Professor Behind $12 Billion Empire Fuels China’s Tech Rise
Li Zexiang is a man with an unusual path from rural China to the US, where he became one of the country’s most successful angel investors. He has backed more than 60 startups, including drone giant DJI. He was one of the first Chinese to study abroad, and he returned to teach at Hong Kong’s premier technology university. Since then, he has helped to groom a new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs by funding the country’s leading players in artificial intelligence and robotics. His investment portfolio is nearly $12 billion.
Professor Li Zexiang
Professor Li Zexiang is a model of entrepreneurial success who is fueling China’s tech boom. As a student, Li helped his classmates with their ideas and backed them for commercial success. Eventually, his ideas became ePropulsion, which Li was instrumental in saving from extinction.
Xbotpark incubation platform
The Xbotpark incubation platform has a colossal mission: to help Chinese entrepreneurs build a unicorn. Li has opened two locations in China: Ningbo and Chongqing. He has also partnered with investors Hillhouse and Sequoia, though he declined to disclose the capital. Xbotpark’s vision is to make China the birthplace of unicorns. While Li admits it is a tough climb, he is excited to see what comes out of it.
Hai Robotics
Hai Robotics is a leading provider of automated case-handling robotic systems. The company’s solutions help warehouse operators increase productivity while also enhancing storage capacity. Hai has deployed its robotics solutions in over 200 projects globally and boasts a 90 percent market share of the ACR robot market. Its innovative robotic solutions are designed to create value in every warehouse. Recently, it announced a partnership with Sinocare to develop and introduce a complete ACR system, which will help healthcare institutions better integrate their in-plant logistics.
Narwal
Incubated in an Asian financial center, Narwal has a passion for startups. He has backed scores of them through his Xbotpark incubation platform, with the value of their combined stock reaching eighty billion yuan ($11.5 billion). Many of the startups are leaders in their industries, with a number of them having attracted the attention of global financiers such as Sequoia. One of these companies, SZ DJI Technology Co., is now preparing for a domestic IPO.
EcoFlow
EcoFlow is a carbon-neutral energy company developing innovative renewable energy solutions. One such solution is the DELTA Pro ecosystem, which was first launched on Kickstarter in July 2021. The crowdfunding campaign was a hit, raising more than $12 million. This exceeded the previous record of the largest tech project on Kickstarter.
ByteDance Ltd.
Among the most influential and successful Chinese angel investors, Li Zexiang has backed more than 60 startups. He was one of the first Chinese to study abroad in the United States, where he later returned to teach at Hong Kong’s premier technology university. He has cultivated a new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs and established an incubation academy. His students include some of China’s most promising players in artificial intelligence and robotics. His investments are estimated to be worth $12 billion.
