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Chenny Zhang
Director, Cerberus Ventures
2020 NextGen National Security Fellow
Chenny Zhang is a Director at Cerberus Ventures. She was previously a Principal at In-Q-Tel (IQT), the strategic investment firm supporting the missions of the Central Intelligence Agency and the broader Intelligence Community, where she invested in life sciences and biotech companies. Chenny managed IQT’s relationships with Tierra Biosciences, Synonym Bio, and other undisclosed companies in proteomics, diagnostics, synthesis, optogenetics, AI and robotics. Prior to IQT, Chenny served as the China portfolio lead at the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board (DIB), where she supported the AI ethics principles project, 5G report, and other initiatives. Before the DIB, Chenny was co-founder of an edtech software startup operating in Beijing, overseeing fundraising, product development and technical support.
Chenny was a 2020 NextGen National Security Fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a 2022 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. She received an MA in International Economics with a minor in China Studies from the Johns Hopkins University, and a BA from Boston College.