Sources indicate that DeepSeek, the mainland Chinese artificial intelligence startup preparing for its initial public offering, is set to appoint Yan Wentao, a partner at GL Ventures, as its first chief financial officer.

The move to bring in Yan, who brings substantial deal-making experience, marks a pivotal step in DeepSeek's transformation from a research-driven laboratory funded by its founder's hedge fund into a more conventional corporate structure.

The CFO role will be crucial in overseeing investor relations, financial controls, capital allocation, and the disclosure processes required for a public listing.

According to Zero2IPO, a Chinese venture capital industry service firm, Yan was born in 1991, and his representative investment projects include AI developer MiniMax, a competitor to DeepSeek.