Xiao Yi moved into venture investing after almost a decade as a Siemens engineer and later helping five companies list on China's New Third Board, and that background shows in how he looks at scientist-led startups: he pushes for the scientist to stay on as the technical leader while someone else actually runs the company, and he judges technology by real customer test results rather than papers or claims. His day-to-day approach is just as hands-on and practical—he ranks financing options by how quickly and reliably cash comes in rather than by valuation, is comfortable returning principal early through partial exits, personally helps startups interview and choose a CEO, and avoids backing teams built around married couples or siblings.