History and Competencies
SmithStreet started as a graphics and translation vendor in 2007, a service that they claimed as Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO). Since the end of 2008, the firm started focusing on corporate strategy consulting and financial advisory services.
In describing the company's capabilities, CEO Franklin Yao stated "Most U.S. companies do not understand China... We started SmithStreet to shine a flashlight on it." In a 2010 interview with Fox Business, Yao described SmithStreet as a company which helps westerners connect to Chinese consumers and form long-term business relationships in China.
As of June 2012, the company became part of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai as a corporate member.
In September 2012, CEO Yao was a speaker at Shanghai's first Social Media Week, the world’s largest integrated social media conference held simultaneously in over twenty cities throughout the globe over a five-day period. Yao's speech covered the power of social media in present day China and how companies can utilize the new channel to reach their targeted consumer group.
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