Yeah, we’re copying Airbnb

 What’s it Tujia? [The Hustle]( Wed, Oct 11 Brought to you by [Bonobos]( Airbnb’s Chinese rival is doing big things Tujia, often described as the “Airbnb of China,” has just raised a [$300m round]( placing its valuation at $1.5B. The company will use its new funds to launch a domestic and global expansion effort. To date, [Tujia]( has accrued 180m downloads and 650k listings in 345 destinations across China, crushing Airbnb’s [100k China listings](. The site’s growth doesn’t bode well for Airbnb, which, in recent years, has quadrupled its tech team in Asia, and launched a manic, mildly unsuccessful effort to convince Chinese people to use their service. What is Tujia, again? The company was founded in 2011 by [Melissa Yang]( an ex-Microsoft employee who previously started and sold a vacation rental software company to Airbnb rival, HomeAway, for $10m. Tujia grew quickly and was a certified tech unicorn ($1B valuation) by 2015. Despite the Airbnb comparisons, Yang has [insisted]( her company is “not copying anyone's business model." Many residents in China don’t have any extra room in their dwellings, so the service focuses on the country’s 50m vacant rental units instead of home sharing. They are a lot more hands-on than Airbnb, partnering with an entourage of developers, cleaning services, and property groups to help owners manage their listings. Airbnb kinda doesn’t jive with Chinese culture Chesky’s company rolled into China with a bang in 2015 but has been pretty slow getting the hang of things. Aside from struggling to adjust to China’s different set of cultural norms re: sharing homes with strangers, Chinese consumers have also been critical of Airbnb’s [recent effort]( to rename itself “Aibiying” (translation: “welcome each other with love”) in China -- which convinced Chinese people it was either a brothel or a hippie commune. It’s pretty hard to penetrate China The fast-growing country is a holy grail for American tech companies looking to expand their markets. But the yanks have been met with a lot of resistance. [Google]( has spent years trying to dismantle Baidu, [Amazon]( can’t seem to top Alibaba, and [Facebook]( (which is banned there) must watch from afar as WeChat controls the market. A big fish in a big pond  California’s $50B wine industry is ablaze Since Sunday night, at least [17 separate fires]( have ravaged 115k acres of land in Northern California’s wine country. At least 15 people are dead, and hundreds more are hospitalized or missing, Like most disasters of this scale, the fires also come with a massive economic toll: more than 2k houses, resorts, and vineyards have been destroyed -- and that’s sure to have an impact on the area’s wine industry. The epicenter of America’s wine The affected areas of Napa, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa are world-renowned for their wines and are dotted with more than 475 wineries and 34 grape varietals. Collectively, these vineyards [contribute]( $13B-per-year to the local economy, and more than $50B-per-year to the US economy -- and employ 46k people. What we know so far At this point, it’s difficult to tell how many facilities have been affected, but at least [8 wineries]( -- some large, some small -- have been severely damaged or destroyed, including one of Napa’s oldest, White Rock Vineyards. The fires came right in the waning days of harvest season, and 90% of grapes have already been harvested. But the damage is likely to have a long-term impact on many of the region’s biggest producers. If you’d like to help out the residents affected, [this spreadsheet]( breaks down what victims currently need. You can also donate to [this GoFundMe campaign]( organized by a verified local winery owner. [Lend a hand](  Amazon wants to get in your trunks The lord of ecommerce is reportedly in talks to partner with [Phrame]( a maker of a “smart” license plate frame that serves as a storage-box for car keys. The tech would allow delivery drivers access to your car’s trunk so packages can be [securely left behind](. But wait! There’s more! Amazon is also developing a smart doorbell device that could give delivery drivers one-time access to a person’s home to drop off a package. Neither Amazon nor Phrame have confirmed this yet… But the timing does seem right: last month, their arch nemesis, Walmart, announced they were working on the same concept with smart home technology company, August. Walmart’s move is geared towards the delivery of groceries -- but let’s be honest: like Amazon, they want it all. Something’s gotta give (or maybe it doesn’t) Lost and stolen packages are a huge problem for delivery services, and as per usual, Amazon wants to change the status quo. According to Bloomberg, Amazon has also been testing a new delivery service that could reduce overcrowding in its factory warehouses by bringing two-day Prime shipping to more of its products. While we’re not sure how to feel about the ol’ home invasion method, these reports suggest Amazon is doubling down on refining the intricate issues of the industry-wide delivery process. And also, cuz, like, Walmart’s doing it. Sooooo. [Someone’s in the house](  Ex Starbucks CEO is hitting the road, but deeefinitely not to run for office… Howard Schultz has been traveling around the U.S. recently, visiting places like Charlottesville (penning an [op-ed]( on the tragedy) and Houston after Hurricane Katrina. And while he claims he’s mainly focused on combating the “false narrative” surrounding America, his travels have been largely speculated as a primer for a 2020 presidential run -- and he’s offered up some pretty weak [denials]( about it to the media. But to be clear, he is denying it In a recent interview with CBS, he claimed he also wants to help promote the upcoming season of his online series Upstanders, a show that highlights stories of “courage and humanity” across the country. “I’m not running for president, but the narrative that I’d like to try and elevate [while traveling] is the fact that our society needs to be reminded that Washington does not define our behavior,” Schultz says. He thinks America is wayyy better than the way it’s being portrayed He believes the show’s main goal, as well as his own, is to encapsulate the sense of “humanity, compassion, and empathy” displayed every day in the U.S., not to “change behavior in Washington.” Which is super great and all, Howard, but, still… kinda seems like you’re laying the groundwork for 2020. [Life, liberty, and the pursuit of lattes](  sh*t, i'm f*cked Sh*t, I’m F*cked is a Hustle series where we ask entrepreneurs about a moment when they felt completely screwed. This week’s edition is with Payal Kadakia, founder and exec chairman of ClassPass, a fitness subscription service valued at more than $500m. Payal Kadakia has spent her whole life “checking off boxes.” She went to MIT. She landed a high-paying consulting gig at Bain. She started her own dance company and performed in front of sold-out crowds across the US. And then, she founded [ClassPass]( — a fitness subscription service that’s raised $173m and been hailed as the “next Uber.” Today, she’s one of the most prominent women in tech. What you don’t often hear about are Payal’s failures and struggles. Like anyone else, she’s had her share of them. There was the night in 2012 when she was maced in the face at a Starbucks, a few weeks before pitching her idea for ClassPass. There were the repeated rejections from VCs. There was the continued cultural pressure from her traditional Indian family over abandoning structure and early marriage for risk-taking and unconventionality. But one of the hardest things for her to go through was ["stepping down"]( as CEO of the company she founded and handing off the reins to one of her investors, Fritz Lanman. “From an internal perspective, it was a terrific decision” she tells us. “But externally, it was a bit tough. The one thing on my mind was I wanted to make sure women knew they could be powerful, regardless of their title… [Read the rest of her story →](  This edition of The Hustle was brought to you by “Forget cooking shrimp and grits” That’s [Sean Brock]( an award winning owner of 3 restaurants, who’s made a name for himself cooking some of the best revival food the South has to offer. So what’s got him thinking beyond his delicious dishes?? The major drinking problem in the restaurant industry. The high-stress demands of working in restaurants mean nearly 1 in 5 food service workers have problems with substance abuse -- and when Sean’s drinking reached the point where his line cooks coined the term “getting Brocked,” he knew he had to take a step back. Sean’s now sober, 20lbs lighter, and practices daily meditation. He’s also [helping others]( in the industry find healthy ways of dealing with their stress instead of coping with alcohol. Sean’s a role model, not a male model Sean’s selfless improvement is exactly the kind of attitude Bonobos is celebrating in their “[Role Models, Not Male Models]( campaign. Bonobos knows [people like Sean]( have bigger and better things to do than try to reach the airbrushed-magazine look of male models, so they’re showcasing the different paths people take to become the best versions of themselves. Look and feel like the real you – and hear more about these [amazing role models](. Head over to [Bonobos]( where real human beings are always in fashion.  0 [SHARE THE HUSTLE]( REFERRALS Lindsey Quinn MANAGING EDITOR Zack Crockett WRITER Wes Schlagenhauf WRITER Sam "Junk in the trunk" Parr EDITORIAL EAVESDROPPER Max Stout CREDIT COUNSELOR [SUBSCRIBE]( [JOBS]( [ADVERTISE]( [EVENTS]( You opted in by signing up, attending an event, or through divine intervention. [771 CLEMENTINA STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, UNITED STATES]( • [415.506.7210](tel:+1-415-506-7210) Never wanna hear from us again? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](