In today's episode, we're thrilled to have our first VC guest, Xuhui Shao, the managing partner at Foothill Ventures. With a $250 million fund focused on early-stage deep tech investments, Xuhui brings a wealth of knowledge from the venture capital world.

Before diving into venture capital, Xuhui had an impressive career in engineering analytics at startups, and held significant roles at Yahoo and other tech giants.

Xuhui's Journey: From an engineer to a VC, learn about his transition and the insights gained from both worlds.

Deep Dive into Deep Tech: Explore Foothill Ventures' focus areas including software, deep tech, and life science, and discover some of their notable investments like WeRide.

The WeRide Story: Hear about the rollercoaster journey of WeRide, from its inception to its upcoming IPO, and the strategic bets that paid off.

Investment Philosophy: Xuhui shares his approach to investment, emphasizing the importance of backing people and technology in complex fields.

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Investors: Xuhui gives advice for young people looking to join the startup world.

Chapters (Powered by ChapterMe) -

00:00 - Introducing our first investor interview

00:55 - Recap & Highlights

02:13 - Intro for Xuhui Shao

03:32 - WeRide's upcoming IPO

07:51 - WeRide's CEO Tony's leadership and teams resilience

11:45 - AI deals at the highest level in 2 years, what's Xuhui's take on this?

14:49 - Key areas for AI funding

16:43 - Key investment highlights 2024

18:51 - Infrastructure company investment paid off

20:07 - Google's foresight and missed opportunities in AI

21:27 - Which companies did Xuhui wish he invested in?

22:09 - Power law, great companies, risktaking

27:01 - Portfolio design and risk management

30:07 - Foothill Ventures's key focus this year

33:42 - Jumped into startup as firstgeneration immigrant

35:35 - Advantages of joining a startup over big companies

38:55 - How to evaluate a start up? Employee vs VC mindset

42:30 - PhD An overlooked path for tech founders right now?

44:21 - Deep tech companies rely on immigrants, PhDs

47:25 - Key founder characteristics perseverance, grit, dedication

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