Li Lu

Li Lu is the founder and chairman of Himalaya Capital, a multi-billion-dollar investment firm that primarily focuses on long-term investment opportunities in Asia and the U.S. He founded the firm in late 1997 and has since been running its principal fund. Born in China, Li attended Columbia University and received his B.A., J.D., and M.B.A. simultaneously. He is a trustee of CalTech, and he served as a trustee of Columbia University from 2017 to 2024.

Among his many philanthropic pursuits, Li co-founded and is a board member of The Asian American Foundation, which serves 23 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in their pursuit of belonging and prosperity, free from discrimination, slander and violence. He served as the inaugural board chair for the foundation from 2020 to 2024.

Li is the author of “Moving The Mountain: My Life in China” and “Civilization, Modernization, Value Investing — and China.” He received the Henry Crown Leadership from the Aspen Institute in 2023, the Distinguished Leadership Award from Columbia Business School in 2025 and the John Jay Award from Columbia College in 2012. Li is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow and an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.