Areas of Interest:

• Mobile Applications/Software/Services:
  – Biometric:
  1. Voice/Speech Recognition
  2. Biometric Intelligence
  3. Iris Recognition

  – Camera

  1. Pupil Position
  2. Photo/Image Processing Technology

  – Audio – HD Audio Processing Technology
  – Health/Fitness – Monitoring for Consumers
  – Emergency Services – Consumers/Seniors
  – Gaming – Benchmarking/Utilities
  – Gesture Control – Touch Free
  – NFC Applications – Multiple Industries
  – Mobile Payment
  – Wearable Tech/Smart Accessories
  – Mobile Cloud Services – Consumers
  – Intelligent/Smart Home – Applications
  – Big Data Analytics – Mobile Applications
  – Augmented Reality
  – Battery Technology – Utilities for Extended Use

• Material/Hardware:
  – RF Technology – Antenna High Sensitivity
  – Sensor Technology – Medical/Health/Emergency Services, Gesture
  – Voice Print Recognition – IC
  – Battery Technology

Team

Lixin Cheng
Chairman and CEO, ZTE USA
Senior Vice President, ZTE Corporation
President of ZTE NA Mobile Devices Business Unit
Mr. Lixin Cheng currently serves as Senior Vice President of  ZTE Corporation, President of ZTE NA Mobile Devices Business Unit, and  Chairman and CEO of ZTE USA. Mr. Cheng joined ZTE in June 2010 as President of NA Region of ZTE Corporation and CEO of ZTE USA. Since then, Cheng has grown the ZTE NA handset business from near zero to the fourth largest smart-phone vendor. Cheng oversees all aspects of the ZTE NA mobile device business across R&D, product planning, sales, marketing, supply chain, and customer service.

Cheng has more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, with expertise in the areas of sales, marketing, R&D management, supply chain management, M&A, and executive management in joint ventures, start-ups and public companies. He has extensive business experience and a network that spans 58 countries around the world.

Before moving to the United States in 2001, Cheng held the position of Vice President of Sales and Supply at Ericsson Panda Ltd. where he increased annual sales tenfold to $1.6 billion and localized the supply chain in China, all within a three year timeframe. From September 2001 to January 2004, Cheng served as Director at Ericsson Wireless Inc. in San Diego, California where he was responsible for developing Ericsson’s CDMA business in various international markets. Cheng then joined Axesstel Inc. as President where he increased the startup’s sales from $4 million to over $95 million in less than two years, playing a critical role in Axesstel’s successful public listing in 2005. Cheng founded ALA Group, Inc. in late 2006, providing consulting services to technology companies wanting to increase their penetration in the U.S. and Asia markets.

Cheng also serves on the Board of Directors of CommNexus, a non-profit technology industry association based in San Diego that works to accelerate the formation, growth, and success of technology.

George Hou
Vice President of Handset Division, ZTE Corporation
Mr. Zhengzhi (George) Hou is Vice President of Handset Division, ZTE Corporation. His responsibility is to develop partnership in Internet industry and promote ZTE brand. He is also in charge of several subsidiaries of ZTE Corporation, such as ZTE Mobile Telecom Co. Ltd., ZTE Joygor and ZTE WeLink.

Mr. Hou joined ZTE Corporation in 1990s. He has taken various leadership roles in the areas of sales, marketing, product development and management. In 2002, Mr. Hou cofounded ZTE Mobile Telecom (MT) and served as President. ZTE MT has grown to $600 million in global revenues. Mr. Hou also founded ZTE Joygor and ZTE WeLink, to address the mobile internet and M2M markets respectively.

Mr. Hou received his Bachelor’s degree from the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

Wei Zhao
Vice President of Handset Operation, ZTE Corporation
Mr. Wei Zhao is Vice President of Handset Operation, ZTE Corporation. Since 2009, Zhao has focused primarily on Product Planning for the mid and high end market of North America. He has spearheaded implementation of product planning strategies bringing innovation and improvements to ZTE mobile devices.

Mr. Zhao joined ZTE Corporation in 2003. He has spent the past ten years with ZTE as Product Marketing Director of Regional Product Sales and Marketing for various regions. He was Regional Product Marketing Director for African market for his first four years with ZTE. Between 2007 and 2009, Zhao was focused on the mid and high end mobile devices market in Europe. He played an important role from a product planning and product marketing perspective to help an 80% growth in mobile devices revenues in the European market between 2007-09 and a $470 million revenue increase during 2011 in North American market.

About MarketLink

Applications Closed Friday, May 16th

Questions? Contact Carolyn Liikala at cliikala@commnexus.org