Bob Xiaoping Xu

Bob Xiaoping Xu is the founder of ZhenFund and one of China's most celebrated angel investors. Established in 2011 as a joint fund with Sequoia Capital China, ZhenFund is China’s foremost angel fund. Managing USD 600 million, ZhenFund has 500 portfolio companies and offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Palo Alto. It has played a leading role in China’s rise as a “startup nation”, and is widely considered a beacon of light in China’s vibrant startup environment. Prior to founding ZhenFund, Mr. Xu co-founded China's largest private English training and test preparation group, New Oriental Education, along with Michael Yu and Victor Wang. New Oriental became listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2006 and currently has a market cap of USD 11 billion. The founders’ endeavors, which helped drive Chinese education toward a new global era, was featured in the box office hit “American Dreams in China”. The movie ranked as the #3 Chinese domestic box office hit in 2013. Mr. Xu’s success as an educator and an entrepreneur led him to angel investing, where he has pioneered a unique investment philosophy of investing in exceptional people. He became one of the most prolific patrons of entrepreneurship, as well as a leading mentor to young business leaders. Forbes Magazine has honored him on the Midas List as one of the World’s Top 100 Venture Capital Investors for two consecutive years (2016 and 2017). Mr. Xu currently serves as the Chairman of China Angel Investment Association. Mr. Xu has more than 11 million followers on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter. He is also a prolific author who has published seven books on career growth and education. His writings, speeches and interviews on entrepreneurship, investment and education have had an immense impact on China’s emerging business leaders, and particularly on those who have studied abroad. He is the president of Committee 2005, an institution that gathers the most influential Chinese overseas returnees, including the likes of Robin Li, Neil Shen and Lee Kai-fu. Mr. Xu is deeply committed to philanthropy. He is a founding donor and the Committee Acting President of the Future Science Award, an annual award of USD 1 million for scientists who have made significant contributions to life sciences and physical sciences in Greater China. Mr. Xu graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music, the Chinese equivalent of Julliard School of Music, with a bachelor’s degree in music. He received his master’s degree in music from the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to that he was a counsellor at Peking University for five years.