YI He co-founded Binance alongside Changpeng Zhao in 2017.
But how much is the Chinese entrepreneur, who often stays out of the limelight, worth?
Who is Yi He?
Yi He was born in 1968 in Sichuan province in western China to a poor family and was raised by just her mother, after her father passed away when she was only nine years old.
She said: “My mum hoped that I would be a teacher, because in her mind, women should be teachers or assistants, but never bosses.
“So, I think that the internet has changed that a lot, as women of my generation have started learning about inspirational examples from around the world.”
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Yi He graduated with a master’s degree from the Institute of Psychology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2007.
Her first job was promoting a soft drink outside a supermarket by offering consumers a taste.
She said: “All the talking and hawking led to a hoarse voice.”
She then joined the Chinese Television Channel in 2012 and worked as a TV host for a travel show.
In 2014, He started working in the cryptocurrency industry and was one of the co-founders of OKCoin – China’s largest cryptocurrency-to-fiat exchange.
She led OkCoin’s branding and marketing strategy as CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) and was responsibly for handling user operations, online marketing, social media, PR and branding.
In December 2015, He joined video-sharing tech company, Yixia Technology.
She served as Vice President and handled the product management and marketing operations for the firm.
In 2017 Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ and her former colleague from cryptocurrency exchange OKCoin, asked her to join his startup: Binance.
Yi He said: “We were preparing for an initial public offering, and at that moment, CZ wrote a white paper for Binance, and began to raise money, and he asked me to do some consulting work for them.
“A lot of people do consulting for startups and ask for a percentage or a token, but I did it for free because I believed in CZ – he was ambitious, hard-working, and so I believed that he could be successful.”
“When they raised the first $15 million, CZ called me and said, ‘Tomorrow, binance.com will launch, and we will grow, so join us.’
“And it was a difficult situation for me, because I had a better-paying job, but then, I told him that I didn’t want his company to be successful only in China, but that I wanted a bigger challenge. It was already 3am or 4am in the morning, and it was just an offer over the phone, but I finally said yes.”
“The next morning, I had just quit from my current job at the time, telling them that I wanted to start up a business with my former colleague, and I went back to my desk only to see the 50 per cent crash of BNB coin.
“That was a very interesting moment. But I had run exchanges before, and I knew these things could happen, so in a month, I joined Binance.
“At that moment in 2017, I knew that I trusted myself and CZ, and I knew that money was not important for me, but what I wanted to do in life.
“I knew that I’m good at branding, marketing, operations, but that I didn’t have a tech background, so I needed a partner.
“Since I wanted to take on a global challenge, I knew that CZ was the best partner for me.
“Although the offer that I had from him looked worse at that very moment, I still accepted it, as I knew that we could build great things together.”
He initially served as CMO of Binance until August 2022, when she was appointed Head of Binance Labs, the venture capital (VC) arm of Binance.
He said: “I’m leading Binance Labs, because I’m one of oldest OGs in this space, and so, I know a lot of people, and I know this industry. Secondly, I have a good gut feeling to recognize the right person, and thirdly, I have a clear vision of our industry, and what we want to build in the future.”
Binance has come along way since its creation with more than 6,000 employees.
He spends the majority of her time at their regional offices in Dubai, but also travels to Paris often.
What is Yi He’s net worth?
Yi He has a net worth of over $1 billion thanks to her share in Binance.
He actively shuns the limelight and doesn’t like to show off her wealth.
He said: “We’re not really buying luxuries like houses or cars.
“I think just this year, CZ went to Dubai and bought an apartment, but it isn’t filled with very luxurious stuff.”
He is actively involved in a number of charities including, Binance Charity Foundation – a non-profit organization founded by Binance in 2018, with the goal of using blockchain technology to enhance transparency and efficiency in the global charity sector.
She is also involved in Binance for Children – a campaign launched by Binance Charity Foundation in 2019, aimed at helping children in need around the world.