Jiani Zeng (zh: 曾佳旎) is a Chinese designer, researcher, and founder currently based in San Francisco. Her design philosophy centers on the exploration of 'virtual intimacy in physical reality,' where the digital and physical realms intersect to unveil new dimensions of perceived realism in our tech-driven lives. At the heart of her work are computational modeling and simulation, which she employs to achieve a precise balance between beauty and function, grounded in scientific rigor. Rather than fully immersing herself in digital design and mixed reality, Jiani investigates how digital tools reshape our tangible experiences in nuanced and meaningful ways.

Jiani is the Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Butlr Technologies Inc., an MIT Media Lab spin-off pioneering people-sensing platforms powered by Physical AI. She and her co-founder, Honghao Deng, were featured on Forbes' 30 Under 30 (North America) List for 2022. Butlr was recognized as one of the "Technology Pioneers" by the World Economic Forum in 2022 and named one of the “Most Innovative Companies” by Fast Company in 2023. As of August 2024, Butlr has raised 68 million USD in funding.

Jiani holds a Master of Science from MIT and a B.Eng in Product Design with First-Class Honors from the University of Nottingham. She previously worked as a researcher at MIT CSAIL and co-invented “Illusory Material,” honored as “The Best Experimental Project of 2020" by Fast Company and "Best Inventions 2021" by TIME. She was recognized as a “Next Generation 2021” designer by Wallpaper Magazine and currently serves as an advisory board member for Iowa State University’s College of Design.

Her work has earned accolades including the Red Dot Best of the Best, IF Design Award, IDEA Silver, Good Design Award, Architizer A+, Core77 Design Award, and A’Design Award Platinum and Gold. Jiani's projects have been featured in notable publications such as Financial Times, INNOVATION Magazine, World Economic Forum, The Times, MIT Technology Review, Dezeen, Domus, and CBS.
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曾佳旎，出生于中国杭州，现生活工作于旧金山，设计师、工程师、Butlr Technologies联合创始人及首席产品官，研究生毕业于美国麻省理工学院，推崇与新科技、新材料相关的设计和科研。其作品跨越虚拟和现实的界限，擅长利用参数化建模、算法对材料微观结构、空间、物理环境、可触碰的物体与产品进行设计与改造。其项目探索多个新兴领域，包括体素化3D打印、软体机器人、人工智能与IOT等，其作品曾获得红点至尊奖、IF、IDEA银奖、Core77设计大奖、A’Design铂金奖、Architizer A+等，并被多家国内外媒体报道，如时代杂志、Dezeen、Fast Company、INNOVATION、Financial Times、Domus、Architect Magazine、FRAME杂志、 Marie Claire、TechCrunch、麻省理工科技评论、美国哥伦比亚电台等。

曾佳旎曾在MIT Media Lab(媒体实验室)和MIT CSAIL(计算机科学与人工智能实验室)担任研究员，科研成果发表于AMC UIST和CHI。她与设计师邓鸿浩发明的Illusory Material（视幻材料）被美国时代杂志评为2021年一百个最佳发明之一。他们于2019年联合创始了科技公司Butlr Technologies，致力于智慧建筑科研及产品研发。截止2024年8月，该公司总共融资约6800万美元，投资机构包括老虎环球基金（Tiger Global Management）、高通（Qualcomm Ventures）等。公司于2022年被世界经济论坛（又称：达沃斯论坛，World Economic Forum）评选为100家最具科技创新力的公司之一。2020年底，曾佳旎与邓鸿浩被Wallpaper杂志共同评为2021新时代的21位创新设计师；2021年底，两人被福布斯（美国）评选为30岁以下精英。