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Daniel MAOFounding Partner
Areas of Practice

Mr. Mao represents numerous well-known domestic and international financial institutions, venture capital/private equity funds, multinational companies, and other types of investment entities in handling various complex transactions. His areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions, fund formation, private equity and venture capital investments, post-investment management, compliance, and general corporate matters. His industry experience spans real estate, life sciences, artificial intelligence, high-end manufacturing, senior care, TMT, electric vehicles, consumer, entertainment, and education.


His major clients include Primavera Capital, Asia Investment Capital, Warburg Pincus, TPG, China Life Capital, Apollo, ESR Group, DNE Group, GIC, KKR, Blackstone, Oaktree Capital, Go-high Capital, Hony Capital, China-Africa Development Fund, Cindat Capital, Schneider, and John Deere, and Standard Chartered.

Working language

Mandarin Chinese and English

Qualification

China New York

Education
Fordham University School of Law,Master of Laws
Tongji University School of Law,Bachelor of Laws
Representative Matters(Selected)
Represented the consortium formed by ESR and GIC in the RMB4.4 billion acquisition of an 11-asset logistics portfolio from DLJ Capital, constituting the largest logistics and industrial portfolio transaction in the Greater Shanghai metropolitan area to date.
Represented Primavera Capital as a co-lead investor in the US$700 million Series D financing of AI unicorn 4Paradigm, setting a new record for enterprise AI fundraising and accelerating the commercialization of decision-making artificial intelligence.
Represented the Primavera Capital-led consortium in the strategic investment and restructuring of Zhaopin at a valuation exceeding RMB 10 billion, facilitating the HR tech giant’s post-privatization structural optimization and localization strategy.
Represented ESR in establishing a US$4 billion China Development Platform (ECDP) with APG and GIC, creating one of the region's largest logistics development funds dedicated to modern warehousing infrastructure in key metropolitan clusters.
Represented DNE Group in establishing an RMB 6 billion New Economy Infrastructure Fund with leading insurers, setting a benchmark for institutional investment in life science and manufacturing parks while achieving a breakthrough in domestic fundraising.
Represented Warburg Pincus in leading the Series C, D, and E financing rounds for Mofang Apartments (raising over US$550 million), cementing its position as the dominant market leader in China’s centralized rental housing sector.
Represented Primavera Capital in the US$1 billion+ strategic investment in Envision Group, accelerating the global deployment of net-zero technologies and smart wind power infrastructure in a defining transaction for the carbon-neutral economy.
Represented Mofang Apartments in issuing China’s first rental housing Asset-Backed Security (ABS) on the SSE (raising RMB 350 million), pioneering a critical financial innovation pathway for asset-light operations and capital recycling in the sector.
Represented Primavera Capital as a lead investor in the US$1.33 billion Series C financing of Lufax, helping anchor its pre-IPO valuation at nearly US$40 billion in one of the largest private placements in the global fintech sector.
Represented Asia Investment Capital in co-leading the US$300 million Series C financing of MegaRobo, completing the largest single round in the life sciences automation sector despite market headwinds to support R&D and global expansion.
Honors and Awards
2026
Chambers Global Guide 2026 Corporate/M&A (PRC Firms)“Up and Coming”
2026
Chambers Greater China Region Guide 2026 Corporate/M&A “Up and Coming”
2026
Legal500 China Elite Commercial Corporate/M&A
2025
Legalband Elite List: Top 20 Business Lawyers
2025
Legalband Top Ranked Lawyers : Private Equity and Venture Capital “Rising Star” Lawyer
2025
GCP China 40 Under 40  
2024
China Business Law Journal Annual Outstanding Transaction in Private Equity& Venture Capital
2023
Asian Legal Business (ALB) “Deal Award of the Year” Nomination
2022
China Business Law Journal Corporate/M&A “Deals of the Years 2022”
Legal500 TMT “Special Recommendation” lawyer from 2021 to 2024