Yi He

Yi He
Born	(1986-10-14) October 14, 1986 Sichuan Province, China
Nationality	Chinese
Occupation	Entrepreneur Investor
Years active	2014–present
Known for	Co-founder of Binance, Head of Binance Labs
Notable work	Co-founding OKCoin, leading marketing and growth at Binance
Title	Chief Marketing Officer at Binance Head of Binance Labs
Partner(s)	Changpeng Zhao
Website	binance.com

Yi He (born 14 October 1986) is a Chinese entrepreneur and investor best known as the co-founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. She currently serves as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Head of Binance Labs, where she leads global marketing strategy, venture investments, and ecosystem development. She previously co-founded OKCoin (now OKX) and held executive roles in mobile video and live-streaming technologies.

Early Life and Education

Yi He was born in Sichuan Province, China, in 1986, and raised in a rural area where her parents worked as teachers. Her early career involved modest jobs, including promoting soft drinks at supermarkets. She entered the entertainment industry in 2012 as a television host for a travel program on a Chinese TV channel. In July 2014, she left media to pursue a career in technology and startups.

Career

Entry into Blockchain and OKCoin

Yi He was introduced to Bitcoin in 2013 while working at a startup. She joined the cryptocurrency industry full-time in 2014 as a co-founder of OKCoin, one of China's first major cryptocurrency-to-fiat exchanges. At OKCoin, she led branding, PR, and marketing efforts, helping the platform secure over 60% market share in China by 2015.

Yixia Technology and Live Streaming

In December 2015, Yi became Vice President at Yixia Technology, a leading mobile video tech company. She oversaw product management and marketing operations for its subsidiaries, including the creation of Yi Zhi Bo, a live-broadcasting platform later acquired by Weibo.

Founding of Binance

In August 2017, Yi He co-founded Binance with Changpeng Zhao (CZ). As CMO, she spearheaded the company’s marketing, branding, user operations, and educational initiatives. Under her leadership, Binance rapidly grew into the world’s leading crypto exchange. She played a pivotal role in launching Binance’s Initial Coin Offering (ICO) platform and user education efforts.

Binance Labs

In August 2022, Yi was appointed as the Head of Binance Labs, the company’s venture capital and incubation arm. She led the lab’s global strategy and investment operations, with a focus on sustainable projects and visionary founders. Yi emphasized supporting blockchain infrastructure, decentralized applications, and blockchain-related services.

Notably, under her guidance, Binance Labs invested $10 million in Radiant Capital in June 2023, recognizing its cross-chain potential to drive broader adoption in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space.

Advocacy and Public Engagement

Yi He has been active in promoting blockchain adoption, Web3 education, and female leadership in tech. On International Women’s Day 2023, she stressed the importance of mindset, growth management, and decision-making for women in Web3, and announced Binance’s initiative to provide 30,000+ Web3 scholarships, including many targeting women in developing countries.

Yi regularly speaks at global conferences, including the Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2025, where she highlighted the synergy between AI and blockchain, and called on entrepreneurs to focus on real-world value creation over hype.

Views on Regulation

In a Bloomberg interview in June 2023, Yi acknowledged the inevitability of crypto regulation and emphasized compliance and cooperation with governments. She argued that Binance’s proactive stance and regulatory alignment would set an industry standard, while warning that any regulatory verdict against Binance would likely impact the broader crypto ecosystem.

In April 2024, she addressed concerns about Changpeng Zhao’s regulatory status during a Binance Chinese Meetup in Dubai, reaffirming Binance’s commitment to compliance and operational transparency.

Philanthropy

Yi He has led several major philanthropic initiatives under Binance Charity, including:

• Binance for Children (2019): Funding education, healthcare, and development for children in need.
• COVID-19 Relief Fund (2020): Financial and medical support for communities impacted by the pandemic.
• Education and Relief Efforts: Leveraging blockchain to increase transparency in charitable donations and operations.

Social Media and Community Engagement

Yi He is active on social media, frequently using X (formerly Twitter) to communicate updates about Binance’s transparency, security measures, and scam prevention strategies. In June 2024, she publicly questioned Elon Musk over crypto-related scams on X, emphasizing user protection and platform accountability.

Personal Philosophy and Leadership Style

Yi He is known for her risk-taking mindset, belief in challenging oneself, and team-first leadership approach. In her first English interview (July 2022), she explained why CZ became the face of Binance despite their equal roles in founding the company, citing his suitability for public representation. She maintains that success is a result of assembling and empowering strong teams.

External links

• Yi He on Binance
• Yi He on Twitter
• Yi He on LinkedIn