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Artificial intelligence
Tech

Women in tech: How Esther Wong rose from IT support in America to senior management at China’s AI champion SenseTime

  • As MD of strategic investments, Wong has focused on deals within the AI ecosystem and finding long-term strategic partners
  • She is also a partner in the SenseTime AI Fund, which has about 5 billion yuan of assets under management

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Esther Wong, managing director and head of strategic investments at SenseTime Group, speaks during a panel session at the Bloomberg Invest Asia forum in Hong Kong on March 21. Photo: Bloomberg
Yingzhi Yangin Beijing

About 20 years of banking and investment experience have taught Esther Wong the value of strong research to find gems from among the many companies in the market. That acumen is now serving her well in the complex field of artificial intelligence (AI).

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Wong, 42, serves as managing director of strategic investments at SenseTime Group, the world’s most valuable AI start-up and one of Beijing’s hand-picked champions advancing China’s ambition to become a global leader in that technology.

Since joining SenseTime in April last year, Wong has focused on IoT investments and companies within the AI ecosystem. She is also a partner in the SenseTime AI Fund, which has about 5 billion yuan (US$724 million) of assets under management.

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Beyond finding good deals, SenseTime wants to “empower the start-ups we invest in and help them with our technologies”, said Wong in an interview in Beijing.

SenseTime is a major supplier of automatic facial recognition systems to railway stations and airports in China. Photo: Bloomberg
SenseTime is a major supplier of automatic facial recognition systems to railway stations and airports in China. Photo: Bloomberg
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