Richard He

Deadass, here’s what you need to know about Richard He – this guy’s a straight-up firestarter in the startup world. So, he’s the CEO and founder of Openmart, a YC W24 alum, and man, this dude is on a mission. Basically, he built this killer AI platform that helps sales folks and SaaS companies find and qualify millions of biz leads in seconds. Think of it like an ultra-smart, multi-modal AI tool that’s shaking up platforms like ZoomInfo. The goal? Make selling to local businesses-restaurants, clinics, service providers-a breeze. No more bullshit, just quick, accurate leads.

But here’s the thing-Richard’s story is way more than just tech. He grew up in China, and his mom was a total boss-started her own pharma company. That definitely planted some entrepreneurial seeds in him early on. Then, he jumps over to the US for college, hits up Rice University, graduates in 2019. That’s where his tech process really kicks off. He’s working at Amazon, Pinterest, and a few startups, soaking up the grind. Plus, he was a founding engineer at Graft, which is no small feat.

What’s cool is, Richard didn’t just stop there. He jumped into Afore Capital’s Founder in Residence program, which is basically a boot camp for future founders. That’s where he really started to double down on the idea of building something big. And before YC, he and his co-founder Kathryn Wu actually met as interns at Pinterest-talk about fate. These two clicked, and that’s how Openmart started taking shape.

What drives him? Honestly, it’s his family background and a deep desire to create real impact. His mom’s hustle in pharma clearly showed him what entrepreneurship looks like-hard work, risk, vision. That’s probably why he’s so relentless. Starting Openmart isn’t just about building another company; it’s about rethinking how local businesses grow, how sales are done, and making that process way smarter with AI.

Bottom line? Richard’s a tech nerd with a big heart and bigger ideas. He’s crushing it because he’s been through the grind-big companies, startups, investor programs-and he’s channeling all that experience into something that’s gonna change the game for local biz sales. No Cap, he’s the real deal, and I think we’re just seeing the beginning of what he’s gonna do.