Alan Zhao

Yo, have you heard of Alan Zhao? Dude’s the real deal in the startup world. He’s a YC S20 alum, co-founder of Warmly, which is basically this killer autonomous sales platform that helps businesses hit up their hottest leads automatically. The guy’s been crushing it from way back.

So, here’s the lowdown: Alan kicked things off trading foreign currency in college, yeah, straight up currency trading. Then he jumped into Wells Fargo’s proprietary trading group, where he helped launch their first credit derivatives trading biz. That’s some legit finance hustle, right? But he didn’t stop there. He saw the tech wave coming, and he was like “Nah, I gotta get in on this.” So, he pivoted, dove into software and hardware breakthroughs, built out data analytics infrastructure at x.ai, and picked up Python and SQL along the way. Dude’s a self-made tech guy now.

Met his Warmly co-founders at On Deck, that’s a hot founder fellowship program. And together, they built Warmly, which is all about automating personalized outreach and lead gen. He’s worn a bunch of hats there, CTO, Head of Product, basically the guy’s steering the ship on tech and product. He’s all about AI, sales, marketing, podcasting, the full package. And he’s based in SF, always grinding, always looking for the future trend.

But what really jumps out? Alan‘s process is all about recognizing opportunity, jumping in, and building stuff that actually makes a difference. He’s not just a finance guy or a coder, he sees how tech can shake up industries. He’s also got this cool side gig, a Vietnamese restaurant, which he says is kinda like running a startup. That shows he’s got hustle in his blood, no Cap.

Honestly, Alan‘s story is about someone who’s constantly learning, adapting, and pushing boundaries. Started in finance, saw the tech possible, learned the skills, and now he’s building tools that make sales easier for everyone. He’s the guy who’s not afraid to jump into new worlds and crush it. That’s why he’s so important, he’s a perfect example of what it means to be a founder today.