Riding the Wind | A Close-Up of 5Y Capital's 15th Anniversary CEO Summit
As long as you keep moving forward, the road will keep extending.
What is wind? A trajectory of infinite forms yet formless itself, a surge of rushing air, a synonym for uncertainty.
Sometimes wind is opportunity; sometimes it is obstacle. It is direction invisible yet felt, the complex reality coming from every side.
In cycling, wind is the primary resistance. Double your speed, and drag increases fourfold. To overcome it, riders adjust their posture — this is called "breaking wind."
The "wind resistance" entrepreneurs face is far more complex — external change, organizational and personal evolution, market uncertainty. To reach their destination, breaking wind is a process every founder must endure.
This year marks 5Y Capital's 15th anniversary. We chose "Breaking Wind, Moving Forward" as the theme for our 15th Annual CEO Summit, inviting over a hundred founders and investors to a cycling challenge. It drizzled that day; the wind was fierce. Yet facing the wind head-on, the perseverance and courage founders displayed left a deeper impression on us than anything else.
Once you set out on the entrepreneurial path, wind is everywhere. But feeling the wind means we are moving forward.
As Long as You Keep Moving Forward
The Road Keeps Extending
Cycling resembles entrepreneurship in many ways — embarking on an unknown journey, adapting to changing conditions, constantly adjusting your rhythm. "It's something that demands endurance, explosive power, and a bit of brains all at once."
Swipe left or right to see more cycling moments
For many founders attempting long-distance cycling for the first time, crashes and leg cramps are hard to avoid. On the toughest sections, they had to push through more physical discomfort. "Your physical limit is when you feel completely spent, but you grit your teeth and ask yourself: can I do one more kilometer? Your mental limit is when you want to quit, but you convince yourself: can I hold on a little longer?"
Once you set out, founders step onto a road where forward is the only option — willpower trumps everything. They are constantly reinventing themselves, shedding dependence on comfort, reshaping resilience. One founder mentioned a line he admires, written by Nike's founder in his autobiography's preface: "Cowards never start. The weak die along the way. Only we remain, pressing forward, unable to stop for a single step."
As long as you keep moving forward, the road keeps extending.
Ultimate Optimism
Comes from the Confidence Entrepreneurs Give Us
Qin Liu, Founding Partner of 5Y Capital, shared his reflections in the opening speech:
"In recent years, the question I've been asked most is: why do you remain 'optimistic,' why do you still 'believe'? My answer is simple: because I am not merely an investor, but an entrepreneur in the business of investing. Entrepreneurs are born problem-solvers.
5Y Capital's very first day coincided with the 2008 financial crisis — the entire market was engulfed in pessimism. Yet looking back, it was precisely amid such profound pessimism that the massive innovation cycle of mobile internet emerged. When people began worrying that internet opportunities were drying up, more startups in hard tech, cloud computing, AI, biomedicine, and new energy came to the fore. Exceptional founders have always been indifferent to whether the environment is pessimistic or optimistic — at every technological inflection point, they distinguish themselves. Crises cannot stop entrepreneurs.
We've learned extraordinary qualities from countless founders — pure passion, resilience, agility, ambition, animal spirits, and conviction. These are why we still believe, why we remain optimistic. And we've found that all these qualities eventually become internalized as muscle memory. As Aristotle said, 'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.'
If you hold a vision ahead of the market, are ambitiously committed to changing people's perceptions and industry status quo, and have decided to influence everyone around you through evangelism — congratulations, you will become a minority in others' eyes. But also prepare yourself: you will face ridicule and doubt, and the vast majority of outcomes will be failure. Worse, you may be seen as mad, for the distance between genius and madman, between visionary and fraud, is but one step. As 5Y Capital, which treats non-consensus as its core investment capability, we are willing to cast a vote of belief in your precious conviction, even when others see you as crazy.
The tide of technological development is unstoppable; the future is full of opportunity, and of course, various challenges. But we believe that having the privilege of walking alongside all of you, we will surely break wind and move forward."
— Qin Liu, Founding Partner of 5Y Capital
During the summit, entrepreneurs from 5Y's portfolio, cross-disciplinary scientists, and athletes shared how they break wind and move forward. We saw how technically trained engineers and scientists grow into visionary entrepreneurs, how young founders explore the cutting edge of AI, and how different consumer brands have grown.
We felt the tremendous energy radiating from founders across different fields. There were experiences of facing troughs and walking through darkness, and insights on "how to reach the path to superintelligence." Many founders are exploring the boundaries of interdisciplinary fields, also blazing trails in global markets. Mistakes and pitfalls are unavoidable, but "find as many necessary conditions as possible, and you'll get closer to success."
Swipe left or right to see more summit moments
Any innovative endeavor is a long-cycle undertaking; unknown risks often make people hesitate, but pain also unlocks greater potential in entrepreneurs. "From day one of starting up, we knew this would be a long-distance run. But we have confidence — belief in our own craziness, and conviction in our path."
For more highlights from the summit, we will be publishing them gradually on 5Y Capital's WeChat official account — stay tuned :)
Giveaway
We welcome you to share your views and thoughts on breaking wind and moving forward in the comments, or any questions you'd like to discuss. We will select 2 featured comments to receive a 5Y Capital coffee gift.
5Y Capital seeks out, supports, and inspires lonely entrepreneurs, providing support from spirit to all operational matters. We believe that if the you whom others see as crazy begins to be believed in, the world will become a different place.
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