Today's episode is my interview with Xing Meng, partner at 5Y Capital.
Most people know the broad strokes of Meng's story: investment banking, two startup ventures, several years in tech investing, then a stint at a major tech company — DiDi, where he led autonomous driving operations. In 2024, he returned to investing.
By the metric of outcome maximization, Meng's career might look like a series of zigzags. Just days before and after we recorded this podcast, Momenta — the second company he invested in while at Shunwei Capital — went public.
A key reason he left Shunwei for DiDi was a moment on a high-speed train passing Suzhou North Station, where he spotted Momenta's massive logo and suddenly felt he couldn't keep pace with Xudong Cao's growth.
Yet today, his investing career seems to be starting anew. So I asked him: does it ever feel frustrating to plant seeds you never get to harvest?
Meng said his life is driven by experience, and by difference. In our edited video, "experience" appears 32 times; "different," 16 times.
There was another unexpected discovery.
I'd always thought of Meng as a Silicon Valley type — open, sunny, effervescent. But this interview revealed a contrasting side: one rooted in his childhood, in his worldview.
What exactly? I'll leave that as a tease. I believe you'll come away with some new insights.
🎙️ Voices
Xing Meng | Partner, 5Y Capital
Jing Liu | elsewhere
📀 BGM
Can You Feel It - Jean Roch
📱 Socials
WeChat Official Account | WeChat Channels | Xiaohongshu | Bilibili | Jike | Xiaoyuzhou | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Substack | X/Twitter | LinkedIn | elsewhere.news
⏱️ Timestamps
Part 1: I'm Terrified of Sameness
00:07:08 Starting with Odin, Leo, and Tian Keyu
00:14:53 Are you easily drawn to stories?
00:30:31 Why must it be different?
Part 2: Startups, Shunwei, and DiDi
00:41:21 After two startups, why turn to investing?
00:50:13 Momenta and the Shunwei years
00:54:12 Joining DiDi as autonomous driving COO
Part 3: Wander, Wander, Wander
01:04:04 Returning to investing
01:13:08 Both unique and universal — maybe only Faye Wong pulls that off
01:19:28 I don't want to eat shirtless in Old Tang's building
🧩 Team
Producer: Guo Yunxiao
Recording & Production: Podcast Commune | OPS Podcast Studio
Planning / Director: Lao Yuan
Project Manager: Village Chief (Liu Chaofan)
Director of Photography: Liu Yan
Video Production: Liu Yan
Audio Production: Tutu
Visual Design: Wing (Chaosheng Zhi)
Lighting Design: Zang Zunzhuang Team
Venue Support: alahouse
View episode transcript on Xiaoyuzhou