DeepSeek hires dealmaker as CFO ahead of possible IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company that rattled Silicon Valley earlier this year with its low-cost large language models, is getting serious about going public. The Hangzhou-based startup is appointing Yan Wentao, a partner at GL Ventures, as its first-ever chief financial officer. The CFO hire comes shortly after DeepSeek brought on CITIC Securities, one of China’s largest investment banks, to handle pre-listing preparations for a potential IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market. The company is targeting 2026 to start the listing process, with a 2027 listing as the goal. From research lab to corporate machine Yan Wentao, born in 1991, is young for a CFO role at a company of this magnitude. Founder Liang Wenfeng has reportedly favored modernizing the company’s corporate functions, and bringing in a venture capital dealmaker rather than a graying finance veteran fits that philosophy. At GL Ventures, Yan built experience in managing investor relationships, structuring deals, and navigating the mechanics of getting a company from private to public. His mandate at DeepSeek will reportedly include investor relations and financial controls. Founded by Liang Wenfeng, who also runs the quantitative h...