Winter sports boom brings startups, investment

When the International Olympic Committee gathers on Friday in Kuala Lumpur to select the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, there will be a cross section of companies and investors in Beijing keeping their fingers crossed.

If the Chinese capital does win the much-coveted bid, it will be a shot-in-the-arm for a fledgling industry dominated by startups and venture capital-funded firms in China.

"The winter sports market has been picking up downhill speed in recent years and seeing increased investments from startups and VC-funded firms," said Wang Xiaoyuan, founder of VIP SKI, an online-to-offline skiing service provider for skiers. Besides equipment recommendations and checkups, the company also arranges trips to various ski resorts for winter sport lovers.