Mr. Zhang came to the U.S. in 1990 to earn a master's degree in Computer Science at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. He then landed in Silicon Valley working for several technology ventures ranging from start-ups to public companies. In 2002, Mr. Zhang and Feng Ou co-founded DerbySoft in Shanghai to address the lack of electronic distribution for hotels in China.

Mr. Zhang has overseen DerbySoft's growth to a team of 145 with offices in China, Japan, and the U.S., and under his leadership, DerbySoft now serves most of the world's largest hotel companies, including IHG, Hilton, Hyatt, Carlson, Choice, Wyndham, and Marriott, connecting them to such channels as Kayak, Google, Booking.com, and Travelocity. DerbySoft is the acknowledged leader in hotel connectivity technology advancements.