Huobi Founder Leon Li Shifts Gears, Takes Helm at New Huo Technology

Leon Li, a Chinese entrepreneur and former Huobi founder, has transitioned to a new role as chairman of New Huo Technology, a Hong Kong-listed digital asset services firm. He sold his controlling stake in Huobi in October 2022 and stepped away from the exchange's operations entirely.

Li earned a Master's degree in Control Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2007 and worked as a computer engineer at Oracle before founding Renrenzhe, a lifestyle search platform, in 2009. His interest in Bitcoin followed after he read the Bitcoin white paper in 2011.

Huobi grew into one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges globally under Li's leadership, operating in over 130 countries and representing the exchange at international conferences on blockchain policy and adoption. However, Huobi exited the Chinese mainland market in 2021 due to Beijing's declaration of cryptocurrency trading as illegal.