# Eric Ye

> Eric Ye is a General Partner at Eastlink Capital, a Menlo Park-based early-stage VC firm backing AI and data infrastructure founders. A seasoned technologist turned investor, Eric spent over a decade at eBay as Director of Tech Platform and Principal Architect before serving as CTO, SVP of Technology, and Chief Scientist at Ctrip (NASDAQ: TCOM), the world's second-largest online travel agency, where he led 4,000+ engineers and architected the company's transformation into a cloud-native, mobile-first marketplace. Holder of 31 U.S. and China patents, winner of China's Best CTO Award, and a founding partner of Eminence Ventures, Eric now backs mission-driven founders at the seed-to-Series-B stage across AI/ML, distributed databases, cloud infrastructure, fintech, and enterprise software.

- **Role:** General Partner at Eastlink Capital
- **Organizations:** Eastlink Capital, Eminence Ventures, Ctrip (Trip.com / NASDAQ: TCOM), eBay, Yahoo
- **Nationality:** Chinese-American
- **Education:** Bachelor's in Computer Science, Harbin Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** 31 U.S. and China patents, Best CTO Award in China for transformational work at Ctrip, Led 4,000+ engineers at Ctrip (NASDAQ: TCOM)

## Career timeline

- **~1999-2003** — Studied Computer Science at Harbin Institute of Technology
- **~2003-2013** — Joined eBay; rose to Director of Tech Platform and Principal Architect of Applications; helped establish eBay's engineering center in China
- **~2013-2016** — Became CTO, SVP of Technology, and Chief Scientist at Ctrip (NASDAQ: TCOM); led 4,000+ engineers; drove mobile-first transformation; mobile app reached 72% of transaction revenue
- **2015** — Spoke at QCon San Francisco on 'Transformation from call center, web to mobile' at Ctrip
- **~2016** — Won Best CTO Award in China for work at Ctrip
- **~2016-2018** — Founding Partner at Eminence Ventures, focusing on enterprise SaaS
- **2014+** — Partner and General Partner at Eastlink Capital, Menlo Park; specializing in AI and data infrastructure investments
- **2025** — Eastlink Capital celebrated 10th anniversary annual event; portfolio company Databricks exceeded $130B valuation
- **2026** — Portfolio company Seraphic Security acquired by CrowdStrike

## Achievements

- 31 U.S. and China patents
- Best CTO Award in China for transformational work at Ctrip
- Led 4,000+ engineers at Ctrip (NASDAQ: TCOM)
- Drove Ctrip mobile app to generate 72% of company transaction revenue, making it the most widely used travel app in China
- Architected Ctrip's transformation into the largest cloud-based, mobile-first travel marketplace
- Early backer of Databricks (now valued at $130B+)
- Co-led investment in Seraphic Security, acquired by CrowdStrike in January 2026
- Early investor in Modal Labs, MotherDuck, Mercor (valued at $10B at Series C)
- Built Eastlink Capital into a recognized early-stage fund with 33+ portfolio companies
- Helped establish eBay's engineering center in China

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Eastlink Capital published 2026 predictions forecasting IPO windows for AI-native companies and the shift of workloads from humans to AI agents
- **2026-01** — Portfolio company Seraphic Security acquired by CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD)
- **2025-11** — Portfolio company Databricks surpassed $130B valuation and $4B annualized revenue
- **2025-11** — Portfolio company Mercor raised $350M Series C at $10B valuation
- **2025-03** — Three Eastlink portfolio companies - Modal, MotherDuck, Databricks - ranked on Enterprise Tech 30 list for third consecutive year
- **2025-01** — Eastlink Capital celebrated 10th anniversary at annual LP event with Ion Stoica, Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, and portfolio founders

## Links

- Website: https://eastlinkcap.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/theericye
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/eastlinkcap?lang=en

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/eric-ye
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-19