Eric Diep

For real, let me enlighten you about Eric Diep, dude’s a straight-up tech and startup machine. Born and raised in Toronto, he’s been in the game forever, jumping into crazy original stuff since way back. Started out with a solid background, studying Math and Fine Arts at Waterloo, not your typical combo, right? But he dropped out of school in 2007 to jump into Y Combinator, W08 batch, that’s where the magic started.

So, Eric’s not just some guy with ideas. He’s legit been part of some big wins. Co-founded A Thinking Ape, a mobile/social game company that crushed it on Apple and Google Play. Think titles like Kingdoms at War, top-grossing, addictive, the real deal. Under his leadership, A Thinking Ape proved that you can build fun, addictive games that make serious cash. The dude’s got that entrepreneurial fire, no cap.

But Eric’s story doesn’t stop there. He’s also a tech whiz who co-authored the first US patent for real-time chat on mobile devices, like, he literally helped shape how we talk on our phones today (US Patent 8918725). That tech background got him connections with places like Xerox Research Centre of Canada, which is no joke in the innovation space.

Fast forward, he drops into the NFT scene with Manifold, a company all about giving creators and developers control over their digital assets and royalties. This isn’t some fly-by-night project, either. He’s backed by big names like a16z crypto and Initialized Capital, which shows he’s serious about pushing crypto and web3 forward. He’s also contributed to open-source NFT royalty platforms, working with major marketplaces, all about giving power back to creators, no bullshit.

What’s wild is his motivation. He’s all about building stuff that changes the game, whether it’s social gaming or blockchain infrastructure. His process screams that he’s not in it for the quick buck, he genuinely cares about innovation, creator sovereignty, and making tech better for everyone. Plus, he’s an angel investor in startups across tech, crypto, and consumer sectors, always on the lookout for the future trend.

He’s rubbed elbows with heavy hitters like Naval Ravikant, Bill Lee, and Jim Young, that’s some serious VC cred. And his diverse background, from research labs to founding companies that crushed it, shows he’s deeply curious and unafraid to jump into new tech frontiers.

So, bottom line? Eric Diep is a builder who’s been at the forefront of social gaming, mobile tech, and now the crypto/web3 wave. He’s a guy who’s always about pushing boundaries, creating real impact, and giving power back to creators and users. That’s the story of a legit innovator, not just chasing trends but shaping the future.