Dr. Constantin Marakhov is a dynamic and accomplished entrepreneur, investor, and strategist with a proven track record in venture capital, sustainable industries, and high-growth global markets. His multifaceted career spans various leadership roles, showcasing his expertise in identifying opportunities, driving innovation, and fostering sustainable growth. As the Founder and CEO of KIDEMIS, a Swiss-based mycelium feed company, Dr. Marakhov is at the forefront of the burgeoning sustainable food sector.

Jie Zhang is an entrepreneur at the intersection of technology, design and business. She is currently the Director of Strategy & Development at Design Innovation Institute Shanghai (DIIS), leads the D.Transformer incubator, and chairs one of Shanghai’s Trademark & Brand Entrepreneurship Centers and a City-level Youth Innovation Laboratory. As part of the founding team of DIIS, Zhang is responsible from strategy, ecosystem development, to content production and public affairs, having built the institute’s global innovation transformation ecosystem from scratch. There, she founded D.Transformer, a startup incubation platform covering pioneering industries such as artificial intelligence, ESG, health technology, etc. providing in-depth support for a community of startups.
Zhang is also an award-winning architect, having served as the China GM of world-renowned design firm, where she led projects totaling more than 1-million-sqm in urban landmark and regeneration. Her design work has been awarded by Red Dot Best of the Best, AIA, IIDA, and featured by FastCompany, Bloomberg Citylab, Domus, among others.
Zhang is a graduate of Yale University and MIT. She is a frequent design juror at leading academic institutions including MIT, Hong Kong University and China Academy of Art.

Belgian-Brazilian sustainability professional with 12+ years of international experience across Asia, blending a Hospitality Management background (Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne) with a passion for climate action and sustainable business transformation.

Driven by the urgency of the climate crisis, I transitioned from Food & Beverage operations to spearheading sustainability initiatives—including circular economies, plastic waste recycling, and solar energy projects. Currently in charge of Sustainability at Sodexo China, I lead efforts to reduce environmental impact across 950+ sites, leveraging my entrepreneurial mindset to implement scalable solutions that engage 1.2M+ daily consumers in Greater China.

Fluent in multicultural collaboration and driven by a “Swiss-knife” adaptability, I thrive at the intersection of business, sustainability, and gastronomy. Let’s connect to drive meaningful change!

Haixiao Weng brings over 15 years of diverse experience in business, international trade, finance, and strategic consulting. With academic and professional training from some of the world’s top institutions and companies, he has cultivated robust business and political networks across multiple countries and regions. His areas of expertise include ESG and sustainable development, corporate strategy and operations, public affairs strategy and execution, and global business planning.
Haixiao has worked with a wide range of clients, including national and local government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, industry leaders, and financial institutions across Asia, America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
Haixiao holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Economics from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA, and a master’s degree in Economics from Duke University, USA. He began his career as a Strategy Consulting Analyst at Deloitte Consulting and later gained experience at MSCI (NYSE: MSCI) and FactSet (NYSE: FDS). Haixiao’s business journey started at the age of 16 when he co-founded his first company with his younger brother in Athens, Greece.

Mingmin Wang heads Sustainability and Innovation for the APAC region at Clariant, where he oversees sustainability affairs, policy monitoring, innovation system development, and innovation center management. Since joining Clariant in 2013, he has progressed through several roles including Business Development Manager, Commercial Excellence Black Belt, and Global Product Manager. Before his time at Clariant, Mingmin worked as a lead scientist at GE global research center, and he holds a doctorate degree in engineering.

Bluepha was founded by scientists from Tsinghua and Peking University in 2016. It is a rising China-based unicorn biotech company engaged in chemical and material innovation. The company specializes in the combination of genetic engineering, fermentation engineering, material science, and data science to industrialize bio-based chemicals and materials for use in multiple industries. Rebecca will show us how circular thinking can lead to a different approach and new products.

Plug and Play is an ultimate innovation platform. It connects the best technology startups and the world’s largest corporations.

In the year 2016, Plug and Play expanded its business to China, and Plug and Play China was formally established. Currently, Plug and Play China has 3 regional innovation hubs in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Also, it has industrial innovation centers in Wuhan, Wuxi, and Nanjing where we work with leading corporations to promote urban industrial innovation. Plug and Play China provides open innovation services in Suzhou, Nantong, Foshan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, and Qingdao as well.

There are 4 main business functions across Plug and Play China’s innovation platform including tech investment, corporate innovation, city innovation, and innovation space. It has built China’s leading international innovation ecosystem and created a multi-dimensional open innovation platform that includes universities and research labs, government agencies, venture capitalist firms, and city innovation partners.