:32.550 --> 00:04:33.990
what is the most difficult?
63
00:04:34.069 --> 00:04:37.529
I think everything is difficult for me, yeah.
64
00:04:37.750 --> 00:04:41.069
But you made it at you. You made this amazing brand,
65
00:04:41.129 --> 00:04:43.689
and the jewelry, it shows for itself. It's very heartfelt,
66
00:04:43.709 --> 00:04:47.300
which is why I love it. And we were talking earlier,
67
00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:48.939
and I thank you to you and your team for
68
00:04:48.980 --> 00:04:52.379
sending me a set of those bracelets because I sent
69
00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:57.610
one off to my wonderful goddaughter, Jasmine, who's out there. Yeah,
70
00:04:57.870 --> 00:05:00.230
and that's just a really awesome way to just stay
71
00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:03.490
connected to your loved ones. So I applaud you and
72
00:05:03.670 --> 00:05:06.430
your team and everyone making that dream a reality.
73
00:05:06.449 --> 00:05:10.939
I'm so happy you love it.
74
00:05:10.990 --> 00:05:11.410
Yes.
75
00:05:11.850 --> 00:05:16.120
Now, what would you say has been a notable moment
76
00:05:16.180 --> 00:05:18.540
Load full transcript
for you and the brand, be it with a customer
77
00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:20.860
or maybe with a loved one? What stands out to
78
00:05:20.899 --> 00:05:22.560
you as a very important moment?
79
00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:32.970
Um... Actually, we launched this product in Milan 10 years ago.
80
00:05:32.990 --> 00:05:42.160
But at some point, we have to make it a
81
00:05:42.259 --> 00:05:47.850
real product. So we launched it online and people have
82
00:05:47.910 --> 00:05:52.290
to order it, pre-order it first.
83
00:05:52.470 --> 00:05:53.870
But they have to wait.
84
00:05:58.009 --> 00:06:02.189
So we got a lot of stories from the people
85
00:06:02.430 --> 00:06:07.589
who pre-ordered the product. The first story that really changed
86
00:06:07.730 --> 00:06:11.649
the way I saw the product happened very early.
87
00:06:12.870 --> 00:06:15.220
One day, a customer called.
88
00:06:14.980 --> 00:06:19.259
Our service team asking about a product she had pre-ordered.
89
00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:21.620
And I happened to.
90
00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:24.519
Take the call. She told me she was buying it
91
00:06:24.660 --> 00:06:28.740
for her mother. But, you know, at first, I was a.
92
00:06:28.699 --> 00:06:32.920
Little surprised because at that time, we were still thinking
93
00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:37.759
of the tutu mainly as a product for couples in romance,
94
00:06:37.870 --> 00:06:39.120
you know.
95
00:06:39.350 --> 00:06:39.970
Then she.
96
00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:46.800
explained that her father had recently passed away, and her
97
00:06:46.860 --> 00:06:51.459
mother was living alone back in their hometown while she
98
00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:55.750
was far away. And she wanted her mother to wear
99
00:06:55.790 --> 00:07:00.069
the jewelry so that whenever it lights up, she would know,
100
00:07:00.509 --> 00:07:03.769
my daughter is thinking about me, I'm not alone.
101
00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.399
So that conversation really stayed with me.
102
00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:11.920
It made me realize that what we were building was
103
00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:17.399
much bigger than a long-distance couple product. The deep need
104
00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:22.560
was connection between partners, parents and children, friends and family,
105
00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:29.819
like you. Honestly, so starting like that also helped me
106
00:07:29.939 --> 00:07:35.160
keep going during the difficult years. So when you are
107
00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:41.160
struggling with technology, manufacturing, and even money, it's easy to
108
00:07:41.339 --> 00:07:46.800
ask yourself whether it's worth continuing. But then you hear
109
00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:50.459
how a real person is using the product in a
110
00:07:50.500 --> 00:07:55.129
way you never imagined, and it demands you why you
111
00:07:55.149 --> 00:08:05.490
started it. So even now, we collect stories more systematically
112
00:08:05.899 --> 00:08:10.189
through something we call 2-2 Love Stories. People can
read
113
00:08:10.209 --> 00:08:15.149
the stories on our website. So yeah, we hope real
114
00:08:15.170 --> 00:08:19.180
stories like this can help more people believe in real
115
00:08:19.259 --> 00:08:21.240
love and real human connection.
116
00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:24.810
Yes, I think that's a beautiful thing. Now, what is
117
00:08:24.850 --> 00:08:27.410
on the horizon for Tutu? Like, what's next? Can you
118
00:08:27.470 --> 00:08:30.009
share anything or any secrets you can share with us?
119
00:08:33.899 --> 00:08:41.120
Yeah. So, Inepti Jewelry is our first product line. You know,
120
00:08:41.539 --> 00:08:46.470
people enjoy wearing this. send a touch to another one
121
00:08:46.730 --> 00:08:49.840
and their partners can feel.
122
00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:52.620
Love across distance.
123
00:08:52.919 --> 00:08:59.730
People can always choose or customize the color or the
124
00:08:59.799 --> 00:09:03.570
meaning in the app they can send. I love you,
125
00:09:03.649 --> 00:09:06.409
I'm thinking of you, or even I hate you.
126
00:09:07.309 --> 00:09:11.049
So it's very customized.
127
00:09:11.409 --> 00:09:15.820
People can create a private love code between two.
128
00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:19.779
But it's only our first step.
129
00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:27.480
And just a month ago, we launched the first smart
130
00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:36.289
locket in the United States. You know, personally, I like
131
00:09:36.389 --> 00:09:41.750
these ideas very much because the traditional locket is already
132
00:09:42.350 --> 00:09:46.169
one of the most emotional pieces of jewelry ever created.
133
00:09:46.870 --> 00:09:53.070
So we ask ourselves, what could that experience become today?
134
00:09:53.909 --> 00:09:58.210
With a smart locket, you can carry photos, short videos,
135
00:09:58.309 --> 00:10:02.750
and moving memories inside. the jewelry. So imagine it's your
136
00:10:03.350 --> 00:10:07.799
childhood dog, your grandmother, or someone you miss very much.
137
00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:12.059
You open the locket and instead of only seeing a
138
00:10:12.120 --> 00:10:17.240
still photo, For a few seconds, you see that familiar smile,
139
00:10:17.899 --> 00:10:21.799
a little movement, maybe an expression you remember.
140
00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:27.250
So suddenly, a memory then that you used to leave
141
00:10:27.269 --> 00:10:31.090
in a photo album becomes something you can carry.
142
00:10:30.850 --> 00:10:35.009
Close to your heart. So that is a second memory.
143
00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:44.799
Second part of that line. And we are also developing
144
00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:51.370
other smart jewelry line for next year and put more
145
00:10:51.490 --> 00:10:54.090
AI into jewelry.
146
00:10:54.210 --> 00:10:57.970
Yes, loving that. Well, Mats, thank you so much for
147
00:10:58.009 --> 00:11:01.570
coming through to the show. We appreciate you so much
148
00:11:01.610 --> 00:11:05.250
and we're looking forward to seeing What's next with Tutu? Like, well,
149
00:11:05.269 --> 00:11:08.250
there's new launches and things into the new year. And
150
00:11:08.610 --> 00:11:11.009
don't think of this as a one-off. I want you back.
151
00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:13.529
I want you back on the show and to give
152
00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:17.299
us exclusive announcements and all the good things that's going
153
00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:20.019
on at Tutu and more. So I would love for
154
00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:21.480
you to come back. Yes.
155
00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:25.899
Thank you so much.
156
00:11:26.220 --> 00:11:28.240
I really enjoyed this conversation.
157
00:11:28.419 --> 00:11:30.820
Yes, and thank you to each and every one of
158
00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:32.919
you guys. Thank you so much for all of your love,
159
00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:35.820
all of your support. Keeping in mind, anyone to tell
160
00:11:35.860 --> 00:11:37.679
you that you can't do what you want to do,
161
00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:40.220
you look them square in the face, you tell them,
162
00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:43.710
don't believe me, just watch. Watch what I do. Watch
163
00:11:43.730 --> 00:11:46.529
me make it happen. Watch me make history. That's what
164
00:11:46.549 --> 00:11:49.529
we're doing this for, the history books. Social media is nice,
165
00:11:49.590 --> 00:11:52.009
but real life is so much better. Until next time,
166
00:11:52.029 --> 00:11:52.309
you guys.