Qi Zhang

Critic
DISC Type : C

Engineering, Partner at PLAUD.AI

United States

Overview

Qi Zhang is a B2B AI startup founder and Y Combinator alumnus with deep expertise in full-stack development, machine learning, and AI. He has a notable background at Amazon, where he worked on supply chain optimization and social commerce, and was the co-founder and CTO of StarJar, an acquired healthcare AI startup. He holds a Master of Engineering from Beihang University.

His interests lie at the intersection of technology and human-centric applications. This is demonstrated through his past work in social shopping, his academic publications on mobile systems for health recognition, and his current focus on building AI-driven B2B solutions. He actively engages with the founder community and thinks deeply about the startup journey.

Unique fact: He co-founded a healthcare AI startup that was backed by Y Combinator and was subsequently acquired.

Personality Overview

Negotiator

Critic

Information Seeker

It is very likely that they will negotiate pricing or other important terms.  They like to take decisions independently and do not seek others' support often. Unless the value is proven by data, they are unlikely to value fancy features.

Topics They Care About

AI in Healthcare
Co-founded an acquired healthcare AI startup and published academic research on using mobile-social systems for automatic health recognition and recommendation.
B2B AI Ventures
As a YC W24 alum and current B2B AI startup founder, he is focused on creating and scaling AI solutions for enterprise clients.
The Founder Journey
He publicly shares reflections on the essential qualities for founders and the challenges of the entrepreneurial path, based on his own first-hand experience.

Media Appearances

Qi has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2025
Engineering, Partner at PLAUD.AI
12-2023 - 4-2025
Co-Founder & CTO at StarJar (Acquired)
3-2014 - 12-2023
Senior Software Development Engineer at Amazon
Staff Software Engineer at Coupang
Engineering Lead at Imprint

Education

1-2024 - 4-2024
Education details unavailable from Y Combinator
2011 - 2014
Master of Engineering - MEng from Beihang University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 11 Location : United States Job Level : Middle Designation : Engineering, Partner at PLAUD.AI
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Insights For Selling To Qi

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Be ready to answer many clarity-seeking questions and requests for information
  • Be ready for penetrating questions and critical examination of your pitch
  • Use phrases like ‘expect X% improvement’, ‘data clearly shows’ etc.

DONT's

  • Avoid phrases like ‘trust me’, ‘others just love’ etc.
  • Don’t rush them till they have clearly gotten all the necessary information
  • Don't give superficial answers, they are easily rattled by them

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Qi is

  • Proof of ROI, low pricing and objective proof points are the important factors for them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Qi

  • They do not mind saying no if they believe that it is the right decision.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Qi move?

  • Their decision-making is neither very fast nor very slow, they are somewhere in between.
  • Can Qi take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks if their analysis shows that it would be worth it.

You And Qi

Personality Compatibility


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