# Jinlin Wang

> Jinlin Wang arrived in the United States in 1996 with $50 in his pocket and a borrowed one-way ticket to pursue a PhD in electrical engineering. Three decades later, he is General Partner at Foothill Ventures, an early-stage fund that has backed seven seed-stage unicorns - five of them founded by Chinese immigrant engineers. Wang's career spans big tech (PeopleSoft, Oracle, Yahoo, Microsoft), startup founding (Auryc, acquired by Heap in 2022), and venture investing through three successive funds totaling over $311M. He holds 7 patents and a cross-disciplinary worldview shaped by Tsinghua University, the University of Connecticut, and Stanford - a combination that informs his conviction that the most interesting startups sit at the edges between fields.

- **Role:** General Partner at Foothill Ventures
- **Organizations:** Foothill Ventures, TEEC Angel Fund, Auryc Inc. (acquired by Heap)
- **From:** Nanjing, China
- **Nationality:** American (Chinese-born)
- **Education:** Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Mechanics; Master of Engineering in Automation, Tsinghua University, PhD, Electrical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Continuing studies in Optimization (employer-sponsored), Stanford University
- **Known for:** General Partner at Foothill Ventures, with total commitments across funds exceeding $311M, Backed 7 seed-stage unicorns including WeRide, with 5 founded by Chinese immigrant engineers, Co-founded Auryc Inc., successfully acquired by Heap (digital analytics leader) in June 2022

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Immigrated to the United States with $50 to pursue PhD at University of Connecticut
- **1998** — Joined PeopleSoft as Senior Manager of Development
- **2005** — Joined Oracle as Senior Manager of Development
- **2006** — Joined Yahoo! as Director of Engineering; employer sponsored Stanford studies in optimization
- **2010** — Joined Microsoft as Principal Development Manager; also became Managing Partner of TEEC Angel Fund
- **2011** — Became CTO/EVP of Engineering at Answers
- **2016** — Co-founded Auryc Inc., a customer experience analytics platform, serving as CEO
- **2017** — Co-founded Tsingyuan Ventures (later renamed Foothill Ventures) with TEEC Angel Fund alumni
- **2021** — Tsingyuan Ventures rebranded to Foothill Ventures; closed oversubscribed Fund II at $100M
- **2022** — Auryc acquired by Heap; Wang became Chief Strategy Officer at Heap
- **2025** — Foothill Ventures closed oversubscribed Fund III above $110M target

## Achievements

- General Partner at Foothill Ventures, with total commitments across funds exceeding $311M
- Backed 7 seed-stage unicorns including WeRide, with 5 founded by Chinese immigrant engineers
- Co-founded Auryc Inc., successfully acquired by Heap (digital analytics leader) in June 2022
- Holds 7 patents across optimization and enterprise software domains
- Managing Partner of TEEC Angel Fund alongside Foothill Ventures
- Foothill Ventures portfolio includes 148 companies, 3 unicorns, 3 IPOs, and 21 acquisitions as of late 2025
- Notable portfolio companies include WeRide, Otter.ai, MemVerge, and Metalenz
- Led Fund III close at $110M, surpassing the $100M target

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Foothill Ventures announced the final close of Fund III, surpassing its $110M target in an oversubscribed raise.
- **2024-01** — Wang served as Chief Strategy Officer at Heap following Auryc's acquisition, deepening his operational role at the combined company.
- **2022-06** — Heap announced the acquisition of Auryc, the customer experience analytics company Wang co-founded and led as CEO.
- **2021-08** — Tsingyuan Ventures rebranded to Foothill Ventures and closed a $100M oversubscribed Fund II.

## Links

- Website: https://foothill.ventures
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jinlinwang
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/TsingyuanVC

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jinlin-wang
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18