Who is China’s vape and e-cigarette billionaire Kate Wang? The Relx Technology CEO is richer than JD.com’s Richard Liu and Baidu’s Robin Li – and might even challenge Yang Huiyan for the ‘Richest woman in China’

Wang Ying, the founder of Chinese vaping company Relx Technology, might be giving Yang Huiyan a run for her money for the title of “China’s richest woman”. The millennial entrepreneur, who also goes by the English name Kate, has even outpaced JD.com’s Richard Liu and Baidu’s Robin Li.

After the company debuted in the US stock market last week, Chinese media reported that the young billionaire now boasts an estimated net worth of US$24.8 billion determined by stock price.

Relx opened its shares at US$22.34, almost twice their initial offering IPO of US$12 per share, despite the US tightening regulations of Chinese listings.

The achievement turned heads, especially considering that the company is just three years old and Wang is only 39. So just how did she do it? 

Wang holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Xi’an Jiaotong University and an MBA degree from New York’s Columbia University. She worked in international companies such as Bain & Company from 2013 to 2014. After those experiences, Wang took the opportunity to enter Uber China as the general manager from 2014 to 2016, then headed over to Didi Chuxing Technology for two years before deciding to start a team of her own, founding Relx Technology in 2018.