$14 million donation from Tao Ye to support school and technical talent

Bambu Technology, China’s fastest‑rising 3D printing unicorn, has launched a $14 million “Alma Mater Fund” supporting 10 universities that shaped its employees’ careers, signaling how the country’s new hard‑tech champions are investing directly in the nation’s talent pipeline.

Announced by CEO and co‑founder Tao Ye, a former DJI executive, the donation recognizes the institutions that produced many of Bambu’s top engineers and designers. Beneficiaries include major research powerhouses such as the University of Science and Technology of China, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, alongside one notable exception — Shenzhen Polytechnic University, the only vocational university on the list.

Tao, who completed his PhD in Germany before returning to China to join DJI in 2012, built his career entirely through Asian and European institutions, with no U.S. education or U.S.-based employment on his résumé.

His primary American link has been professional: he once received an Outstanding Student Presentation Award from the U.S.-based American Geophysical Union and now leads a company whose 3D printers have gained a strong foothold in the U.S. hobbyist and professional maker markets.

According to Tao, the selection of universities reflects Bambu’s culture of valuing ability over pedigree: the company’s achievements are rooted in its employees, whose foundations were built in the universities that trained them.

Twenty‑one graduates from Shenzhen Polytechnic University now hold key technical roles at Bambu, several earning more than one million yuan annually.

The fund will finance initiatives across six areas, including scholarships, faculty awards, research support, student practice associations, and the donation of advanced 3D printing equipment, as Bambu seeks to give back to the ecosystem that sustains China’s manufacturing innovation.

The gesture also highlights a structural shift in the nation’s technology education. Shenzhen Polytechnic University, recently upgraded to a vocational undergraduate institution, has become a model for industry‑education integration — evidenced by partnerships with Ubtech Robotics, Huawei, and DJI — underscoring the growing value placed on pragmatic, application‑focused talent in China’s rapidly advancing hard‑tech economy.

With annual revenue surpassing $1.4 billion and a valuation in the multi‑billion‑dollar range, Bambu’s latest act of philanthropy signals a new phase in the firm’s expansion — one where strengthening the flow of skilled talent is not just a social responsibility but a strategic move for sustainable innovation.