The $500 million valuation truly shocked Niu Qiangdong. He had thought that $300 million would be quite impressive already. A valuation of $500 million was more than ten times the previous valuation of $45 million.
If he sold forty percent of the shares, it would bring in $200 million in development funds. With that capital, he could grow and strengthen the company. It wouldn't even be impossible to quickly overtake Tranquil Online Supermarket.
Upon hearing the $500 million valuation, Niu Qiangdong couldn't help but feel tempted. Forget forty percent of the shares, I'd sell them the whole company for that! At worst, I could take the $500 million, start over, and build a new Qiangdong Company. That would be more than enough.
