# Ian Zhu

> Ian Zhu is a Series C investor at NIO Capital (Beijing) backing Automotive and Energy. See 15 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [NIO Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/nio-capital)
- Location: Beijing, China
- Total investments: 15
- Last investment: Jan 2024
- Lead investor: 53%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yan-zhu-b6a104/
- Website: http://www.niocapital.com/en

Ian Zhu is a Series C investor at NIO Capital in Beijing focused on Automotive and Energy. Ian Zhu is based out of Beijing and is the Managing Partner of NIO Capital. Ian previously worked at Tsing Capital as a Managing Partner. Ian Zhu attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Automotive | 5 | 33% |
| Energy | 3 | 20% |
| Semiconductor | 2 | 13% |
| Transportation | 2 | 13% |
| Electric Vehicle | 2 | 13% |

36 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series C | 4 | 27% |
| Angel | 2 | 13% |
| Series A | 2 | 13% |
| Series B | 2 | 13% |
| Pre-Seed | 1 | 7% |

7 stages tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| China | 8 | 53% |
| United States | 3 | 20% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| RELAYTO AI Regulated Content Platform | RELAYTO is building the most engaging way to share & experience documents. An AI-powered cloud platform, RELAYTO converts EXISTING static PPT/PDF files into visual interactive experiences that grab attention, persuade and drive change. And much more.Start with a PDF. Upload onto relayto.com in as little as one click you couldauto-magically get 3 benefits. First, we turn “digital paper” into a digital experience, enriched with interactivity, non-linear navigation and media. Second, we turn files into super-intelligent URLs optimized for omnichannel sharing, access & control. Third, we take you from knowing virtually nothing about your contents' consumption to giving your 360 analytics around engagement with your content even when you are not the room.Email support@relayto.com or check out relayto.com for more information. |  | Angel | Jan 01, 2024 |  |
| Ruitai Microelectronics | Ruitai Microelectronics is a domestic supplier of high-performance analog and analog-digital hybrid chips for intelligent networked vehicles. | $14M | Series A | Jun 14, 2023 |  |
| ClearMotion | ClearMotion builds products enabling a next-generation user experience in vehicles. The company’s active suspension technology and proactive road sensing combine software and hardware to mitigate vehicle movement across uneven road surfaces. ClearMotion was founded out of MIT and has locations in the greater Boston area and Birmingham, UK. For moreinformation visit https://www.clearmotion.com/. | $32M | Venture - Series Unknown | May 23, 2023 |  |
| Qianchen Automobile | Qianchen Automobile is a smart electric commercial vehicle manufacturer of smart connected new energy commercial vehicles. | $14.6M | Series B | Feb 20, 2023 |  |
| Ruilong Technology | Ruilong Technology is a battery industrialized recycling solution provider. |  | Series A | Jan 04, 2023 |  |
| ClearMotion | ClearMotion builds products enabling a next-generation user experience in vehicles. The company’s active suspension technology and proactive road sensing combine software and hardware to mitigate vehicle movement across uneven road surfaces. ClearMotion was founded out of MIT and has locations in the greater Boston area and Birmingham, UK. For moreinformation visit https://www.clearmotion.com/. | $39M | Venture - Series Unknown | Sep 07, 2022 |  |
| Xreal | Nreal is the developer of ready-to-wear mixed reality glasses. Its flagship product, Nreal light, is the first lightweight and comfortable mixed reality glasses, sporting a vivid display combined with spatial computing algorithms for an immersive experience. The company aims to make mixed reality available and accessible to everyone. They strive torealize the full potential of mixed reality by empowering developers to create applications that can ultimately propel a new era of entertainment, productivity, and more.Nreal was founded in 2017 and is based in Beijing, China. | $100M | Series C | Sep 23, 2021 |  |
| Ykccn.com | Ykccn.com is a professional company that operates and replaces the operation and maintenance of new energy vehicles. |  | Series B | Sep 13, 2021 |  |
| RELAYTO AI Regulated Content Platform | RELAYTO is building the most engaging way to share & experience documents. An AI-powered cloud platform, RELAYTO converts EXISTING static PPT/PDF files into visual interactive experiences that grab attention, persuade and drive change. And much more.Start with a PDF. Upload onto relayto.com in as little as one click you couldauto-magically get 3 benefits. First, we turn “digital paper” into a digital experience, enriched with interactivity, non-linear navigation and media. Second, we turn files into super-intelligent URLs optimized for omnichannel sharing, access & control. Third, we take you from knowing virtually nothing about your contents' consumption to giving your 360 analytics around engagement with your content even when you are not the room.Email support@relayto.com or check out relayto.com for more information. |  | Pre-Seed | Apr 19, 2020 |  |
| Newlink | Newlink primarily operates as a digital energy service provider. It promotes energy change, the energy Internet of Things EIoT, and an energy new retail platform. It is a dual-material unicorn at home and abroad, one of the world's top 500 new energy companies, with more than 3,000 employees. Covering oil, electricity, hydrogen, and gasmultiple energy categories, opening up the upstream and downstream of the energy industry chain, and digitally reconstructing the energy ecology. | $110M | Series C | Nov 25, 2019 |  |

10 of 15 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Venrock](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/venrock) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Acadia Woods Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/acadia-woods-partners) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Alchemist Accelerator](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alchemist-accelerator) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [BAI capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bertelsmann-asia-investments) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Eastward Capital Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/eastward-capital-partners) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Joy Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/joy-capital) — VC Fund, 2 deals together

## About NIO Capital

VC Fund · Shanghai, China

NIO Capital is a fund manager investing in themes reshaping the automotive, new energy and technology sectors.Established in 2016 and sponsored by NIO, NIO Capital leverages its unique access to global & Chinese innovation, comprehensive market understanding and flourishing ecosystem to create category-leading companies in fields such aselectric vehicles, autonomous driving, shared mobility, new energy network, new materials and more.

5 contacts available at NIO Capital.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Guang Yang | Fundraising Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/guang-yang-c9a1 |
| Ian Zhu | Managing Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ian-zhu |
| Guan Yufan | Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/guan-yufan |
| Sean Zhang | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sean-zhang |
| William Li | Managing Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/william-bin-li |

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## FAQ

### What does Ian Zhu invest in?

Ian Zhu invests primarily in Automotive, Energy and Semiconductor startups, most often at Series C and Angel stage. Most of the 15 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in China. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Ian Zhu last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Ian Zhu closed in Jan 2024. Shizune tracks 15 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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