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Yi Shi

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Yi Shi
Native name石一 いし はじめ
BornShanghai, China
🏫 EducationGoethe University (BS)
Stanford University
💼 Occupation
Tech entrepreneur and angel investor
Known forFounding Avazu, DotC United, oBike, FlashIntel

Yi Shi (Chinese: 石一, Japanese: いし はじめ) is a Chinese-German entrepreneur.[1][2][3] He is known for founding several tech companies. Yi Shi was recognized multiple times by Forbes' "30 Under 30" lists, including Forbes China in 2014 and Forbes Asia in 2017.[4][5][6] He was also featured in Fortune China's "40 Under 40" in 2016 and 2023.[7][8]

Early life and education

Yi Shi was born in 1989 in Shanghai, China and later moved and raised in Germany from the age of 11.[9][10] He studied computer science at Goethe University Frankfurt [11] but left during his fourth semester to found Avazu, Later, he completed executive education programs at Stanford Graduate School of Business.[12]

Career

Avazu (2009–2016)

In 2009, Yi Shi founded Avazu Inc.[13], a AdTech company specializing in real time bidding, programmatic advertising[14] and private exchange solutions.[15][16] Avazu expanded globally, with offices in cities including Shanghai[17], Beijing, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Los Angeles.[18][19] Avazu developed one of the first self-serve demand-side platforms (DSPs) in Asia and provided performance-based advertising services to clients worldwide.[20] In 2014, the company raised $48 million in Series A financing,[21] and by that time had become one of the region’s largest programmatic advertising platforms. [22][23] In 2015, Avazu was acquired by Dalian Zeus Entertainment Co., Ltd., a Shenzhen-listed company, for approximately CNY 2.2 billion (USD 350 million), marking one of the largest exits in China’s ad tech sector at the time.[24][25]

DotC United Group (2016–2022)

Yi Shi later founded DotC United Group,[26] a consumer internet company involved in e-commerce, social platforms, and utility applications.[27] The company focused on emerging markets. In 2017, DotC United Group secured $350 million[28] in a Series B funding round.[29] The company has made several investments and acquisitions, including Wangpai Huyu, NewsDog, and OneMena.[30][31][32]

oBike (2017–2018)

In 2017, Yi Shi co-founded oBike,[33][34] an independent dockless bike-sharing service designed to address urban mobility challenges.[35] The company secured $45 million[36] in a Series B funding round in August 2017, one of the largest in Southeast Asia at the time,[37] with backing from Grishin Robotics and Grab.[38] It started in Singapore in early 2017, expanded rapidly into South East Asia, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Europe. [39][40][41][42] Despite this ambitious rollout and significant regional growth, the company ran into operational and regulatory obstacles, [43][44][45] culminating in its exit and eventual closure in 2018.[46][47][48] Following the shutdown, the company faced criticism for failing to refund user deposits and leaving bicycles abandoned in public spaces.[49][50] Yi Shi expressed willingness to use his shares to cover refund costs,[51] but the company's financial difficulties hindered the refund process. In 2018, oBike was acquired by OSS Inversiones, an investment firm led by brothers Oscar Moises Chaves and Samuel Chaves.[52] The new owners expressed their commitment to addressing oBike's outstanding debts and refunding user deposits.[53] However, the repayment process faced challenges due to difficulties in obtaining a comprehensive breakdown of amounts owed to creditors and users.[54] As a result, the settlement of debts and refunds experienced delays, leaving many users awaiting the return of their deposits.[55]

FlashIntel (2022–Present)

In 2022, Yi Shi founded FlashIntel,[56] a Silicon Valley-based company developing AI agents[57] for Go-to-Market (GTM) and Customer Experience (CX) optimization.[58][59] The company raised $10 million in seed funding.[60] In 2025, Shi won the high-profile charity auction for a private lunch with Marc Benioff, continuing the legacy of Warren Buffett’s “Power Lunch” and benefiting the GLIDE Foundation.[61] He had previously attended the Buffett lunch in 2015, marking him as a rare two-time participant in these prestigious philanthropic events.[62]

See also

References

  1. ↑ pedrogmferreira (2017-07-31). "Small Talk: Yi Shi". Station (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  2. ↑ Puutio, Alexander. "Why This AI Entrepreneur Paid Six Figures For A Lunch With Benioff". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  3. ↑ "The Rockstars 50: The biggest names on Germany's digital marketing scene". OMR. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  4. ↑ "Wayback Machine". www.forbeschina.com. Archived from the original on 2025-04-26. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  5. ↑ "Yi Shi, 27 - 2017-04-07 - 30 Under 30 Asia 2017: Enterprise Tech". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  6. ↑ "Shi Yi". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  7. ↑ "石一". 财富中文网 (in 中文). Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  8. ↑ "石一". 财富中文网 (in 中文). Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  9. ↑ pedrogmferreira (2017-07-31). "Small Talk: Yi Shi". Station (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  10. ↑ "石一：成立公司7年，却做了12年的数字广告|Morketing_全球营销商业媒体平台". www.morketing.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  11. ↑ "Goethe-Alumnus Yi Shi spendet für »Goethe-Lab« - Goethe Unibator". goetheunibator.de. 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  12. ↑ "Goethe-Universität — Yi Shi". www.uni-frankfurt.de. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  13. ↑ "用石一的方式理解石一_手机凤凰网". inews.ifeng.com. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  14. ↑ Dunaway, Gavin (2015-07-06). "Location Is Everything: Talking Mobile Programmatic With Avazu's Yi Shi". AdMonsters. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  15. ↑ "Yi Shi CEO & Founder, Avazu Inc, Talks About The Company's Private Exchange Business And DSP Solution - ExchangeWire.com". www.exchangewire.com. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  16. ↑ "Click-Through Rate Prediction". www.kaggle.com. Archived from the original on 2025-03-26. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  17. ↑ "Stealing Attention: A Chinese Thief on Social Media Isn't What He Seems". Wall Street Journal. 2012-05-09. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  18. ↑ "专访：Avazu Mobile CEO石一谈RTB移动广告和效果营销平台-RTBChina". www.rtbchina.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  19. ↑ "专访Avazu创始人&CEO石一|界面新闻 · JMedia". www.jiemian.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  20. ↑ "全球领先的移动互联网推广平台艾维邑动携手钱海布局海外多元化产业". 全球数字支付技术解决方案和服务|创新互联网支付平台 (in 中文). 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  21. ↑ "艾维邑动获4800万美元投资 国内最大全球跨屏推广平台加速--IT--人民网". it.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  22. ↑ "中国互联网"全球化推手"艾维邑动获4800万美元投资-RTBChina". www.rtbchina.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  23. ↑ "一个85后连续创业者的告白-36氪". 36kr.com. 2025-07-16. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  24. ↑ "新天资本-中国领先的资产管理平台". www.cm-capital.cn. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  25. ↑ "天神娱乐(002354)-公司公告-天神娱乐：发行股份及支付现金购买资产并募集配套资金暨关联交易报告书（修订稿）-股票行情中心 -搜狐证券". q.stock.sohu.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  26. ↑ "25岁身家过20亿,拥有全球4.5亿用户,他将中国模式搬到海外去". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  27. ↑ "移动出海公司DotC United 宣布获得3 亿元A轮融资_推荐_i黑马". www.iheima.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  28. ↑ 张林成 (2017-07-25). "DotC United Group完成3.5亿美元B轮融资，天神娱乐投资". 动点科技 (in 中文). Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  29. ↑ "Dalian Zeus Entertainment to sell unit Avazu to invest in Dotc United Inc". Reuters. 2017-06-12. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  30. ↑ "China's VC-backed DotC United raises $350m Series B | AVCJ". www.avcj.com. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  31. ↑ "DotC United Group创始人石一：保持客观是一种修行 | YBL导师_思考". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  32. ↑ "天神娱乐以Avazu股权作价22亿投资DotC获30.58%_天娱数科(sz002354)_社区_新浪股市汇". guba.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  33. ↑ "oBike创始人28岁拥4亿身家 如何做到的？ 新闻打包 - 红蚂蚁". www.redants.sg (in 中文). Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  34. ↑ "选择新加坡"骑"上创业之路". www.zaobao.com.sg (in 中文). Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  35. ↑ "It Changed My Life: Health crisis opened oBike founder's eyes to China's potential | The Straits Times". The Straits Times.
  36. ↑ "S'pore bike-sharing company oBike raises US$45 million, thanks to "transportation" investor". mothership.sg. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  37. ↑ "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  38. ↑ "oBike raises US$45M in Series B to catch up with the speeding Mobike and Ofo". Yahoo News. 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  39. ↑ "Anger at new bike hire scheme". 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  40. ↑ Burgess, Matt. "oBike's sharing scheme is coming to London to take on the Boris Bike". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  41. ↑ "Overseas operators pedal into Taiwan bike-sharing". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  42. ↑ Woo, Stu (2017-08-09). "Asian Bike-Share Startups Have Global Ambitions—but Can They Swerve Potholes?". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  43. ↑ "石一：如果陆交局放宽条例 oBike肯定会继续运作". www.xinjiapo.news (in 中文). Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  44. ↑ Zhou, Naaman (2018-06-25). "Obike closes bike-sharing HQ raising customer fears for deposits". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  45. ↑ Cook, James. "Local councils are unhappy after a startup littered the streets of London with hundreds of yellow bicycles". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  46. ↑ "oBike ceases operations in Singapore, citing difficulties in meeting new LTA regulations". The Straits Times. 2018-06-25. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  47. ↑ Nathani, Komal (2018-06-25). "Why this Bike-sharing Company has Pulled out its Operations from Singapore?". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  48. ↑ Russell, Jon (2018-06-25). "oBike is closing its dock-less bike-sharing service in Singapore". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  49. ↑ "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  50. ↑ "oBike ceases operations in Singapore, citing difficulties in meeting new LTA regulations | The Straits Times". The Straits Times. 25 June 2018.
  51. ↑ 汉良 (2018-07-03). "oBike退出新加坡市场 创始人承诺偿还押金". 诗华日报 (in 中文). Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  52. ↑ "oBike's new Costa Rican owner applies for licence to run e-scooter services under new firm". The Straits Times. 2019-02-11. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  53. ↑ Sek, Victoria (2019-04-12). "Not A "Cheap Bastard": oBike Investor On Why He Has Not Repaid S$10M Debt". Vulcan Post. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  54. ↑ Salim, Zafirah (2019-01-24). "oBike's $10M Debt Settlement Drags On As Investor Stands Firm On Demand: "I Asked For Invoices"". Vulcan Post. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  55. ↑ "New oBike investor says he wants to clear debt, but repayment to S'pore users stalls". todayonline.com/singapore. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  56. ↑ "一线直击！AI奇点、出海狂潮，华人创业帮的硅谷狂飙 - OFweek人工智能网". m.ofweek.com. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  57. ↑ Ng, Victor (2025-07-16). "Asia the true testbed for AI agents". DigiconAsia. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  58. ↑ "Yi Shi | SuperAI". SuperAI Singapore. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  59. ↑ Huang, Benjamin (2025-01-08). "Redefining Work: FlashIntel Founder Yi Shi's Vision to Transform Industries with AI Agentic Systems | Entrepreneur". Entrepreneur. Archived from the original on 2025-05-24. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  60. ↑ Liao, Rita (2023-08-21). "'All-in-one' sales tech platform FlashIntel raises $10 million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  61. ↑ "In The News: Why This AI Entrepreneur Paid Six Figures For A Lunch With Benioff". GLIDE - San Francisco: serving the people of the Tenderloin and San Francisco since 1963. 2025-07-11. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  62. ↑ Puutio, Alexander. "Why This AI Entrepreneur Paid Six Figures For A Lunch With Benioff". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-07-15.


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