Alan

No cap, here’s what’s up with Alan Zhao. This guy’s a total badass in the startup world. So, he’s a YC W12 alum, which means he crushed it back in the day, and he’s got this killer story that shows he’s all about jumping into new shit and making it work.

Started out in banking, yeah, not exactly the most exciting thing, but you gotta respect the grind. But Alan’s real passion was always tech and AI, so he jumped ship pretty quick. He moved into the startup scene and worked at x.ai, this AI assistant company. There, he didn’t just be a regular analyst, he became a core part of building the data systems that powered the product’s growth. That’s some serious skill and hustle right there.

But what’s even cooler? The dude didn’t stop at tech. He actually opened a Vietnamese restaurant at one point. Crazy, right? That’s where you see his mindset, startups aren’t just about tech; it’s about taking risks, learning fast, and understanding what people want. Running a restaurant is kinda like a startup, gotta be nimble, listen to customers, adapt on the fly. Shows he’s got that entrepreneurial fire, no cap.

Then, he jumped into the YC scene again, met his co-founder at On Deck, which is basically a launchpad for founders. They clicked, and boom, they got into YC. That’s where Warmly was born. Warmly’s all about helping sales and marketing folks crush lead gen and make outreach more personal, basically making the buyer experience way better using AI. That’s some advanced shit, especially ’cause it’s AI-native.

What does all this say about Alan? Dude’s relentless. He’s curious as hell, always jumping into new industries, banking, tech, food, you name it, and somehow, he finds a way to make shit work. He’s driven by a real desire to innovate and improve how things are done, and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, whether that’s coding, talking to customers, or running a restaurant.

His process tells me a lot about what it means to be a founder, it’s not just about the tech or the idea, it’s about resilience, adaptability, and that hustle mentality. Alan’s story is a perfect example of someone who’s just wired to build, learn, and crush it. The guy’s the real deal, a mix of tech genius, entrepreneur, and a guy who’s not afraid to jump into the deep end. No Cap, he’s someone to watch because he’s just getting started.