ZHAO RUNLONG, 30, the founder and CEO of Wanglibao.com, an online financial management website, ascended into the 2015 Forbes list of the top 30 startup entrepreneurs under 30 years old released March 3.

    He moved to Shenzhen with his parents at 5 years old and grew up in the city. “I think Shenzhen is a popular city among entrepreneurs and I would love to contribute my part in making the city more startup-friendly,” said Zhao.

    Zhao left for Shanghai by himself to attend junior high school at the age of 12 after graduating from Liyuan Primary School in Shenzhen. He returned to the city for senior high school education at Shenzhen Middle School.

    “He did not consent to teachers all the time and he always threw out questions bravely when he felt confused,” said Zhao’s senior high school teacher, Gao Qing, who said Zhao is a thoughtful student.

    However, the ambitious young man did not finish his senior high school education in Shenzhen or sit the National College Entrance Exam like most of his peers. He applied to study in the United States and was accepted at University of California-Berkeley, where he successfully obtained two bachelor’s degrees in only three years and graduated with the honor of valedictorian, which is given to students who graduate with the best grades in their class at American universities.

    During his time at Berkeley, Zhao initiated his business by establishing Youlin.com, a Chinese version of Facebook. The website was purchased by a Sequoia Capital-sponsored company, Zhanzuo.com, in 2007.

    Zhao worked in two world-class investment banks, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, after graduating from Berkeley. He has also been involved in several significant projects with Chung Hwa Telecom, SunTech and R&F Properties.

    Zhao returned to China to start his own business at the end of 2013. He sees the experience of studying and working abroad as an opportunity to expand his horizons. He said what benefited him most from going to the United States was the excellent partners he got to know.

    “It’s a good thing for students to create their own business while in college, but it’s a misstep if they are only focusing on making money,” said Zhao.

    (Zhang Qian)