Andrew Yan

Andrew Y. Yan is the founder and managing partner of SAIF Partners, one of Asia's largest and most active private-equity/venture firms. The firm began life in 2001 as the SoftBank Asia Infrastructure Fund (SAIF), a $400 million vehicle in which Cisco Systems was the sole limited partner and SoftBank Group the general partner. Yan and colleagues later spun the platform out under the SAIF Partners name (managing SB Asia Investment Fund II and subsequent SAIF Partners III and IV funds). Today the firm manages over $4 billion in capital, has made 100+ investments (some sources cite 300+ across its history), and operates offices across Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Qingdao, and Nanjing. The firm's email domain, sbaif.com, reflects its "SB Asia Investment Fund" heritage.

Before founding SAIF, Yan was a managing director and head of the Hong Kong office of Emerging Markets Partnership from 1994 to 2001. Earlier in his career (1989–1994) he worked in Washington, D.C. as an economist in the World Bank's Policy, Planning and Research division, as a research/senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, and as director of APAC strategic planning and business development at Sprint International (US Sprint). Before emigrating, he served as a chief engineer at Jianghuai Airplane Corporation (1982–1984).

Yan's education is unusually cross-disciplinary: a B.S. in aerospace engineering from the Nanjing Aeronautic Institute (Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1982), an M.A. in sociology and economics from Peking (Beijing) University (1984–1986), and a master's degree in international political economy from Princeton University (1989). He is based in Hong Kong and has for years appeared on Forbes' wealth lists, with his fortune tied to early wins such as the online retailer Vancl.

Beyond investing, Yan sits on numerous public-company boards and industry bodies. He has served as an independent or non-executive director of China Resources Land, Fosun International, PetroChina (from 2024), TCL Corporation, BlueFocus Communication Group, 360 Finance/Qifu (Qfin Holdings), Appotronics, and others, and holds a role as Vice Chairman of the Asset Management Association of China. In 2025 he became Chairman of Sinovac Biotech following a contested board fight.

• Invests primarily growth capital in companies based in China, or with significant China operations/business — but the firm's mandate spans seed and early-stage ventures through late-stage private equity.
• Concentrates on three thematic areas the firm names explicitly: internet+ & TMT, healthcare & new materials, and clean technologies.
• Has been an active, high-conviction backer of consumer internet, gaming, e-commerce, fintech, and enterprise/AI businesses in China and (historically) India.
• Recent activity signals a tilt toward AI and next-generation technology — the firm's most recent first-time investment was in embodied-AI company XYZ Embodied AI.
• Track record emphasizes taking companies to IPO or trade sale — Yan personally held board seats through public listings and acquisitions, indicating a hands-on, governance-heavy style rather than passive checks.