Ella Xing: From strategic investment consulting to building her own fintech startup

What inspired your MBA journey, and what career goals were you pursuing?

Cambridge’s dynamic fusion of finance, business and science made it the perfect launchpad for my ambitions.

With experience in finance across the US, Europe and China and an academic background in mathematics and computer science, I saw Cambridge as the ideal place to sharpen my skills and nurture my entrepreneurial vision.

Before my MBA, I worked as a Project Manager at Siemens Advanta Consulting in Beijing, my hometown, where I played a key role in advising private equity firms and corporations through complex mergers and acquisitions transactions. This experience deepened my understanding of strategic investments and further fuelled my drive to build my own fintech startup.

How did the community and learning environment at Cambridge enable you to launch your business?

My MBA experience at Cambridge ultimately led to the creation of X-Launch, a fintech startup that helps family offices and private equity firms with investments and stock market analytics using AI solutions.

The Cambridge MBA offered countless entrepreneurship events, creating a rich environment for testing and validating innovative business ideas. X-Launch’s quantitative trading and wealth management projects were directly inspired by the Algorithmic Trading Society at the University of Cambridge, which I had the privilege of joining.

This society, a hub for students, academics and industry professionals, passionate about quantitative trading and financial technology, played a pivotal role in my journey. The gala dinner was especially impactful, allowing me to engage directly with leaders in quantitative finance and private equity as well as leading mathematicians.

The MBA’s collaborative approach also shaped my entrepreneurial path, particularly experiential learning projects like the Cambridge Venture Project (CVP) and the Global Consulting Project (GCP), which provided invaluable preparation for launching X-Launch.

For our GCP, our 5-person team, including experts in healthcare, finance and strategy, developed an economic model for the World Health Organization (WHO), demonstrating AI’s impact on healthcare across different countries. This was a fascinating experience, bringing together diverse talents that mirrored the collaboration behind X-Launch.

How did Cambridge Judge’s extracurriculars and network accelerate your career ambitions?

Investment competitions and exclusive networking events gave me direct access to experienced finance professionals and mentorship from industry leaders.

One standout experience was the Global Mergers and Acquisitions Challenge, an international competition hosted by Cambridge Judge Business School at London’s Royal Society. There, we tackled real world investment scenarios, building leveraged buyout models, investment memoranda and elevator pitches.

Beyond competitions, speaker events regularly introduced me to influential voices from venture capital, family offices and investment banks. This connected me to a global network of top tier talent.

This extensive network, combined with the opportunity to engage with world class professionals, was truly the highlight of my MBA journey. It was a transformative experience and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I had. As I continue to grow X-Launch, I look forward to giving back to the Cambridge Judge community through mentorship and collaboration. I can’t wait to see where my career takes me next.