Yang Zhilin
Building Moonshot AI as Founder & CEO
Last updated: April 2026
Awaira Score
Net Worth
$2.3B
estimated
Company Valuation
$18B
Moonshot AI
Age
34
years old
Leadership Profile
Yang Zhilin, 34, is the Founder & CEO behind Moonshot AI in China. Moonshot AI has reached a $18B valuation, backed by $2B in cumulative funding at the Series C stage. Positioned in the Foundation Models space, Moonshot AI competes in one of the most active segments of the AI economy. Full data on Yang Zhilin and Moonshot AI is tracked on Awaira's free intelligence platform.
Career Highlights
- Founder & CEO at Moonshot AI
- Series C stage company in Foundation Models
- Company valued at $18B
- $2B in total funding raised
- Estimated net worth: $2.3B
- Based in 🇨🇳 China
Founder Score Breakdown
Awaira Founder Score
76/100
Notable Tier
Top 24% of tracked founders
Yang Zhilin holds a notable position among AI founders. This above-average score reflects solid company performance, meaningful funding traction, and growing market presence.
Key Numbers
Awaira Score
76
Age
34
Net Worth
$2.3B
Company Valuation
$18B
Total Funding
$2B
Employees
300
About Yang Zhilin
Yang Zhilin is the founder and CEO of Moonshot AI, a Chinese artificial intelligence company focused on developing foundation models. Under his leadership, Moonshot AI has grown into one of China's prominent AI startups, raising $1.2 billion across multiple funding rounds and achieving an $18.0 billion valuation at Series C stage.
Little is publicly documented about Yang's early career and educational background. He emerged as a notable figure in China's AI landscape through his work founding and building Moonshot AI, positioning himself among the country's active AI entrepreneurs during a period of significant government support for domestic AI development.
Yang is primarily known for leading Moonshot AI's efforts to develop competitive large language models and foundation models within China's regulatory environment. The company has focused on creating AI systems that serve both enterprise and consumer applications, competing in a crowded Chinese AI market alongside other well-funded players.
Moonshot AI's rapid funding trajectory and valuation reflect investor confidence in the company's technical capabilities and market positioning. The company's development of foundation models has contributed to the broader landscape of AI innovation in China, particularly in demonstrating the feasibility of building advanced AI systems under domestic constraints.
Career Context
Yang Zhilin is 34 — right in the sweet spot where founders tend to build their biggest companies. Under their leadership, Moonshot AI has raised $2B. The company has grown to about 300 people. Founded in 2023, the company is 3 years in and hitting its stride.
Background & Education
Yang Zhilin holds a B.S. in Computer Science from University of Science and Technology of China. Before founding Moonshot AI, Yang built expertise in deep learning and large-scale model training through roles at Baidu and Tencent.
At a Glance
Yang Zhilin — Founder & CEO, 34 years old, based in China.
Role
Founder & CEO
Company
Moonshot AI
Company Founded
2023
Stage
Series C
Based In
🇨🇳 China
Sector
Foundation Models
Team Size
300
Latest News — Moonshot AI
Sequoia Capital China Leads $800M Round in Moonshot AI's Kimi Chatbot
Hillhouse Capital Leads $1B Round in Chinese AI Startup Moonshot AI
Moonshot AI Secures New Funding to Accelerate Series C Expansion
Moonshot AI Raises $1 Billion, Becoming China's Hottest AI Startup
Moonshot AI Achieves Breakthrough in AI Reasoning Benchmarks
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