Syncing Deep Tech, Global Markets, & Frontier Growth.
ZenGen Labs is an AI-native frontier-tech research and strategy advisory firm whose research has been cited in Bloomberg, Wired, and the South China Morning Post. We identify, decode, and operationalize emerging technology, using China depth as a force-multiplier, for capital and companies worldwide. Our work spans four vectors:
New Intelligence: applied AI, agents, and automation
New Devices: embodied AI, robotics, and intelligent hardware
New Economies: next-generation value networks, from algorithmic retail and social commerce to digital assets
New Infrastructure: the layer powering the other three, from energy and semiconductors to data centres and advanced manufacturing
This publication is where we share that work, anchored by The China Round, our free weekly tracking where China’s tech capital is moving.
Research
This publication is one window into the firm’s work. We report from the ground in Shanghai and beyond, on how technology actually gets identified, built, and scaled, and on how these markets differ in structure.
The China Round is the weekly anchor, published free every Friday. It tracks venture and strategic investment across China’s core technology sectors. Where capital flows is where talent concentrates, where production capacity gets built, and where the next commercial technologies come from. Written for investors, operators, and founders who need to know where China’s tech capital is moving and why it matters.
Alongside it, operator-led deep dives across the four vectors: applied AI and the agent economy, embodied AI and robotics, next-generation value networks, and the infrastructure layer from energy and semiconductors to data centres and advanced manufacturing.
Across all of it, we care about market structure and business models, and what each funding round or product launch signals about where things are heading.
The Author
ZenGen Labs is led by Dermot McGrath, an Irish entrepreneur and VC operator with over a decade building across China’s technology and investment ecosystem. As co-founder of Ryze Labs (formerly Sino Global Capital), he helped build the firm from a Beijing coffee shop into an international digital-asset investment firm with nine figures USD under management.
Fluent in Mandarin, he operates natively across Chinese and Western markets.
Work With Us
ZenGen Labs works with:
Funds and institutional investors: market intelligence, innovation tracking, thesis validation, and diligence on Chinese deep tech; for portfolio companies, hands-on growth support.
Founders and growth-stage companies: market entry, technology partnerships, and scaling into and out of China.
Global operators: sourcing and navigating Chinese technology and supply chains to move faster than local markets allow.
Leading Chinese technology companies, from startups and unicorns to listed companies: technology strategy, international positioning, and global expansion.
Corporate strategy and innovation teams: eyes and ears on China, with boots on the ground.
For collaborations: we are always looking for the right partners to build with. Whether you need an operating partner, are working on something interesting, or just want to swap notes on the ecosystem, we would love to chat.
Visit zengenlabs.com/contact.
