📬 Daily brief — 6am Pacific.
How this list works
Hourly ranking from RSS / X / HN / accelerator feeds. Filters out operators, investors, academics, and famous CEOs. A Gemini judge with a tier-1 seed-VC persona (Sequoia / a16z / Conviction / ZhenFund) picks the top 50 by “who would I most want to meet THIS WEEK?”. Top 12 are must-meets; 13–50 are the watch list.
🔥 Top Potential Founders
#1
Jean-Baptiste KempfAI-PhysicalstealthPattern 1/5conf 0.90
Kyber
AI-Physical
Why this week: Ex-AI-Physical founder, Jean-Baptiste Kempf, building Kyber, an infrastructure layer for real-time remote device control.
Jean-Baptiste Kempf is a French serial entrepreneur and open-source legend, known for his contributions to making free video players run smoothly. He is currently leveraging his expertise in a new venture, Kyber. Kyber is an infrastructure layer designed for the real-time control of remote devices and robots.
Recent updates
No significant activity in the last 5 days.
#2
秦旭AI-PhysicalangelPattern 1/5conf 0.90
雪梦未来
Ex-北京大学计算机学院, Ex-北京大学编解码国家工程实验室 · AI-Physical
Why this week: Qin Xu, Peking University-backed SnowOrigin founder, secured angel investment for sEMG-based neural wristband.
Qin Xu is the founder of SnowOrigin (雪梦未来), a Peking University-backed startup. The company is developing an sEMG-based neural wristband designed for new-generation data acquisition terminals. SnowOrigin has successfully secured investment from notable figures like Gong Hongjia and Lu Qi, as well as overseas institutions.
Recent updates
秦旭's company, SnowOrigin, a Peking University-backed team, recently secured investment from Gong Hongjia, Lu Qi, and overseas institutions. This funding supports its sEMG-based neural wristband and AI decoding model. SnowOrigin aims to build a new generation of human control data acquisition solutions for embodied AI, providing high-quality training data and natural human-machine interfaces for robots.
Sources:36kr
#3
王龙AI-Physicalangelconf 0.90
随擎机器人
Ex-同济大学, Ex-香港科技大学 · AI-Physical
Why this week: Tongji Robotics PhD Wang Long secured multi-million yuan angel round for Suiqing Robotics, targeting coal mining automation.
Wang Long is the founder of Suiqing Robotics, a company focused on developing AI-powered robots for the coal mining industry. A Tongji University robotics PhD, he recently secured a multi-million yuan angel round for his venture. Wang Long pivoted Suiqing Robotics from construction robots to target the "structural blue ocean" of auxiliary operations in coal mines.
Recent updates
王龙, a Tongji University robotics PhD, recently secured a multi-million yuan angel round for his company, Suiqing Robotics. The company develops AI-powered robots for auxiliary tasks in coal mines, addressing an overlooked market segment. Suiqing Robotics has already received small batch orders and established strategic partnerships with leading state-owned enterprises.
Sources:36kr
#4
秦深涛AI-Physicalseedconf 0.90
OriginFlow
Ex-清华大学 · AI-Physical
Why this week: Tsinghua's Qin Shentao's OriginFlow secured quick investment from BlueRun Ventures for AI-Physical.
Qin Shentao is the Founder & CEO of OriginFlow. He is a prominent figure in the AI venture capital space, actively participating in discussions on early-stage investments. Shentao advocates for identifying and investing in AI opportunities strategically, often before market consensus is fully established.
Recent updates
秦深涛's company, OriginFlow, was recently highlighted in a 36Kr 2026WAVES roundtable discussion. BlueRun Ventures made a quick decision to invest in OriginFlow, which develops non-invasive neural interfaces for embodied AI. This investment aligns with the VC's long-term vision for AGI, robotics, and 3D interaction.
Sources:36kr
#5
王智林AI-PhysicalangelPattern 1/5conf 0.85
雪梦未来
Ex-北京航空航天大学软件开发环境国家重点实验室 · AI-Physical
Why this week: Co-founder Wang Zhilin of Peking University-backed SnowOrigin secured investment for sEMG neural wristband.
Wang Zhilin is a co-founder of SnowOrigin (雪梦未来), a Peking University-backed startup focused on innovative data acquisition. The company is developing an sEMG-based neural wristband for new-generation data acquisition terminals. SnowOrigin has attracted significant investment from prominent investors such as Gong Hongjia, Lu Qi, and various overseas institutions.
Recent updates
王智林's company, SnowOrigin, a Peking University-backed team, recently secured investment from Gong Hongjia, Lu Qi, and overseas institutions. This funding supports its sEMG-based neural wristband and AI decoding model. SnowOrigin aims to build a new generation of human control data acquisition solutions for embodied AI, providing high-quality training data and natural human-machine interfaces for robots.
Sources:36kr
#6
牛郁岭AI-PhysicalangelPattern 1/5conf 0.90
芯感通科技有限公司
Ex-Qualcomm, Ex-Yijing Technology · AI-Physical
Why this week: Ex-Qualcomm 牛郁岭's Xingantong Technology secured multi-million yuan angel round for AI compute center solutions.
牛郁岭 is the Founder of Xingantong Technology, a company specializing in AI compute center perception and efficiency management solutions. Under his leadership, the company recently secured a multi-million yuan angel round of funding.
Recent updates
牛郁岭's company, Xingantong Technology, recently secured a multi-million yuan angel round of funding. The round was led by Lenovo Star and K2VC. Xingantong provides AI compute center perception and efficiency management solutions, advancing its chip-level fluxgate sensor technology for high-density AI data centers and space computing.
Sources:36kr
#7
张乃川AI-PhysicalangelPattern 1/5conf 0.85
芯感通科技有限公司
Ex-Tudatong, Ex-Yijing Technology, Ex-Xifeng Optoelectronics · AI-Physical
Why this week: Co-founder 张乃川 of Xingantong Technology secured multi-million yuan angel round for AI compute center solutions.
张乃川 is the Co-founder of Xingantong Technology, a company focused on AI compute center perception and efficiency management solutions. The company recently achieved a significant milestone by securing a multi-million yuan angel round of investment.
Recent updates
张乃川's company, Xingantong Technology, recently secured a multi-million yuan angel round of funding. The round was led by Lenovo Star and K2VC. Xingantong provides AI compute center perception and efficiency management solutions, advancing its chip-level fluxgate sensor technology for high-density AI data centers and space computing.
Sources:36kr
#8
李祥彪AI-Physicalseedconf 0.90
连云港力普司船舶科技有限公司
Ex-苏船, Ex-南高精, Ex-瓦锡兰 · 20 years experience · AI-Physical
Why this week: Wärtsilä veteran 李祥彪's LiiPuS secured seed and angel funding for advanced permanent magnet propulsion systems.
李祥彪 is the founder of 连云港力普司船舶科技有限公司 (LiiPuS), leveraging his extensive experience as a Wärtsilä veteran. Under his leadership, LiiPuS is developing advanced permanent magnet propulsion systems for ships, aiming to revolutionize marine power. The company has successfully secured seed and angel funding, demonstrating strong investor confidence in its innovative technology and and securing over 50 million RMB in orders within half a year.
Recent updates
No significant activity in the last 5 days.
#9
王茜AI-PhysicalseedPattern 1/5conf 0.90
芯生视界
Ex-北京大学心理与认知科学学院, Ex-IDG麦戈文脑科学研究所 · AI-Physical
Why this week: Peking University scientist Wang Qian founded Xinsheng Shijie, raising nearly 100M RMB seed for invasive BCI.
Wang Qian is the founder of Xinsheng Shijie, an invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) company. As one of the Peking University scientists who founded the company, she has led Xinsheng Shijie to raise nearly 100 million RMB in its seed round.
Recent updates
No significant activity in the last 5 days.
#10
王宣恺AI-Physicalangelconf 0.90
太微量子
Ex-University of Science and Technology of China · AI-Physical
Why this week: USTC quantum physics PhD 王宣恺 founded MQTEK in 2021, secured Angel/Angel+ for quantum computing components.
王宣恺 is the Founder and CEO of 太微量子 (MQTEK), a company he established in 2021. As a USTC quantum physics PhD, he leads MQTEK in developing core quantum computing components. Under his leadership, the company has successfully secured Angel and Angel+ funding rounds.
Recent updates
No significant activity in the last 5 days.
#11
朱毅鑫AI-PhysicalseedPattern 1/5conf 0.85
芯生视界
Ex-北京大学 · AI-Physical
Why this week: Co-founder Zhu Yixin of Peking University-backed Xinsheng Shijie secured nearly 100M RMB seed for invasive BCI.
Zhu Yixin is a Co-founder and Professor at Xinsheng Shijie, an invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) company. He is part of the team of Peking University scientists who founded the company, which recently secured nearly 100 million RMB in its seed funding round.
Recent updates
No significant activity in the last 5 days.
#12
李远宁AI-PhysicalseedPattern 1/5conf 0.85
芯生视界
Ex-上海科技大学, Ex-卡耐基梅隆大学, Ex-加州大学旧金山分校Edward Chang实验室 · AI-Physical
Why this week: Co-founder Li Yuanning of Peking University-backed Xinsheng Shijie secured nearly 100M RMB seed for invasive BCI.
Li Yuanning is a Co-founder of Xinsheng Shijie, a company specializing in invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. As one of the Peking University scientists behind the venture, he contributed to the company's recent success in raising nearly 100 million RMB in its seed round.
Recent updates
No significant activity in the last 5 days.
👀 Watch list
#13
美杰· NoonWake.AIseedChina
Ex-ByteDance Dali Education 美杰 is Product Design Lead at NoonWake.AI, which secured seed funding.
#14
Sasha MalyshevastealthUS
Ex-DeepMind, Ex-Google AI Sasha Malysheva is a founder building in stealth. Strong AI builder credibility.
#15
Kevin MathewstealthUSEx-UnicornEx-FAANG1/5
Ex-DeepMind, Ex-Microsoft Kevin Mathew is a founder building in stealth. Strong AI builder credibility.
#16
Lev NaimanstealthUSEx-YCEx-FAANG1/5
Ex-YC, Ex-FAANG Lev Naiman is a founder building in stealth. Strong builder credibility.
#17
Mert Köseoğlu· context-modepre-seedUSEx-Unicorn2/5
Ex-OpenAI Mert Köseoğlu founded context-mode, an open-source AI programming plugin, topping GitHub HN.
#18
Dj UrsalstealthUSEx-Unicorn1/5
Ex-Salesforce, Oracle Dj Ursal building new venture in stealth from Indianapolis. Strong product leadership.
#19
Ben Cochran· StatewrightstealthUSEx-Unicorn1/5
Ex-Tesla Optimus, Ex-Meta Alireza Safdari building new venture in stealth. Strong robotics/firmware background.
#20
Itamar NiddamstealthOtherEx-UnicornEx-FAANG1/5
Ex-Tulip Interfaces Director of AI Engineering Itamar Niddam building new venture in stealth from Israel.
#21
Krishna GantistealthUSEx-UnicornEx-FAANG1/5
Serial founder Krishna Ganti (ex-LinkedIn) building in stealth. Strong engineering and startup experience.
#22
Mayee ChenstealthUSEx-UnicornEx-FAANG1/5
Ex-Allen Institute for AI, Microsoft, Google Mayee Chen building new venture in stealth. Strong technical background.
#23
Benjamin EisnerstealthUSEx-UnicornEx-FAANG1/5
Ex-Tesla Optimus, DeepMind Benjamin Eisner building new venture in stealth. Strong ML/Robotics expertise.
#24
Zaiyuan WangstealthChinaEx-Unicorn1/5
Ex-ByteDance Doubao LLM team Zaiyuan Wang building new venture in stealth. Strong LLM evaluation experience.
#25
Muhammad Farhan Hossain· BlueseedUSEx-UnicornEx-FAANG2/5
YCS25 co-founder Muhammad Farhan Hossain (ex-Apple) building Blue, an AI-powered USB-C dongle for phone automation.
#26
Omar Abdelaziz· BlueseedUSEx-UnicornEx-FAANG2/5
YCS25 co-founder Omar Abdelaziz (ex-Google) building Blue, an AI-powered USB-C dongle for phone automation.
#27
Daniel Heywood· Stealth ModestealthUSEx-YCEx-FAANG1/5
Ex-YC, Ex-Meta, Ex-Apple Daniel Heywood building new AI-Physical venture in stealth. Strong hardware/AI background.
#28
Shivam PandeystealthUS
Founding AI Engineer Shivam Pandey (ex-Raylu) building new venture in stealth from New York.
#29
Piyush MakhijastealthUSEx-YC1/5
Ex-YC, Head of AI Piyush Makhija (ex-Meraki Labs) building new tech venture in stealth. Strong AI/ML leadership.
#30
Adam HanostealthUSEx-YC1/5
Ex-YC, Head of Marketplace Adam Hano (ex-Alpaca) building new tech startup in stealth in San Francisco.
#31
Isabella Liu· ConnitoAIseedUS
Isabella Liu, founder of ConnitoAI Subnet 102, leading decentralized AI model training. Ex-Opentensor Foundation.
#32
孙浚凯· 智往未来 (Zhiwang Weilai)seedChina
Ex-Horizon Robotics product lead Sun Junkai founded Zhiwang Weilai, an embodied AI robotics startup.
#33
吕定顺· 量坤科技angelChina
Tsinghua PhD Lü Dingshun (ex-Huawei, ByteDance) founded QuantKun Technology, secured hundreds of millions RMB angel funding.
#34
Ben Hylak· Raindrop AIseedUSEx-UnicornEx-FAANG1/5
Ex-Apple, SpaceX Ben Hylak co-founded Raindrop AI, launched 'Workshop' for local AI agent debugging.
#35
Martin HallstealthUS1/5
Repeat founder Martin Hall (ex-Intel Head of AI Strategy) building new venture in stealth in San Francisco.
#36
Hans-Christoph Eckstein· Stealth ModestealthUS
Ex-Lucid Motors Senior Director of Vision Systems Hans-Christoph Eckstein building new tech startup in stealth.
#37
邓江· 缘启智慧seedChina
20-year veteran Deng Jiang (ex-Baichuan Zhinen) founded Yuanqi Zhihui, an AI medical startup.
#38
张骁· 斜跃智能seedChina
Ex-Li Auto product line head 张骁 is CEO of 斜跃智能, an emerging intelligent technology company.
#39
Anton VicestealthUSEx-Techstars1/5
Ex-Techstars, Grably CTO Anton Vice building new venture in stealth from San Francisco.
#40
Mike Nemke· Stealth ModestealthUS
Co-Founder & CTO Mike Nemke (ex-Function Health, Aptive AI/ML Director) building new venture in stealth from Austin.
#41
杨其晟· 光子芯力(北京)科技有限公司angelChina
Tsinghua-backed 杨其晟 founded Photonics Core Power in 2024, secured tens of millions angel funding for optoelectronic computing.
#42
Pawan Guptaabout-to-foundOther1/5
Ex-Fashinza CEO Pawan Gupta now actively pursuing new opportunities in AI sector.
#43
Bin NistealthUS
Ex-Google DeepMind, Ex-X Head of AI Bin Ni building new venture in stealth. Deep expertise in GenAI.
#44
Antoine Zambelli· Forgepre-seedUS
Texas Instruments AI Director Antoine Zambelli created Forge, an open-source reliability layer for LLM tool-calling.
#45
吉洋· OrthogonalseedChina
Ex-German Aerospace Center engineer 吉洋 founded Orthogonal, developing ODE, an AI-native cloud platform for hardware.
#46
Ismaeel Bashir· ExpanseseedUS1/5
YC P26 co-founder Ismaeel Bashir of Expanse launched platform for unlocking wasted GPU capacity.
#47
陈伟· 斜跃智能seedChina
Ex-Li Auto AI Chief Scientist 陈伟 is Chairman/CTO of 斜跃智能, leading tech vision.
#48
Yuvraj Singh Bhadauria· Stealth ModestealthOther1/5
Founding PM Yuvraj Singh Bhadauria (ex-Zingle AI Lab) building new venture in stealth in India.
#49
Matt Rodgers· MillstealthUSEx-UnicornEx-FAANG1/5
Ex-Apple Matt Rodgers is a founder of Mill. Strong FAANG background.
#50
Louis Barinaga· Stealth ModestealthUSEx-YCEx-FAANG1/5
Ex-YC, Ex-Meta, Valve, Microsoft Louis Barinaga building new hardware venture in stealth. Strong engineering background.