Yao Yi

Born in 1965 in Chenggu, Hanzhong, Shaanxi. He earned a master's in electronic physics and devices from Xidian University in January 1989 and a doctorate in communication signals and systems from Northern Jiaotong University in December 1994. He taught at Beijing Jiaotong University's institute of lightwave technology from January 1995 to June 1997, then became executive director and manager of Beijing Lingyun Guangtong Technology. In August 2002 he founded LUSTER with his wife Yang Yi, Lu Yuanyuan and two others, starting from fibre-optic components and optical communication test gear and moving into machine vision components, algorithms and smart manufacturing inspection lines for consumer electronics, printing and packaging and new energy. He led the company's STAR Market listing on 6 July 2022 and its 2024 acquisition of Danish industrial camera maker JAI. In October 2026 he and Yang Yi ranked 735th on the Hurun China Rich List with RMB 10.5 billion. In 2024 the Beijing securities regulator issued him a warning letter over disclosure of related-party fund lending.