Built by people who understand operator reality
Valis is a founder-led company based in Chapel Hill, NC. The team brings direct experience in hospitality demand systems, digital media infrastructure, and AI-native product development — the specific combination this problem requires.
Founder
Jinbo Chen
Founder & Director, VALIS
Jinbo Chen is the founder of Valis, with a track record spanning commercial real estate–adjacent hospitality, social media marketing, applied AIGC, and entrepreneurial execution. He previously founded PUTIKE and built influential industry platforms in the boutique hotel sector, with demonstrated experience in scaling ventures, industry positioning, and business building.
Career Timeline
E-commerce Product Manager & BD
Bertelsmann Online, Germany
Early career in digital product management and business development at one of Europe's largest media groups. Built foundational understanding of digital distribution and consumer demand systems.
Exhibition Project Manager
VNU Asia Exhibition Group, USA
Managed trade exhibition projects for the Asia division of a global events and media company. First exposure to B2B demand aggregation and industry conference ecosystems.
National Operations & New Business Director
The Bund Magazine, Shanghai
Led national operations for China's premier lifestyle publication. In 2008, launched the 'Design Hotels' column and co-founded the China Best Design Hotel Awards — the first professional boutique hotel evaluation system in China, developed jointly with JLL and the China Tourist Hotel Association.
Founder & Chief Planner
China Design Hotel Alliance / International Design Hotel Forum
Initiated and ran China's first boutique hotel rating system and annual awards. Invited global partners including Design Hotels (Germany), Leading Hotels of the World (USA), Small Luxury Hotels (UK), and Relais & Châteaux (France) as judges. The system ran for 15+ years, covering 2,200+ hotels and reaching 36,000 industry professionals.
Founder & CEO
PUTIKE / Feekr Travel / Meisu
Founded China's first mobile media platform focused on global boutique hotels, unique travel experiences, and booking services. Raised ¥30M from Tongcheng-Elong (HK-listed) and Matrix Partners (USA). Built influential industry platforms across WeChat, Xiaohongshu, TikTok, and other social channels.
Recognition
Advisory & Board
Valis is supported by advisors and directors with deep experience in hospitality operations, real estate capital markets, and AI systems.
Board Director
Alan Carrette
CHA, CRME · FirstService Residential
Hospitality and residential real estate executive with 14K+ professional connections across the industry. Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and Certified Revenue Management Executive (CRME). Deep operational experience spanning hotel management and large-scale residential community operations.
"The operators who understand demand infrastructure — not just workflow tools — will own the next cycle."
Founding Advisor
Lily Ng
MIT · CEO, Foodie Group
30+ years in hospitality and digital media industries. MIT graduate and Harvard coursework alumna. Former EVP at JLL Hotels China (led practice to 4x revenue in under 3 years, 300+ projects across 60+ cities). Former President, Caesars Global Living Asia. Recognized as Top 10 Female Leaders by the World Hotel Association.
"Jinbo has a rare ability to identify where demand is moving before the market can react, and the discipline to build an eco system to capitalize on it."
TECH ADVISOR
James Li
MIT · AI Systems & Data Intelligence
Background in quantitative marketing, LLMs, deep learning methods, and data-driven business strategy. Advises on AI strategy, demand intelligence, signal design, and the data foundations needed to build smarter decision systems for real estate.
"What stands out about Valis is its ability to combine AI, real-time demand signals, and structured data systems to support scalable and intelligent leasing decisions."
Active in the industry
The Valis team participates in major multifamily, real estate, and hospitality industry events — not as spectators, but as practitioners with a point of view.
IPW 2025
2025Chicago, IL
US Travel Association's premier international travel trade show
Texas Realtors Winter Meeting
2026Texas
Texas Association of Realtors statewide leadership conference
MSMS
2026Napa, CA
Multifamily Social Media Summit
SE Forum
2026Atlanta, GA
Southeast multifamily industry forum
Blueprint
2026Las Vegas, NV
Real estate technology and innovation conference
NMHC OPTECH
2026Las Vegas, NV
National Multifamily Housing Council technology conference
We are building a small, high-ownership team
If the problem resonates and you want to work on hard systems with real operational consequences, we want to hear from you.