Foundation: 2023Headquarters: Hangzhou, ChinaFounder: Liang WenfengWebsiteExecutive Summary: DeepSeek was founded in May 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, who previously established High-Flyer, a quantitative hedge fund in Hangzhou, China. Liang, an AI enthusiast with a background in computer science from Zhejiang University, began his entrepreneurial journey with High-Flyer in 2015, focusing on AI-driven trading strategies. This move was catalyzed by the global interest in AI following the advent of models like ChatGPT. DeepSeek’s approach has been distinct, focusing on open-source AI models and prioritizing innovation over immediate commercialization. Its first significant release was DeepSeek Coder in November 2023, followed by DeepSeek LLM in November of the same year.