Yehong Zhu

Yehong Zhu is the Founder and CEO of Zette, a venture-backed media technology startup that provides readers with pay-per-article access to a variety of publications, effectively functioning as a "Netflix for News" .14 She is recognized as a Top Woman Entrepreneur in Media & Ad Tech and has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree .13

Background and Education

Zhu is a first-generation Chinese-American and graduated with honors from Harvard University, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Government. Her academic pursuits included a focus on privacy and online identity, culminating in a senior thesis titled "The Right to Be Forgotten: Privacy and Online Identity in the Age of Google" .125

Professional Experience

Before founding Zette in July 2020, Zhu worked as a business reporter at Forbes, where her experiences inspired her to create a platform that improves access to quality journalism while ensuring fair compensation for journalists. She also served as a product manager at Twitter, where she contributed to various consumer product teams in both San Francisco and London .134 Additionally, Zhu has experience in venture capital and consulting, having coordinated internships at Northern Light Venture Capital and co-founding a college admissions consulting firm .25

Zette and Its Mission

Zette aims to bridge the gap between premium journalism and consumer technology by allowing users to unlock articles behind paywalls through a credit system, thereby sharing revenue with newsrooms .45 Zhu's vision for Zette is to enhance the accessibility of high-quality content while supporting the financial sustainability of journalism in the digital age .14

Zhu's innovative approach and her background in both journalism and technology position her as a significant figure in the evolving media landscape.