Yi He

Yi He: Co-Founder and Key Executive at Binance

Yi He (born 1986) is a highly influential Chinese entrepreneur and a pivotal figure in the global cryptocurrency industry, primarily known as the co-founder of Binance alongside Changpeng Zhao (CZ). Serving critical roles often cited as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and the Head of Binance Labs (the company's venture capital and incubation arm), she has been instrumental in shaping Binance's global business strategy, marketing dominance, investment decisions, and operational management, contributing significantly to its growth into the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume.

Early Career and Entry into Crypto

Born in a rural village in Sichuan province, China, Yi He began her career outside of finance, initially working as a host for a travel show on a Chinese television channel in 2012. Her introduction to Bitcoin and the nascent Cryptocurrency sector came in 2013.

This interest quickly led to significant involvement; in 2014, Yi He co-founded OKX (then known as OKCoin), one of China's earliest and most successful cryptocurrency exchanges. During her time there, she led branding, marketing, and public relations, helping establish OKCoin as a major player in the market. After departing OKCoin, she joined Yixia Technology, a prominent mobile video tech company, as Vice President, where she was involved in launching the live-streaming platform Yi Zhi Bo (later acquired by Weibo). This pre-Binance experience provided her with valuable expertise in both the crypto exchange business and technology marketing.

Co-Founding Binance and Strategic Leadership (2017-Present)

In mid-2017, Yi He joined forces with Changpeng Zhao just prior to the launch of Binance in July of that year. Bringing her extensive exchange and marketing background, she took on the crucial role of Chief Marketing Officer and is widely credited as a driving force behind Binance's phenomenal early success.

• Driving Global Growth: Her strategic leadership in marketing, branding, user acquisition, community engagement, and customer service was instrumental in Binance overtaking competitors and achieving global dominance within its first year. She oversees substantial portions of Binance's operations, reportedly managing departments encompassing thousands of employees.
• Binance Labs Leadership: In August 2022, Yi He was officially appointed Head of Binance Labs, the exchange's venture capital arm. In this capacity, she directs Binance's investments into promising early-stage Blockchain, DeFi, and Web3 projects. Her stated focus is on identifying and supporting founders with resilience and long-term vision capable of building impactful projects, regardless of market conditions. Investments under her leadership, such as in cross-chain protocol Radiant Capital, reflect this strategic focus.
• Acknowledged Influence: Despite CZ being the more public-facing founder (until late 2023), Yi He's critical role has been acknowledged internally and externally. CZ himself has publicly praised her business acumen and strategic input as integral to Binance's success.

Influence and Public Voice

While often operating more behind the scenes compared to CZ historically, Yi He has been increasingly visible and vocal on key issues:

• Advocacy for Women in Tech/Crypto: As one of the most powerful female executives in the crypto industry, she has spoken about the importance of female leadership and encouraged women not to limit themselves, emphasizing focus on business leadership skills irrespective of gender. Binance under her influence has highlighted its relatively high percentage of women in senior roles.
• Views on Regulation: In public commentary, Yi He has consistently emphasized Binance's commitment to working towards regulatory compliance globally, acknowledging the necessity of clear frameworks while advocating for rules that don't stifle innovation. She has positioned Binance as aiming to meet high compliance standards within the complex international landscape.
• Philanthropy: She has been involved with the Binance Charity Foundation, supporting initiatives using blockchain for transparent charitable giving, such as programs focused on children's welfare and COVID-19 relief efforts.

Navigating Challenges

As a co-founder and key executive, Yi He has been central to Binance's efforts in navigating the intense regulatory scrutiny and operational challenges faced by the exchange globally. This includes managing the company's strategic responses during periods of market volatility and addressing the compliance issues that led to the major settlement with US authorities in late 2023, which involved CZ stepping down as CEO and Richard Teng taking over leadership.

Conclusion: A Key Architect of Binance

Yi He stands as one of the most influential figures in the cryptocurrency industry, having played a foundational role in the creation and meteoric rise of Binance. Her journey from a background in media to co-founding two major exchanges (OKX and Binance) highlights her adaptability and strategic insight. As long-serving CMO and Head of Binance Labs, she has been instrumental in shaping Binance's global brand, user growth, investment strategy, and operational direction. Despite often having a lower public profile internationally than co-founder CZ, her leadership within the company is widely recognized as a critical component of Binance's enduring position as the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Her ongoing roles continue to shape Binance's strategy in the evolving digital asset landscape.