Robin Zeng’s high-stakes bets—from quitting his first job to founding CATL—have reshaped the global EV battery market.

Shares of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., or CATL, soared more than 16% in their Hong Kong trading debut Tuesday after the Chinese electric vehicle battery maker raised more than $4.5 billion in the world's largest listing this year.

China's CATL makes more than a third of electric vehicle batteries sold worldwide and also supplies VW and Toyota.