A self-professed “accidental venture capitalist” and entrepreneur with a background in engineering and solar cells, Homan Yuen is helping to make dreams come true for founders in Silicon Valley and beyond. After several years in the engineering game, he dipped his toes into the investment game, and hasn’t looked back. Yuen now works with Fusion Fund, a Palo Alto, CA-based firm with a focus on technically-differentiated companies and industrial automation, healthcare, and enterprise. Alongside data-minded colleagues Lu and Kevin Zhang (whose insights made this episode possible), he uses his technical expertise to evaluate investment opportunities and push the needle toward a more advanced world.
In this episode of Crazy Hard Robots, Tom chats with Homan Yuen, partner of Fusion Fund.
Listen in as Tom and Homan talk about
Challenges in finding the right investors to take a leap of faith on robotics
What to look for from founders to evaluate investment opportunities
The first-time VS. repeat founder argument
Having the right customer set in mind to go to market faster
Robotics and AI investment opportunities outside Silicon Valley
The “It” factors that make certain robotics investment opportunities stand out
Future investment opportunities and automation advances turning the corner
About Homan Yuen
Homan Yuen provides deep expertise in the application of technologies and in operations and management. Prior to Fusion Fund, he was the co-founder, CTO, and director of Solar Junction Corp., which produces and sells world-record solar products to the terrestrial and satellite markets. Yuen has 20 years experience working in a broad range of technologies, management, finance, and investor activities. He is active in the entrepreneur and investor communities, providing mentorship to programs like StartX and Alchemist Accelerator, and in the community with organizations like the Asian Pacific Fund, where he is on the Advisory Board. Yuen holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from Stanford University and a B.A. in Physics from UC Berkeley.
