ABOUT US
We are a product company powered by an advanced engineering biology platform and biomanufacturing. We engineer microbes and develop clean fermentation processes to manufacture products of high purity, at low cost, and in a sustainable way. We strive to help the world to transition away from petroleum and address important global issues in environmental preservation, carbon emission and climate change.
With our mission in mind, we founded the company in September 2021. We are located in Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park with operations in Japan and US. We are a highly experienced team with our founders having a combined 40+ years of industrial experience in developing bio-based products. We are building an end-to-end business going from technology development to manufacturing and commercialization.
Board members
Our board is comprised of dynamic and experienced leaders who embody the mission, guide the growth and shape the future of Cataya.
Dr. Lishan Zhao has over two decades of experience in engineering biology and a proven track record of developing and commercializing bio-based technologies and products. Prior to founding Cataya, Dr. Zhao served as Vice President of Research and Development at Amyris from 2008 to 2021. During his tenure there, he helped develop a world-class engineering biology platform and bring more than ten products from lab to market. He also led a successful effort in building its business in China. Before joining Amyris, Dr. Zhao worked at Diversa Corp, where he discovered and engineered enzymes for various industrial applications. Dr. Zhao holds a BS and a MS in chemistry from Fudan University, Shanghai, and a Ph.D. in biological chemistry from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Dr. Liuyang Diao was Head of Shanghai R&D Center at Meihua Group, and Senior Director of R&D at BioSense before co-founding Cataya in 2021. Prior to that, he served as Project Manager at Shanghai R&D Center of Industrial Biotechnology. Dr. Diao has more than 10 years of experience in industrial biotechnology and successfully developed several robust and highly productive microbial strains and took them to biomanufacturing at commercial scale. He was selected as Outstanding Young Talent by Hebei Province in recognition of his excellence. Dr. Diao holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Anhui University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Microbiology from Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Research Center Jülich, Germany.
Dr. Shiyuan Hu has over ten years of experience in biotechnology R&D and product applications with deep knowledge and expertise in scale up and production of bio-based ingredients. He successfully led the development of biosurfactant products from R&D lab in China to production in Europe, as well as transferred technologies from Europe and facilitated tolling production in China. Before co-founding Cataya, Dr. Hu led the strategic planning of biotechnology R&D framework at Evonik China, and managed the execution of related projects accordingly as Head of Evonik (China) Biotechnology Center. Before joining Evonik, Dr. Hu worked as Senior Scientist at GE China Technology Center and Project Leader at Center of Industrial Biotechnology in Shanghai. Dr. Hu holds a BS in Biotechnology from Lanzhou University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology from Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS, China and University of Ulm, Germany.
Mr. Yungang Huang has been at Source Code
Capital since 2017 and is currently a Partner. With over a decade of experience
in investment, Mr. Huang has a deep understanding of the evolution and impact
that new technologies have had on multiple industries and commerce. Mr. Huang
was nominated and chosen to join "The 2020 Midas Brink List" by
Forbes, "2020 F40 China Youth Investors" by PEdaily, and "2020
China's TOP20 Investors in Medical Sector" by 36Kr Media. Mr. Huang
graduated from Zhejiang University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business
Management, and was one of the first recipients of Zhejiang University’s
Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Management. He has led investments in
outstanding enterprises including Cataya, METiS Pharmaceuticals, SiBionics,
Deep Potential, Nutshell Therapeutics, RELX Technology, Xianglu Technology, XYZ
Robotics, Kuaidi Dache, Liepin, etc.
Mr. Jarlon Tsang is Managing Partner and
Head of China Venture for Eight Roads, the global venture capital firm backed
by Fidelity. He has over 25 years of venture investing and operational
experience in the Silicon Valley and Asia Pacific, with the last 15 years
focused on investments in China. Mr. Tsang now serves on a number of Boards of
Eight Roads portfolio companies including DeltaHealth, Ray Medicine and HuiFu
Payment, etc. Prior to joining Eight
Roads, he was the Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for H&Q
Asia Pacific, responsible for the firm’s private equity investments and its
operational activities globally. Before
this, Mr. Tsang spent over six years in the Silicon Valley practicing as a
corporate and fund formation attorney at Gunderson Dettmer, LLP and O’Melveny
& Myers LLP. His practice focused on the representation of private equity
funds, corporate M&A and securities law. Mr. Tsang received a B.S. in
Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of
California, Berkeley, and his Juris Doctor cum laude and MBA from Boston
University’s School of Law and Graduate School of Management, respectively.
Joseph is managing partner at Bits x Bites, a pioneer agrifood VC focusing on the most critical challenges in the Chinese food system. He leads new investment development, portfolio management, and serves on the boards of portfolio companies.
Joseph is a strong believer that biosciences and data sciences will drive agri-food industry innovations to improve yield gains, reduce resource demands, and produce better food. He believes VC returns are governed by a power law distribution. Thus, he is motivated to focus investments in the best-in-class scientists to translate scientific breakthroughs into vital technologies and leading enterprises of the future. Mojia Bio, EA Vision, and Future Meat Technologies are amongst the portfolios he is serving on the boards.
Joseph has 15 years of investment experience across both sell side and buy side. Prior to agrifood, he invested
in China’s international education sector. Joseph has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth Business School. He is a weekend golfer and a pianist.
