Our Team

Students building the future of venture.

Meet the Troupe

Philip Zeng

Co-Founder & Chief Cheerleader for Founders @ 18VC

Philip is a fierce advocate for founders, a startup-venture community builder, and a VC aspirant. Drawing on his dual background in AI research and investment banking, he helps technical founders navigate the capital markets and turn cutting-edge technology into industry-defining businesses.

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David Lee

Co-Founder & Chief Friend of Founders @ 18VC

David Lee has a global experience across various functions. He has worked in US, Korea and Japan spanning from corporate to start-up. David brings a builder’s perspective with a focus on how things actually run behind the scenes.

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Lucas He

Co-Founder & Chief Chef for Founders @ 18VC

Lucas has taken seats on both sides of the founder-investor table, reviewed hundreds of pitch decks, sent out thousands of cold outreach, led investments in 2 student-founded startups from origination to closing, and is a frequent participant of local Luma events as an introvert.

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Mentors

Experienced investors, founders and operators who guide us and our companies along the way.

Tigran Ghukasyan

Ventures @ Plug and Play Tech Center; Co-Founder @ Spheroid Universe AR

Technology innovator leveraging entrepreneurial expertise to drive cutting-edge solutions in immersive experiences. With a background in fintech and international business development, Tigran brings a unique perspective to identifying and nurturing high-potential tech startups. USC Marshall MBA.

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Xiaohan Xiang

Founder & Managing Partner @ XIAOXIAO FUND

Holding the belief that "AI innovations are highly decentralized and underdogs can challenge frontrunners", Xiaohan founded XIAOXIAO FUND as a Solo VC investor, backing young founders targeting global market and are building AI+Software/Hardware/Gaming products. Ex-VP of Investment @ Atom Ventures.

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Ecosystem Partners

Organizations and firms that power the student startup ecosystem alongside us.

CyNet Accelerator by USC

Incubator / Accelerator

Accelerator program affiliated with USC Marshall Entrepreneur & Venture Management Association and High Tech Association. Its vision is to make Marshall CourtYard the default go-to sport for LA founders, where ideas and solutions tie as tight as the Trojan Network.

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XIAOXIAO FUND

Venture Capital

XIAOXIAO FUND aims to partner with first-round start-ups building AI+Software / Hardware / Gaming products. XIAOXIAO FUND firmly embraces the era for small team even solo to make great companies.

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Investors We Hosted on Podcast

Leading investors who joined the 18VC podcast to share how they think about backing founders.

Jack Crawford

Founding Managing Partner @ CerraCap Impact Venture Capital

Jack is the Founding General Partner at CIVC. His VC firm focuses on seed-stage tech companies while actively collaborating with corporate venture groups and M&A teams who can be customers, partners, and capital sources for our portfolio companies.

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Diana Melencio

General Partner @ XRC Ventures

Diana is the General Partner for the XRC Ventures Brand Capital Fund and sits on the boards of several portfolio companies including Naked Sundays and Homefield. Prior, Diana was an investor at WISE Ventures.

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Ethan Cho

CIO & Partner @ TheVentures

Ethan Cho (조여준, also known online as @echo12yj / "애당초") is Chief Investment Officer and Partner at TheVentures, an early-stage Korean venture capital firm. He is an AI-native VC focused on early-stage investing and on helping Korean startups expand globally (Korea-to-global).

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Evan Buhler

Founder & Managing Partner, Talok Capital

Founder & managing partner of Talok Capital, an early-stage VC investing at the intersection of creativity, consciousness, and culture (portfolio includes xAI and Neuralink). A former Fenwick & West and Sidley attorney who left law to back founders building human-centric AI.

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Abdi Sherif

Program Manager, gBETA Inland Empire (gener8tor)

Runs gBETA Inland Empire, a free, no-equity accelerator at gener8tor. Returned 100x in 18 months, raised a $5M fund out of Harvard Business School, and helped legal-AI startup Eudia land a $105M Series A. Believes talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not.

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Sabrina Li

Investment Associate @ Sunstone Management

Sabrina is an early-stage investor in Sunstone Management.

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