Rongfei’s life and career are anything but usual. Born in China and having lived across four continents, his journey has been shaped by diverse experiences and bold choices. Today, he works at the intersection of entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence (AI), and law, using technology to improve legal access for underserved communities. As the founder of the non-profit Paraply and the startup Antes AI, Rongfei is making a profound impact by leveraging AI to provide affordable and accessible legal assistance.
Early influences and a global perspective
Rongfei’s path took a transformative turn at the age of 17 when he received a scholarship to attend the United World College in Pune, India. This international school, located in a small village near Pune, is known for fostering multicultural understanding and public service. There, Rongfei developed a broader worldview and became interested in addressing social issues—interests that would later shape his professional work.
A classmate from his time in Pune, Anand Lalwani, reflected on this period, noting that Rongfei’s character stood out: “Besides being one of the most hardworking people in our class, Rongfei also has a good heart. He always saved me and other friends when we had difficult problems, and it is not surprising for us to hear that he started a legal nonprofit.”
From aerospace engineering to AI innovation
After completing high school in India, Rongfei continued his education at Stanford University, where he initially focused on aerospace engineering. However, during his time at Stanford, he shifted his academic focus to AI. As a researcher at the Stanford AI Lab, he published significant work on benchmarks for domain-agnostic, self-supervised learning models, advancing the field by enabling more precise comparisons across different AI domains. His research contributions were recognised in top AI conferences like NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR.
However, Rongfei’s ambitions extended beyond academia. He launched his first entrepreneurial venture, MushroomX, focused on robotic mushroom farming. This startup later evolved into Hedgehog, a Y Combinator-backed company specialising in AI-driven, robot-cultivated speciality mushrooms. These early ventures combined his engineering skills with a growing interest in applying AI to practical problems, laying the groundwork for his later focus on AI’s applications in law and compliance.
Bridging technology and policy
While Rongfei was building expertise in AI, he also developed an interest in the legal and regulatory dimensions of technology. During his time at McKinsey in Washington D.C., he began exploring technology policy and law, particularly within the aerospace and defence sectors. This interest deepened during a summer internship at a flying car startup, where he saw firsthand the importance of public policy in technological innovation.
His expertise in AI, law, and policy led him to positions at the Hoover Institution, the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, and the CodeX legal technology center at Stanford Law School. These roles allowed Rongfei to delve deeper into the intersection of technology and law, ultimately leading him to Uber. At Uber, he led global marketing privacy and legal compliance strategies, implementing privacy features for over 100 million users and contributing to GDPR and CCPA compliance, setting new standards in AI governance and privacy.
Using AI to revolutionise legal access
Motivated by his own experiences as an immigrant and his desire to make a positive social impact, Rongfei co-founded Paraply with his Stanford classmate Nick Goodson. Paraply is an AI-driven legal tech nonprofit that aims to transform how Americans access legal help, particularly in underserved communities. By integrating generative AI with human expertise, Paraply provides free, expert legal assistance on critical issues such as housing, immigration, and domestic violence. The nonprofit’s innovative approach, in collaboration with top law firms, Stanford Law, and the California Superior Court, sets it apart in the legal tech landscape.
In addition to Paraply, Rongfei founded Antes AI, a company dedicated to helping businesses navigate complex regulatory compliance requirements using AI. With investments from leading Silicon Valley venture capitalists such as Kleiner Perkins, Antes AI is positioned at the forefront of regulatory tech, providing cutting-edge solutions to some of the most challenging compliance issues faced by companies today.
The avid adventurer
Outside of his professional work, Rongfei is an avid adventurer who enjoys skiing, flying, and hiking—reflecting his love for exploration and his willingness to push boundaries. One fun fact about Rongfei is that he earned his pilot’s license before his driver’s license while at Dartmouth. He also serves on several influential boards, including the Forbes Nonprofit Council and the advisory board for the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
The road ahead
Rongfei’s unconventional journey, from a small village in India to leading impactful AI and legal tech initiatives demonstrates his ability to merge diverse fields and drive meaningful change. As he continues to innovate with Paraply and Antes AI, Rongfei remains dedicated to using technology to bridge gaps in legal access and regulatory compliance, ensuring these services are available to all, regardless of their background. His story is a powerful example of how cross-disciplinary knowledge, innovation, and a commitment to social good can create transformative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. He still fondly recalls his time in Pune, which led him towards his entrepreneurial dreams.
Authorship and acknowledgement: this article has been produced by Times Internet Spotlight team in collaboration with Anand Lalwani
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