Welcome to Season 1 of the ASCENT podcast!

What if I told you a new titan is rising in the action camera arena—one poised to dethrone GoPro as the world’s fastest-growing brand?

What if this company isn’t just winning over users with sleek hardware, but dominating through relentless software innovation?

What if its founder—a once-rebellious software engineer—brought the company to a seismic IPO approval only 5 years after its establishment (well, it took another 5 years for that IPO to be approved, but still!)?

And what if that founder, JK Liu, is now among the youngest CEOs to lead a publicly listed tech disruptor?

Meet Insta360: the 360-camera leader commanding the largest market share (No.1 in 360 degree photography), now storming the sports/action scene with ambitions to redefine the industry. More than a camera company, Insta360 has forged an entirely new creative frontier. Its technology liberates creators: shoot first, frame later. Imagine capturing life’s chaos without fixating on angles—Insta360 lets you re-center the story in post-production, turning raw footage into cinematic gold.

Behind this revolution is JK Liu—a visionary software engineer.

He's a genius? Fusing world-class product design with viral storytelling and strategic partnerships. Insta360 evolves at warp speed, blending cutting-edge tech with an almost cult-like community.

The result? A brand not just following trends, but scripting the future of content creation.

Tune in to Insta360’s story!

00:00 Intro

02:50 The journey of JK Liu

05:57 Early ventures of JK

09:02 The birth of Insta360

11:58 Identifying opportunities in the market

14:54 Product development: from Nano to Insta360 One

18:06 The evolution of Insta360: key products and innovations

39:51 GoPro vs. Insta360: a tale of two strategies

44:03 The importance of focusing on the global market

49:49 Strategic partnerships is the key to Insta360's success

56:11 Innovative marketing and brand ambassadors

01:01:48 Navigating IPO challenges

01:05:05 Our reviews of the key success factors