Sep 10, 2015 04:22 PM

As Stocks Skid, Startups Lose Their Luster

By staff reporters Qu Yunxu, Yu Ning, Liu Xiaojing, Wang Xiaoqing and Wang Xinci, and intern reporters Zhang Erchi and Wang Qionghui

(Beijing) – The honeymoon appears to be over for once-attractive startup businesses and their eager investment partners at venture capital and private equity firms in China.

The latest stock market slump triggered a change of heart for venture capitalists and PEs, which for years poured money into a variety of startups, particularly Internet-related businesses such as offline-to-online (O2O) service providers and mobile application developers.