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Christian Yan

Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer, Nanoleaf

Consumer HardwareShenzhen

Christian Yan co-founded Nanoleaf, the Toronto smart-lighting company, and is its Chief Operations Officer. He runs global supply chain and operations and is based in Shenzhen, China. He holds an electrical engineering degree from the University of Toronto, and spent over eight years as managing director of a large manufacturing facility in Guangzhou.

Christian hasn’t spoken on a TechTO, TechVancouver or TechWaterloo stage. This profile is here because Christian co-founded Nanoleaf, which appears in 1 talk in the archive.

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Quick answers

Did Christian Yan co-found Nanoleaf?

Yes. Nanoleaf's own About page, checked September 22, 2026, lists him under the heading "Our Founders + Board Members" and says: "As the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer at Nanoleaf, Christian is the key person behind the company's global supply chain and operations management." The same page says the company "was founded by three University of Toronto engineering students".

What is his role at Nanoleaf today?

Chief Operations Officer. Nanoleaf's About page, checked September 22, 2026, gives his title as COO and says he is "dedicated to ensuring that Nanoleaf products meet the highest quality standards in the most environmentally friendly way". The other two co-founders are listed on the same page as Gimmy Chu, CEO, and Tom Rodinger, CTO.

Where is he based?

Shenzhen, China. Nanoleaf's About page, checked September 22, 2026, states "Christian is currently based in Shenzhen China" and adds that he holds an electrical engineering degree from the University of Toronto and has "over 8 years of experience as managing director of a large manufacturing facility in Guangzhou, China".

When was Nanoleaf founded?

2012, in Toronto. Nanoleaf's own site, checked September 22, 2026, carries the line "Since 2012 - Toronto, Canada" and says co-founder Gimmy Chu has run the company "since founding the company in 2012", turning it "from a Kickstarter project into a global intelligent home brand".

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Sep 22, 2026