The Human-Centered AI Era: Yunqi Capital Donates to Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Yuanqi Development Fund — Phase II

Yunqi Capital founding managing partner Chengyu Mao and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Education Development Foundation deputy secretary-general Yi Li sign the donation agreement

On March 26, as Shanghai Jiao Tong University approaches its 130th anniversary, the donation signing ceremony for the second phase of the university's "Yuanqi Development Fund" was held at Yunqi Capital's Shanghai office.

This round of funding will focus on exploring the deep integration of artificial intelligence with the humanities and social sciences. Representatives from relevant Shanghai Jiao Tong University departments and the Education Development Foundation joined the Yunqi team at the firm's leafy courtyard office on Anfu Road to witness the occasion and engage in in-depth discussions around "AI + Humanities."

The donation represents Yunqi's continued commitment based on its long-term technology investment practice and trend assessment, and marks the deepening of its partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University ("SJTU" or "Jiao Da") representatives at the signing ceremony included Party Committee deputy secretary Weiwei Hu, China Institute for Socio-Legal Studies and Japan Research Center director Weidong Ji, School of Psychology executive dean Tifei Yuan, School of Media and Communication vice dean Jian Xu, Antai College of Economics and Management vice dean Dawei Sang, Education Development Foundation deputy secretary-general Yi Li**, along with representatives from relevant departments and schools. From Yunqi Capital, director general managers Na Li and Shanhui Wu, and executive director Wei Cui attended as witnesses.**

"Drink Water, Remember the Source" — A Long-Term Commitment

The name "Yuanqi" draws from SJTU's motto "drink water, remember the source" (饮水思源), while also evoking the idea of tracing upstream and setting out toward the future. For Yunqi, this is not a one-time donation but a concrete expression of its long-held values: "technology for good, investment for good."

Yunqi Capital founding managing partner Chengyu Mao said in his remarks that, as an SJTU alumnus and longtime investor in the technology sector, he feels deeply proud to see his alma mater and its entrepreneurial community continuing to make breakthroughs in frontier technology. Yunqi has always focused on early-stage technology investment, steadily building positions in AI and other cutting-edge directions, and participating deeply in the full chain from scientific research to industry application. In this process, Yunqi pays attention not only to technological breakthroughs themselves, but also to the research systems and talent pipelines behind them — and universities are a crucial source of these elements.

Over the past several years, Mao has supported his alma mater in multiple capacities, including serving as a council member of the SJTU Education Development Foundation, a member of its Development Advisory Committee, and a mentor for the Tiangong Program for student entrepreneurs. He has also led Yunqi in steadily deepening its collaboration with SJTU, supporting projects including the "Yuanqi Observatory" at the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, the Zhiyuan College, the Antai College of Economics and Management Engineering Hall Fund, and the "AI Future Fund." In 2024, Yunqi completed the first phase of its Yuanqi Development Fund donation, focused on supporting basic scientific research and talent cultivation.

On the investment side, Yunqi has also backed multiple SJTU-affiliated innovation projects at early stages, including an angel-round investment in MiniMax. The "SJTU-Yunqi AI Angel Fund" launched in 2025 further systematizes this support for SJTU-affiliated innovation projects, helping research outcomes find their way into industrial practice.

In 2024, Yunqi donated to establish the "Yuanqi Development Fund"

The "Yuanqi Observatory" at the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute

The Humanities and Sciences Ascend Together; Wisdom and Intelligence Shine as One

Over the past two years, the rapid development of artificial intelligence has been fundamentally reshaping how society operates and continuously affecting how individuals work and live.

Through frontline investment and industry practice, Yunqi has increasingly recognized: as AI begins to function as a "bottom-layer operating system" for society, its impact extends far beyond the technical realm into the reconstruction of relationships between people, and between people and society.

As AI grows ever closer to "human," how should humans redefine themselves? In the intelligent era, the more advanced technology becomes, the more the value of "the human" needs to be continuously questioned, earnestly defended, and newly illuminated. And these questions cannot be resolved through technical approaches alone — they require the deep engagement and response of the humanities and social sciences, including law, psychology, communication, and management.

The Yunqi team exchanges ideas with SJTU school leaders and faculty around "AI + Humanities"

Based on this assessment, the second phase of the Yuanqi Development Fund expands its support from basic scientific research into "exploration of new humanities research and development in the AI era," with a focus on the intersection and integration of artificial intelligence with humanistic disciplines, and on exploring the social frameworks and value systems of the intelligent era.

During the discussion session on the day of the donation, deans and leaders from multiple SJTU schools shared their explorations and practices in the "AI + Humanities" direction. There was broad consensus that future research will require more dialogue between the humanities and sciences, and more interdisciplinary collaboration.

Yunqi's collaboration with SJTU will also move in this direction, using fund support to drive relevant research and practical implementation. From research support to investment coordination to ecosystem building, the partnership between Yunqi and SJTU continues to deepen. The ongoing advancement of the Yuanqi Development Fund further institutionalizes and systematizes this relationship.

"Yuan" is the starting point, the place one comes from; "Qi" is the direction, the future. In this new phase, Yunqi will continue working with partners to explore more possibilities at the intersection of technology and the humanities, pushing forward technological innovation while ensuring that development remains grounded in "putting people first."

After the signing ceremony, attendees pose for a group photo in the courtyard of Yunqi's office building, tucked deep along Anfu Road