Founders & Key Figures
Back to the full cast — two generations of the people building China's robotics industry.
People · The Pioneers
Li Zexiang
The HKUST professor who learned to manufacture founders — the man behind DJI, XbotPark and a wave of hardware unicorns.
Who he is
Li Zexiang is a robotics professor who learned to manufacture founders. A Hong Kong University of Science and Technology professor specialising in machine and automation, he noticed something other academics missed: China's Shenzhen–Dongguan supply chain could mint world-class hardware companies, if only students had the right training and discipline.
His students have founded more than 50 companies. In 2014 he launched XbotPark in Dongguan's Songshan Lake — an incubator that has produced more than 80 hardware companies and several unicorns. The crown jewel is DJI, whose founder Wang Tao was Li's master's student.
Why he matters
Li built the method behind Chinese hardware startups: supply-chain immersion plus disciplined, deadline-driven hardware training. His formula is now replicated across China, and its graduates — from DJI to Narwal — define whole categories. He is the closest thing China's robotics ecosystem has to a godfather.
Key facts
- 1999: Founded Googol Tech, an early motion-control company.
- 2014: Launched XbotPark in Songshan Lake — 80+ hardware companies and several unicorns since.
- Mentorship: Wang Tao of DJI was his master's student.
- Expansion: Shenzhen InnoX Institute and satellite bases across China.
Keep exploring
Related reading
Companies & Startups
The XbotPark alumni wave — Narwal, DJI and 80+ hardware companies from Songshan Lake.
Cutting-edge Products
See the machines these people built — from 10 m/s humanoids to banana-peeling hands.
Official site · XbotPark ↗
The company website for XbotPark — products, news, careers and more.