Under 36 2026 by 36Kr: How Young Chinese Founders Rewrote the Rules in AI and Robotics

Chinese publication 36Kr published on July 9, 2026 a list of laureates of the annual Under 36 rating — young entrepreneurs and scientists under 36 years old. More than 50 of the listed people create startups or conduct research in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics.

Who made the list

The age of the laureates ranges from 23 to 36 years. The youngest is Chen Yuanpei, founder of Lingchu Zhineng (灵初智能), which develops intelligent agents for universal manipulation tasks: at 23 years old he already has his own startup, while his peers are preparing for dissertation defenses.

Jiang Zheyuan left his doctorate at Tsinghua University and founded Songyan Dongli (松延动力) — his humanoid robot performed at the CCTV New Year's Gala. Shang Yanxing took a leave of absence from Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and at 27 brought his company Qiaojie Shuwu to profitability in its first year of operation.

• The youngest laureate — Chen Yuanpei, 23 years old, founder of Lingchu Zhineng
• More than 50 of the listed laureates work in AI or robotics
• Xia Lisue from Infinigence AI (无问芯穹) is in the top 2% of scientists worldwide by Stanford ranking five years in a row
• Shao Tianlan from Mech-Mind (梅卡曼德) in nine years brought the company's products to 50+ countries
• Yu Chao from Luming Robotics reduced data collection time from 50 to 10 seconds per unit

How technological paths diverged

The direction of embodied intelligence — robotics with physical interaction — unites the largest group of laureates, but their business models differ drastically. Yu Chao bet on data: his own collection system reduced recording time from 50 to 10 seconds, and cost to one fifth of the traditional solution. Chen Wancai from Quanzhibo chose mass production of joint modules for robots: in three years and six rounds of financing, the company reached shipment of 100,000 units per year. Xu Jincheng from PaXini bet on tactile sensors — his bionic hand with embedded microsensors attracted attention at the industrial exhibition in Hannover.

Among more mature laureates is Shao Tianlan from Mech-Mind, who at 27 returned from Germany and in nine years brought the company's products to more than 50 countries; on the domestic Chinese market the company holds first place in market share five years in a row. Wang Xinxing from Unitree (宇树科技) brought robots from a narrow geek community to the broad public eye.

What this means

According to 36Kr's observation, the distance between scientific publication and startup launch has shrunk dramatically: previously, a scientist went into business after dissertation defense, postdoc, and several years in a large company — closer to forty years old. Now articles and developments turn into companies almost immediately. The publication draws a parallel with the observation of science historian Thomas Kuhn: revolutionary breakthroughs are more often made by young people — simply because they are not yet accustomed to the old paradigm.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the youngest laureate of the 2026 Under 36 rating?

Chen Yuanpei — he is 23 years old, founder of Lingchu Zhineng (灵初智能), which develops intelligent agents for universal manipulation tasks.

How many laureates work in AI and robotics?

According to 36Kr, over 50 of the entrepreneurs and scientists listed in the rating conduct startups or research related to artificial intelligence or robotics.