Professor behind $12 billion empire fuels China’s tech rise
NEW DELHI: Li Zexiang grew up in rural China during the Cultural Revolution, when capitalists were the enemy. Now the 61-year-old academic has quietly emerged as one of the country’s most successful angel investors, backing more than 60 startups including drone giant DJI.
Li was among the first Chinese to study in the US before returning to teach in Hong Kong’s pre-eminent technology university. From there, he’s groomed a generation of entrepreneurs and set up an incubation academy, funding or nurturing promising players in robotics and artificial intelligence valued at almost $12 billion.
Intentionally or not, the robotics expert is playing an increasingly pivotal role in a battle between the US and China to dominate defining technologies. As Washington prepares to broaden sweeping curbs against its rival’s chip and AI sectors, Li’s talent for ferreting out scientific achievements is likely to prove more crucial than ever.
