Fan Zhang

Fan Zhang is the founder and CEO of Yoolee AI (元理智能), a Chinese AI startup focused on enterprise applications, which he launched after leaving his role as COO of Zhipu AI in late 2025. He secured $8 million in angel funding from BlueRun Ventures for the venture . Prior to Zhipu AI, Zhang founded Mioji (妙计旅行), a travel startup that raised tens of millions of dollars over five years before shutting down—a period he has described as paying "tuition" for misunderstanding industry fundamentals . In interviews with Crossing, he has framed his shift to ToB AI as a deliberate bet, arguing that Chinese teams' algorithm capabilities and product knowhow translate naturally to global markets under the current AI paradigm .