Binance Labs rebrands to YZi Labs, marking a new development step with an expanded investment focus on AI and Biotech.

YZi Labs: New vision, expanding investment to new fields

On the evening of January 23, 2025, the Binance Labs incubator announced a rebrand to YZi Labs, completely separating itself from the name "Binance" to serve the purpose of expanding its investment focus beyond the crypto and blockchain fields, specifically focusing more on artificial intelligence (AI) and Biotech.

In the announcement, YZi Labs affirmed that the rebranding was a completely natural development step, because the organization has been operating independently under the name "Binance" since the beginning of 2024.

https://t.co/aJUYbae62O

— YZi Labs (@BinanceLabs) January 23, 2025

Early Binance Labs Leaders Return to YZi Labs Board

A notable rebranding sees the return of the founding leaders of Binance Labs, Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and Ella Zhang.

CZ will play a key role in investment activities, providing direct mentorship and training to the founders. The YZi Labs team expects CZ’s approach and practical experience to help YZi Labs add value and grow uniquely in the industry.

Ella Zhang - Former Director of Binance Labs: Together with CZ, Ella founded Binance Labs in 2018, where she served as its first Director. During her tenure, Ella Zhang led the first three batches of the Incubation Program, supporting over 40 startups including Polygon, Injective, CertiK, Dune Analytics, Kava, SafePal, Elrond, and Nym. Ella left in 2020 to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. Returning to YZi Labs as a Director, Ella is expected to apply her extensive investment experience and expertise to guide the new fund to its next stage of growth.

CZ’s role as an advisor to YZi Labs is in line with his focus on investing in AI and biotechnology in his first post after serving a four-month prison sentence.

YZi Labs Future Plans

In the coming year, YZi Labs said that there will be changes in its operating procedures and investment direction, including:

·      Focusing on investing in Web3, AI and Biotech, and exploring innovations that can combine these three areas.

·      Continuing to support projects that have the potential to have long-term impact as well as innovations that can drive the next wave of growth in the industry.

·      Re-aligning the Incubation Program to better suit the project founders participating.

All companies in the current portfolio will continue to receive the same level of support in YZi Labs. The rebranding will not impact existing programs, resources, or initiatives, including the Incubation Program and BNB Chain Most Valuable Builder (MVB)

YZi Labs said that its current portfolio includes over 250 projects from over 25 countries across 6 continents. Over 65 of YZi Labs’ portfolio companies have gone through incubation programs.

This announcement is nothing new, as Binance Labs had already hinted at the rebranding in late 2024 in a post summarizing its report.

At Binance Labs (soon to be rebranded), we’re laser-focused on fundamentals, aiming for long-term impact. Going into 2025 and beyond, we’ll continue to provide evergreen support to founders who share our vision of building for the long term.

As we conclude 2024, let's review the…

— YZi Labs (@BinanceLabs) December 31, 2024