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VC Math
Talks about Venture Capital, Limited Partner and Asset Management
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Homan Yuen
Investor at Pine Road Ventures
San Francisco Bay Area
Overview
Homan Yuen is an Angel Investor at Pine Road Ventures with a background in Materials Science and Electrical Engineering, holding a PhD and MS from Stanford University. Notable career highlights include co-founding Solar Junction, serving as CTO and Board Director, and investing in a diverse range of companies such as EdgeQ and NuCypher.
Yuen's expertise spans start-ups, entrepreneurship, product development, and venture capital, with a focus on sectors like Security, TransportationTech, and AI. His investment portfolio includes companies like Locomation, BlueFox, and Naya Health, reflecting a commitment to supporting diverse founders and innovative technologies.
Work Experience
Angel Investor
2023 - Current
Supporting entrepreneurs
Partner
2015 - 2023
Early-stage venture capital
Fusion Fund invests in early stage companies with technological and data advantages in industrial, enterprise, and healthcare applications.
Co-Founder, CTO, Board Director
2007 - 2015
My co-founders and I started and led Solar Junction to develop, productize, and manufacture high-efficiency solar cells for utility-scale energy providers and aerospace industries. As is necessary for many entrepreneurs, my roles truly involved "whatever needed to get done": ranging from corporate and business strategy to scraping deposited metal off the equipment walls with scotch-brite.
Senior Research Scientist
2006 - 2007
I led the materials research development of rare-earth oxides semiconductors for electronic and optical applications and examined commercialization opportunities of the technology for CMOS and silicon photonics applications. In addition, I applied for and assisted in managing various government grants and contracts.
Graduate Research Assistant
2000 - 2006
For my Ph.D. thesis and research, I worked under Professor James Harris in the Department of Electrical Engineering. My primary project focused on developing and characterizing the newly discovered dilute nitride compound semiconductor alloy for optoelectronic devices. The advancements made in these materials were then integrated into state-of-the-art lasers, detectors, and photovoltaic devices for a wide range of applications including telecommunications, data-centers, solar energy. These technology breakthroughs led to several achievements: ►Lowest-threshold current density GaAs-based lasers in the 1.3-1.55 micron wavelength range for telecommunication and optical data transfer applications ►First GaAs-based VCSEL devices ever produced at 1.55 micron wavelength ►World's best infrared sub-cell for advanced multi-junction solar cell devices During my Ph.D., I had the opportunity to initiate numerous collaborations and partnerships with research laboratories, universities, and industrial global coporations. I also initiated a project on a new materials system for terahertz imaging and bio-sensing applications towards the end of my Ph.D. career to explore the integration of electrical engineering and medicine for biomedical devices. In the end, I had the pleasure of authoring and contributing to over 110 publications and presentations with colleagues and collaborators in the U.S. and internationally.
Consultant
2004 - 2005
To assist in the development of laser-display technology, I advised in the development of semiconductor materials. I also assisted engineers in the characterization of those materials to determine next steps.