Founder, China Tech Analyst, Consulting Editor & Podcast Co-Host

Rui (pronounced “rey”) was born in China but grew up in the U.S., mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is currently based. She has over fifteen years of experience in investment banking and investing, spanning seed stage to pre-IPO investing, and spent eight of those years working across multiple industries including real estate and media as well as technology in Shanghai and Beijing. She is currently an angel investor and advisor to several startups and funds. Rui is also active in philanthropy and currently runs Rookie.Fund, a nonprofit student venture fund network in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. She’s vegetarian and would like to be a Chinese calligrapher when she retires.

Employment

Venture: 500 Startups, Investment Partner

Private Equity: Raine Group

Investment Banking (M&A): CITIC Securities, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch

Consulting: Deloitte

Education

U.C. Berkeley B.S. EECS

Univ. Illinois Urbana-Champaign M. Ed.

Tsinghua-INSEAD Executive MBA

Harvard University Extension School MLA in Psychology

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China Tech Analyst, Main Writer

Ed is co-founder of ChinaTalk, a Dutch service provider specialized in knowledge transfer about China. As a digital China tech analyst, independent writer, study tour leader and public speaker, Ed comments on developments in China in his publications and various media.

Ed lived in China from 2011 to 2013, working as a marketing consultant in Chinese NGOs in the central city of Xi’an. He still spends several months in China each year.

Ed has published hundreds of articles about digital technology and developed a series of highly acclaimed study and inspiration tours for entrepreneurs and professionals. As a China tech expert, Ed is regularly invited to radio and TV programs in The Netherlands and Belgium.

Before focussing on China, Ed worked more than 20 years in database and online marketing for many multinational companies. He co-wrote the award-winning book Event Driven Marketing and the international follow-up Follow That Customer!

Employment as Database Marketing / CRM specialist: Digital Equipment, The Iams Company/Proctor&Gamble, Georgia Pacific, Organon, De Lage Landen, Walraven Sax, ITG Travel Companies.

Volunteering: Voluntary Service Overseas, Xi’an International Business Forum.

Writer, Public Speaker (ChinaTalk.nl)

Study Tour Leader (ChinaTechTrip)

Education

Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

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EV Research Analyst, Tour Lead, Co-writer, Marketer

Freya has been a part of Tech Buzz China since 2021, where she focuses on the electric vehicle (EV) industry. She creates engaging content and leads investor tours, helping investors stay updated on the latest trends and opportunities in the fast-paced EV market.

Before joining Tech Buzz China, Freya spent seven years in Beijing's dynamic tech startup scene. She co-founded and led marketing for one of China's top cooking and recipe apps. After studying in Australia, she decided to pursue her career in China's tech scene and has now made her home in the Düsseldorf-Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region in Germany.

Employment

Xiachufang

Education

University of Newcastle: Master of Marketing, MBA

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