Robin Zeng

University aims to attract world-leading talent

CATL's Robin Zeng came in second

Li Jia, the chairman and chief executive of Chinese electric vehicle startup U Power, has joined the world’s billionaire ranks as his Shanghai-based company surged 620% in its debut on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

In a week when U.S. stock indices tumbled, shares of a French luxury goods tycoon and a Chinese battery maker also took a hit.

Participating in the funding round are Israeli billionaire Amnon Shashua, the cofounder and CEO of autonomous vehicle technology firm Mobileye; Yuexiu Industrial Fund, the investment arm of Guangzhou’s municipal government; and Chinese billionaire Robin Zeng’s CATL.

Cai Jianyong's Lygend is a supplier to CATL, the world's largest maker of batteries for EVs

China is home to the world's second-largest number of billionaires after the United States.

Jiang Weiping’s net worth falls to $6.1 billion despite boost to bottom line on surging demand for lithium.

Jin Baofang climbs to No. 23 with wealth of $10.4 billion. Robust growth in the solar sector helped to light up the bottom line.

CATL’s Robin Zeng ranked No. 2

Zeng, 53, now has a net worth of $32.6 billion. His fortune is down $12.2 billion, or 27%, from $44.8 billion in early April, when Forbes published the world’s billionaire ranks for 2022.

Zeng, chairman of Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), saw his net worth more than doubled to $50.8 billion from a year ago. He also boasted the second-biggest wealth increase on the list as he chairs the world’s largest supplier of batteries for electric vehicles.

Shifts in government policy in education and tech, along with worries about real estate debt, led many of the country’s largest private-sector companies to see steep share declines. Yet the total wealth of China’s 100 Richest increased to $1.48 trillion from $1.33 trillion a year earlier.

From Tesla’s Elon Musk to Contemporary Amperex Technology’s Robin Zeng, nearly three dozen green entrepreneurs are among the richest people on Earth.

In an otherwise tepid week of trading, 12 billionaires including six e-commerce tycoons gained a total of $61 billion.

Though markets plunged mid-week, shares of tech stocks and hybrid vehicle firms boosted the fortunes of these billionaire founders.