Lijian Jin
Founder & CEO of ShadowBot
Jin Lijian is the founder and CEO of ShadowBot. In 2019, he established Hangzhou Fork Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd. Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, he has remained committed to the vision of democratizing the ability to build information systems by providing users with simple and accessible tools, aiming to realize the ideal of "technological equality." In 2019, ShadowBot officially launched its flagship product, ShadowBot RPA. The founding team's relentless pursuit of product excellence enabled the company to rise rapidly, helping over 30,000 enterprises worldwide build virtual workforces. ShadowBot serves customers across a wide range of industries, including consumer retail, cross-border e-commerce, food and beverage, internet, pharmaceuticals, logistics, and manufacturing. Within just two years of its founding, the company secured 200 million USD in funding from leading investors such as Goldman Sachs, Tencent, Hillhouse, GGV, Redpoint, GSR Ventures, and Coatue, reaching a valuation of over 1 billion USD and becoming one of the fastest-growing innovators in the RPA space. In 2024, ShadowBot continued to scale its R&D efforts and launched three innovative products: the DataConnect e-commerce data connector, the AI Power all-in-one AI application development platform, and AI Weave, a full-stack AI-driven development IDE. The company also acquired the browser automation tool Automa. These additions further enriched ShadowBot’s product matrix, offering users more efficient and intelligent automation solutions, and advancing the mission of making information system development more accessible. Jin Lijian firmly believes that a good product speaks for itself. In the early stages, ShadowBot did not build a sales team, instead relying on a free version of the product to let users experience its value firsthand, driving organic growth. He has also been active in market education, helping users boost productivity. Today, ShadowBot boasts a developer community in the millions and is recognized as a leading RPA platform. Beyond product and market, Jin Lijian places great emphasis on team development and values-driven leadership. He encourages his team to serve users with love and care, striving to make ShadowBot a truly empowering productivity tool. This philosophy has laid a solid foundation for ShadowBot’s long-term growth.
Topic
Product and Organizational Methodology Behind ShadowBot's 10x Growth
This talk will focus on ShadowBot’s core 0-to-1 growth strategy, sharing hands-on cases and deep methodology personally led and driven by CEO Jin Lijian. On the product side, Jin made a bold decision to scrap the first version of ShadowBot RPA after it failed to meet expectations. Through 237 internal iterations, the team refined the product into a truly "for-everyone" RPA solution. Relying on organic growth through a free version, ShadowBot validated its product strength—exemplified by Blue Moon becoming the first paying customer. Embracing AI, ShadowBot has deeply integrated advanced technologies into its offerings, launching a series of innovative tools such as the all-in-one AI application platform "AI Power" and the AI-driven full-stack development IDE "AI Weave." These tools aim to democratize the ability to build information systems, empowering non-technical users with powerful and accessible tech, and realizing the vision of "technological equality." On the organizational side, Jin has upheld a “product-first” philosophy. In the early stages, the company had no sales team and concentrated all resources on R\&D, with no hesitation in making heavy investments. Later, a sales team was built with a clear identity as "value communicators," requiring certification before onboarding. To date, ShadowBot has helped over 30,000 enterprises worldwide create virtual workforces. The company insists on an annual subscription model, using renewal pressure to drive internal product iteration, maintain market sensitivity, and ensure that the product stays closely aligned with user needs. Drawing from these practical experiences, Jin Lijian will break down ShadowBot’s unique growth logic in depth, offering actionable methodologies in product development, organizational building, and market validation—valuable references for other B2B companies.
