"As a VC, I am learning every day. I kind of feel I am smarter every night when I fall asleep compared with the morning when I woke up. Because I am talking to the most talented people in the world, who are trying to change the world."

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Zhang Lu, a 2006 alumnus of the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Tianjin University, and the Founding Partner of NewGen Capital, was honored as one of the 30 Under 30 for Venture Capital in 2017 by Forbes magazine on Jan 3, 2017.

Zhang Lu was honored as one of the 30 Under 30 for Venture Capital in 2017 by Forbes.[Photo provided to Chinadaily]

The 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 is the most definitive gathering of today's leading young change-makers and innovators born in China, India, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom and South Africa, as well as the United States;this year is the sixth edition of the list. It includes 30 game changers in 20 industries all under 30 years of age -- 600 in total -- who are challenging conventional wisdom and rewriting the rules for the next generation of entrepreneurs, entertainers, educators and others. There were more than 15,000 nominees for only 600 spots. The acceptance rate was 4.8 percent, making it harder than getting into Harvard or Stanford universities.

After graduating from Tianjin University, Zhang Lu pursued postgraduate study in materials science and engineering at Stanford, where she applied her work with nano-thin biosensors to build a new medical device for testing for Type II diabetes as part of an on-campus entrepreneurship class. She eventually sold her startup, Acetone Inc., for more than $10 million. In 2014 she decided to open her own firm, NewGen Capital, which to date has specialized in tech investments.The company has raised over $92 million so far.