Tao Zhang

Tao Zhang is the founder and CEO of Dianping.com, a pioneering Chinese website for consumer reviews and local services.12 Here are some key details about his background and achievements:

Professional Experience

Tao Zhang founded Dianping.com in February 2003 and has served as its CEO since then.2 Under his leadership, Dianping grew to become China's largest city life website, covering over 340 cities and attracting more than 10 million regular visitors per month.4

Education

• MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (2000-2002)24
• Bachelor's degree in Economics from DePauw University1

Career Highlights

• Pioneered the consumer review model for restaurants in China, launching Dianping two years before Yelp was founded in the US3
• Grew Dianping to cover over 460,000 registered companies across China4
• Led Dianping to profitability in November 2008, making it the first profitable Web 2.0 company in China4
• Secured funding from major investors including Sequoia Capital and Google China3

Personal Background

• Originally from Shanghai, China3
• Lived in the United States for 10 years before returning to China in 2003 to start Dianping3
• Previously worked as an IT consultant for an American firm4

Interests

Tao Zhang's hobbies include reading, hiking, and poker. He is a fan of the Brazilian National Soccer Team and admires entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs.3

In 2015, Dianping merged with Meituan, another major player in China's local services market.5 This merger created one of China's largest online-to-offline (O2O) service platforms, further solidifying Tao Zhang's impact on the Chinese internet industry.