From fintech and AI to consumer tech and biotech, China’s women founders are rewriting the story of Asian innovation. In 2025, these ten leaders helm companies worth billions — built on creativity, resilience, and global ambition.
Image by LUXUO
Jean Liu |
- China
Company: Didi Global
Serves 600 million users across 17 countries; valuation exceeds US$30 billion.
President Jean Liu has steered Didi through regulatory transitions and expansion into autonomous mobility. Since joining in 2014, Liu has focused on AI infrastructure, safety, and green transportation. Her leadership has transformed Didi from a ride-hailing startup into a diversified smart mobility platform driving Asia’s transport innovation.
Image by Airwallex
Lucy Liu |
- China
Company: Airwallex
Valuation US$5.5 billion (2024); operates in 19 global markets.
Co-founder Lucy Liu helped build one of Asia’s fastest-growing fintech unicorns. Airwallex provides cross-border payment solutions for global SMEs. With offices spanning Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia, Liu has been instrumental in scaling operations and fostering compliance partnerships, positioning Airwallex as a global fintech powerhouse from Asia.
Image by SCMP
Kate Wang |
- China
Company: RELX Technology
IPO valuation US$45 billion (2021); current market cap ~US$12 billion.
Founder Kate Wang launched RELX in 2018 to create a regulated, science-driven vaping alternative for adult smokers. Under her leadership, RELX expanded to more than 60 countries and pivoted toward clean-tech and health-focused consumer devices. Her story illustrates how China’s new-generation female founders are scaling hardware brands with global governance standards.
Image by Beta Boom
Cindy Mi |
- China
Company: VIPKid
US$3 billion valuation; US$975 million raised to date.
Founder & CEO Cindy Mi launched VIPKid in 2013 to connect learners with global teachers for live, online classes. Despite China’s shifting edtech rules, Mi has steered VIPKid to a sustainable cross-border model, enterprise offerings, and global language programs—keeping the company among China’s most valuable female-founded edtech brands.
Image by McKinsey
Jessica Tan |
- China
Company: Ping An Group
Group valuation > US$150 billion
Co-CEO Jessica Tan spearheads Ping An’s digital transformation, integrating AI, blockchain, and cloud technology into finance and healthcare. Her strategy has turned the 36-year-old conglomerate into Asia’s model for “tech-driven finance.
Image by Kr Asia
Miranda Qu (Qu Fang) |
- China
Company: Xiaohongshu (RED)
2025 secondary transactions indicate US$26–31 billion valuation; users 300M+ MAU.
Co-founder Miranda Qu built RED into China’s most influential social-commerce platform blending UGC and shopping. Founded in 2013 with Charlwin Mao, RED has achieved sustained profitability and rising global attention amid TikTok turbulence, positioning Qu as one of China’s most powerful product leaders.
Image by Zai Lab
Samantha Du |
- China
Company: Zai Lab
Market cap ≈ US$2.8–3.7B in 2025 (range across reputable trackers).
Dr. Samantha (Ying) Du, Founder, Chairperson & CEO, built Zai Lab (founded 2013) into a leading China-based biopharma with multiple approved therapies and a deep oncology/autoimmune pipeline. Under Du’s leadership, Zai Lab blends in-licensing with internal R&D, scaling global partnerships while expanding patient access in Greater China.
Image by Tech in Asia
Gong Yingying |
- China
Company: Yidu Tech Inc.
Public company; market cap ~ HK $7.6 billion (≈ US $970 million)
Founder & CEO Gong Yingying built Yidu Tech in 2014 into China’s leading AI-health-data platform serving pharma, hospitals, and public health authorities. Its privacy-preserving analytics and clinical data tools enable precision research and real-world evidence generation across China’s healthcare ecosystem. Gong’s leadership bridges AI innovation and social impact in digital health.
Image by Vyapaar Jagat
Zhou Qunfei |
- China
Company: Lens Technology
Public company; market cap ≈ HK $168.3 billion
Founder and Chair Zhou Qunfei built Lens Technology from a small family workshop in 2003 into one of the world’s largest manufacturers of glass and touch components for smartphones, wearables, and EV displays. Supplying brands like Apple and Samsung, she rose from factory worker to self-made billionaire and created a pioneering female-led manufacturing empire at the heart of China’s high-tech supply chain.
Image by Claremont Graduate University
Yan Li |
- China
Company: Energy Monster
Listed on NASDAQ (ticker: EM); valuation US$700 million.
Co-founder and COO Yan Li has expanded Energy Monster into China’s largest mobile charging network. Since its founding in 2017, she has driven operations and ESG goals, including battery recycling initiatives and carbon reduction. Yan represents a new generation of founders aligning growth with sustainability.
From Jessica Tan’s fintech empire to Zhou Qunfei’s high-tech manufacturing and Gong Yingying’s AI-driven healthcare innovation, China’s female founders are proving that the future of Asian business is diverse, data-driven, and globally ambitious. Their companies collectively reflect the scale, creativity, and determination powering the region’s next economic leap.
Discover more inspiring journeys on Feature.Asia: 10 Entrepreneurs Under 30 Changing Asia’s Economy
