Minding their own business

That said, it is not only the business founders' striving spirit, but also the unprecedented transformation brought by the internet business-which has led China's startup boom in the recent two decades-that provided Guan and her team the impetus to produce the documentary.

Four years ago, Guan's company moved to eastern Beijing, housed in a building 3 kilometers outside the city's fourth ring road.

"Back then the area was a bit deserted. My colleagues had to walk 1.5 kilometers to the nearest subway station and we always worried about lunch as there were a limited number of restaurants," she recalls.

"But everything is changing so fast," she says, adding that within two years the staff could order food delivery and ride shared bikes.

Guan wished to record the era and its changes.

However, the shooting was more difficult than she had expected, as some "protagonists" were reluctant to be put in front of the camera.

Luo Yonghao from Smartisan was "one of those who played hard to get". An internet celebrity who shot to fame for his talkative nature and witty quotes, the former English teacher-turned-entrepreneur, surprisingly, turned down the crew the first time they approached him about the project.

"Luo said he is scared of being filmed," recalls Guan, adding she later understood more about Luo after some deeper communication.

"He has huge curiosity and passion for what he loves. To pursue his dreams, he behaves like a child. That is valuable for a startup founder," says Guan.

Unlike similarly themed films, which feature an exciting or inspirational message, Startups demonstrates more the founders' struggles, fear, hesitation and, in some cases, sadness.

For instance, An Chuandong, a 1990s-born graduate from Renmin University of China, who failed in his shared-restaurant project, couldn't hold back tears when his parents-in rural Henan province-said they would work hard to invest every cent in his dream.

When the film was released, An had just raised around 9 million yuan ($1.33 million) to launch a new app that specializes in helping users understand ancient books about Chinese philosophy and culture.

"Their stories-whether the struggling celebrities like Luo and Dai, or the less well-known An-are still unfolding, and we'll continue to record their journeys.

"In some sense, it will be a documentary franchise for which it is hard to predict an ending," concludes Guan.