Ziyi Michelle Liu is an investor and researcher in international political economy.
Research interests
I.International trade and investment
II.Economic statecraft
III.Technology governance
She has worked in venture capital in Sunnyvale, California, at an early-stage accelerator (2024); in private equity in Hong Kong, focused on advanced technology in Asia-Pacific markets (2025); as a policy fellow at a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C. (2025); and in private equity in London, at a global firm that invests in software companies (2026).
Beyond finance, she is inspired by documentary film — by how it shapes political consciousness and the global economy: she directed a documentary for a school for children with autism, which received the JEA National Excellent Award (2018); volunteered with the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia (2020); worked as a producer on the international channel of Shanghai Television (2022); and served as cultural relations liaison at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland (2025). She speaks English and Mandarin, with basic French and Swiss German.
II. Education
Columbia University2024–2026International and Public AffairsNYU/Columbia Equestrian Team (Management), amateur polo (HPA-1); Columbia Venture Community (Global Board Member)
New York University2021–2024Gallatin School of Liberal Arts, Concentration in Business and CommunicationsThesis: Confucian Ideology's Influence on the Global Box Office (In Memory of Professor Stacy Pies)
