#5, Neil Shen (China)
Neil Shen, 58, is the powerhouse investor behind some of China's biggest AI breakthroughs.
As founder of HongShan (HSG), he's raised nearly $9 billion—much from US pension funds—and has backed top Chinese AI startups like Moonshot AI, Zhipu, StepFun, and MiniMax, even as US restrictions tighten.
Shen's background and early career
Shen studied math at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and graduated with a master's degree in management from the Yale School of Management.
He co-founded Ctrip and Home Inn—Ctrip had a Nasdaq IPO in 2003, and Home Inn went public (IPO year not specified in source).
Shen's recent successes
Lately, Shen's bets have really paid off: HSG invested in Manus (snapped up by Meta for over $2 billion after starting at just $85 million), and MiniMax's Talkie app went public in Hong Kong this January—it's now trading at five times its IPO price.