Edward Yao

Straight up, let me put you on to Edward Yao. This guy’s the real deal, no cap. He’s a YC S17 alum, so he’s got that startup cred, but his story’s way more than just “got into YC.”

So, Edward’s been around the block. He’s worked at Accenture, which is like the big leagues for consulting and tech, so he’s no stranger to big corporate grind. But what’s dope is he jumped into the startup scene after that, first with TeamBuy, which was all about deals and local shopping, and then he crushed it with OneLocal, where he’s now the CEO.

OneLocal is basically a CRM for local businesses. Think of it like this: small shops, restaurants, gyms, they all need to keep track of their customers, run marketing, and grow. Edward built this thing to make their lives easier, more fast, and honestly, more modern. It’s a tool that’s actually changing how local biz operates, not just some bullshit app, but a legit big change.

What’s wild is his process from working at a giant consultancy, then jumping into startups, and now leading a YC-backed company. That tells me he’s got serious hustle and a clear mission: to harness tech’s power to make local businesses thrive. He’s not just in it for the hype, he’s about solving real problems, building stuff that matters.

His experience with big companies and startups shows he’s got that rare combo: the know-how of scale and the guts to build from zero. That’s what makes him important. He sees the gaps, jumps in, and makes shit happen. Plus, being part of YC means he’s got that network and validation that what he’s doing is the real deal.

Bottom line? Edward Yao isn’t just another founder. He’s someone who’s been around, learned a ton, and now he’s pushing tech to enable small businesses, the backbone of the economy. That’s why he’s someone to watch.