Wendy Yu

Wendy Yu is a Chinese fashion and technology investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She is founder and CEO of YU Capital, an investment-funding company launched in 2015 that supports high potential, high growth fashion, lifestyle and technology enterprises internationally. Yu is a philanthropist and prolific champion of new talent; a patron of fashion, she is the youngest serving patron of the British Fashion Council Fashion Trust and she supports number of charities and organizations including Amfar, British Museum, V&A Museum, London design museum, and Naked Heart Foundation. She is also the vice chairman of her family’s business, the Mengtian Group.
Early life and education
Wendy Yu was born in Zhejiang, China on March 28, 1990, the daughter of Chinese business magnate Mr. Jingyuan Yu and her mother is a successful private investor in real estates and stock market. Yu’s father is the founder of the Mengtian Group, the largest wooden door manufacturer in Asia with over 1000 retailing stores in mainland China and over 4000 employees. Her uncle is Mr. Jingbo Yu, the executive vice president of China Construction Bank. Yu was presented as a debutante at Queen Charlotte’s Ball at Kensington palace.
Education
Yu moved to England at the age of 15 and studied at Royal Russell School and Taunton boarding school. During her studies at Taunton, Yu won a gold medal at English National Senior Maths Challenge. Later she went to study fashion management at London college of fashion and in 2012 Yu interned at Vogue China. In 2015, Yu completed the Oxford Investing Programme at the University of Oxford and attended Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge.
Career
Yu founded Yu capital in 2015 investing and supporting high potential, high growth fashion, lifestyle and technology enterprises globally. The company’s most recent acquisitions include ASAP54, the fashion search and discovery app with integrated image recognition functionality; and Bottletop, a sustainable accessories brand that promotes the empowerment of women in the poorest communities of Africa. In 2015, Yu Capital has also invested in Didi Chuxing, the largest taxi-hailing firm in China, its investors include Apple, Alibaba and Tencent. In August 2016, Uber China merges with Didi Chuxing in the round that valued the company at about $28 billion.
Awards and philanthropy
In November 2015, Yu was awarded Young Achiever of the Year at the Mulan awards for her work and positive influence on Chinese women. The award recognized her vision to bridge Asia and the UK, both culturally and on a business level, through her entrepreneurial work and investment eye.
In March 2016, she was invited to serve as a committee member and vice chair of Amfar Hong Kong alongside Victoria Beckham, Drew Barrymore and Sir David Tang, amongst others.
In June 2016, Yu was invited as a guest speaker at the Cambridge China symposium at University of Cambridge
Yu is also the youngest serving patron of the British Fashion Council Fashion Trust and she is known as a patron and supporter of fashion, arts and cultural exchange, Yu supports number of charities and including Amfar, British Museum, V&A Museum, London design museum, and Naked Heart Foundation.
Personal interests
As an innate and enthusiastic fashion collector, Yu has started to collect designer evening gowns since she was 19, and her collection includes hundreds of special pieces from designers such as Dior, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Elie Saab and many others. Yu has also built a special collection of exclusive limited-edition handbags of Dior, Hermes and Chanel. Wendy is also a keen collector of barbie collecting hundreds exclusive barbies all over the world from different period.
In 2016, Yu had a collaboration with designer Ethan K to launch Wendy Yu bag collection in Harrods.
Media
Yu has been featured on Vogue China, BBC, CHINA DAILY, Taltler UK, Hello Magazine, Vogue Me, Vogue,com, ELLE CHINA, , , , TALTLER China and many other top publications

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