Laurent Le Pen

Laurent Le Pen has spent almost two decades building technology companies from Shenzhen. He arrived in China from France in 2007, long before the city became synonymous with global hardware innovation. Since then, he has helped launch smartwatches, AI-powered consumer devices and connected health products from the heart of the world’s manufacturing ecosystem.

A French entrepreneur and product strategist, Le Pen specialises in wearable technology, telecoms, IoT and AI hardware. He is the Founder and CEO of Oxtak, an AI audio platform, and Omate, one of the early pioneers in the smartwatch industry. He is also the co-founder of Oclean, the connected oral-care company known for combining industrial design with AI-powered health technology.

Over the years, Le Pen has developed deep expertise in sourcing, manufacturing and hardware partnerships. Consequently, he speaks about technology less as a futurist and more as someone who understands how products are actually built, shipped and scaled.

Through Oxtak and its upcoming device, Moneypenny, Laurent Le Pen is exploring how AI tools can become more practical, portable and open. Unlike many platforms that lock users into subscriptions or proprietary systems, Oxtak allows people to connect their own AI accounts, including ChatGPT, Claude and Grok.

In his view, professionals do not want another isolated ecosystem. They want tools that fit naturally into their existing workflows. As a result, much of his work focuses on usability, interoperability and simplicity rather than technological spectacle.

At the same time, Le Pen remains cautious about the hype surrounding AI devices. He often argues that hardware succeeds when it solves practical problems, not when it simply showcases new technology.

Laurent Le Pen is a 500 Global alumnus, a board member and community leader for La French Tech Hong Kong-Shenzhen, and advisor to several technology ventures. He also manages one of LinkedIn’s largest professional communities focused on wearable technology, AI hardware and IoT.