Global Innovation Institute

Global Innovation Institute (GII) is a nonprofit, AI-native research and education platform focused on finance, restaurant, consumer, retail, grocery, hospitality, and physical-commerce sectors across the United States and East Asia. The organization produces independent, evidence-based research on publicly listed and growth-stage companies, with particular emphasis on operating systems, earnings quality, unit economics, capital allocation, technology adoption, management execution, competitive positioning, and valuation. GII does not function as a traditional consultancy or investment firm; rather, it operates at the intersection of applied industry research and executive education, translating rigorous financial and operational analysis into accessible knowledge for a broad range of stakeholders including investors, executives, educators, entrepreneurs, students, and institutional partners. The platform's flagship research program, China Restaurant Empire (CRE), covers 78 publicly listed restaurant companies across the United States and Greater China and includes the CRE Quarterly publication and the CRE Model Portfolio. GII's research methodology is AI-assisted, using artificial intelligence for evidence gathering, document organization, comparative analysis, consistency testing, and research workflow management, while preserving human judgment and editorial accountability in all final outputs. Through GII Academy, the organization offers research-based executive education programs including the Consumer, Commerce and Hospitality Growth Lab, AI-Native Commerce programs, Capital Market Readiness initiatives, multi-unit restaurant growth curricula, and customized board and leadership learning. The Academy targets executives, boards, entrepreneurs, investors, educators, and growth-stage companies seeking practical, evidence-driven decision-making tools. GII also pursues institutional initiatives through mission-aligned partnerships with universities, nonprofit organizations, technology platforms, industry associations, regional ecosystems, and individual companies. The organization emphasizes expanding access to institutional-quality financial, operational, and technology knowledge that has historically been limited to large investment firms and expensive professional networks. Its U.S.–East Asia knowledge exchange mission reflects a distinctive focus on cross-border commerce dynamics, particularly between North American markets and Greater China. GII is led by Executive Director Dr. Cervantes Lee, whose professional background spans more than 20 years of principal investment, corporate strategy, operations, and development experience at organizations including KE Holdings, CBRE Global Investors, AIG Investments, Panda Restaurant Group, and Peking University Founder Group. Dr. Lee was trained at MIT, USC, and National Taiwan University and has developed academic programs in partnership with UNLV, the University of South Florida, Cal Poly Pomona, Tsinghua University, and China Europe International Business School, among others. GII operates as a public-benefit organization and seeks philanthropic and institutional support to expand its research, education, and publication activities.