YZi Labs is placing bets on futures most investors aren’t yet living in — from stablecoins and Web3 infrastructure to AI and long-horizon biotech — and doing so with a clear, conviction-driven playbook. Speaking at Consensus Hong Kong 2026 on Thursday, YZi head Ella Zhang summed up the firm’s approach: “To focus on the things that haven’t happened yet, and to focus on the people who are there to dream them up and to make it happen.” Formerly Binance Labs, YZi is deliberately spanning multiple technological frontiers to balance different time horizons: crypto’s boom-and-bust cycles, AI’s accelerating adoption, and biotech’s decade-spanning development timelines. That balance informs how YZi evaluates opportunities. Zhang stressed that founders are pressured to demonstrate real user demand rather than narrative-driven hype. The firm zeroes in on product fundamentals — which pain point is being solved, how distribution will work, and whether there are early signals the problem truly matters. Funding is driven by conviction: “We’re not obligated to deploy all the capital we have,” she said, and checks come when the team believes in a company’s prospects. YZi aims to be an early backer while continuing to support portfolio companies across multiple rounds, pairing capital with mentorship and strategic resources. On the infrastructure side, Zhang highlighted BNB Chain as a natural distribution layer, pointing to “thousands of protocols” and “hundreds of millions of users” as fertile ground for new applications. At the same time, the firm explicitly welcomes the messy reality of startups: it’s “very, very open for the founders to fail and welcome them to come back,” framing failure as part of founder development and long-term relationship-building. Among product trends, Zhang singled out stablecoins as crypto’s first mass-market use case beyond trading. With global compliance frameworks improving, stablecoins are positioned to drive broader adoption — but they’re not finished. Zhang said custody solutions, exchange infrastructure and on-chain foreign exchange rails still need work before stablecoins reach full maturity. Bottom line: YZi’s multi-horizon thesis — disciplined, fundamentals-first investing across Web3, AI and biotech — aims to smooth the timing risk inherent in crypto cycles while supporting ambitious founders over the long haul. For startups, that means rigorous product scrutiny and a partner willing to back convictions across rounds. For investors, it’s a bet on diversification across technologies that may pay off at different tempos. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

#ETF #BNB #AI