HEAD OF THE DAY
🇨🇳 Yi Gang
Yi Gang (right) would rather build robots than accept awards
🦾 The merciful Samaritobot: Even if he looks in the photo above like a 14-year-old just shoved out of bed by his mom, Yi Gang is a name worth remembering.
👨🎓 How it began
His seatmate at university needed a prosthetic but couldn’t afford one. So Yi researched how to build one himself.
With money from side jobs and the help of a teacher, he created his first working prototype. Impressed, the university provided him with a lab and a robotics mentor. Yi taught himself mechanics and AI, and in 2020 he founded Ti5 Robot Technology in Shanghai.
💸 How it’s going
Today Ti5 develops humanoid robots and bionic hands that respond to voice commands and are used in factories or service centers. The 1.7-meter models cost between 200,000 and 800,000 yuan (27,000–110,000 USD).
Ti5 has raised about 28 million USD in funding, including from Plum Ventures and Matrix Partners China. Yi also landed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list.
👉🏻 Lesson learned
What drives Yi to this day is the same motivation as back then: technology should not only fascinate but also heal, help, and give hope.
The China Survival Guide for Western Businesses
Entity setup, WeChat strategy, hiring your first local team. 12+ years on the ground in Shanghai.
