Simon Zhou
Research Associate
Simon is a Research Associate at Unusual helping to conduct research on emerging technologies in infrastructure software, security, and developer tools. Simon’s passion for technology is deeply rooted in his belief that proper tooling can be used to solve many challenges still faced by engineering teams. Simon started his career as a consultant within McKinsey & Company’s Digital practice, where he witnessed these challenges firsthand when advising clients on IT strategy and DevOps transformation topics. Simon holds a BS from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied Computer Science. Outside of coursework, he helped lead the largest community service organization on campus and was actively involved in scaling a number of different engineering organizations.
Why Unusual?
What drew me first to Unusual was the firm’s unwavering dedication to partnering with founders in the formative stages of their founder journeys. I was struck by the comprehensiveness of the Founder Services Team and the whole organization's deep operating expertise that enabled this service.
Q&A with
Simon Zhou
Depends on Karl the Fog! On bluebird days, I am running or playing tennis at Golden Gate Park. On other days, I am in the kitchen learning how to cook a new meal without accidentally setting off the smoke alarm.
Identify the set of investors that you can envision forming a long-term partnership with - individuals that align with your values and can fill your white space.
I love learning about emerging technologies and the product visionaries that bring them to life. As a former software engineer, I have a great appreciation for the technical complexities involved in building software, and I wanted to understand how these complexities took shape within early-stage startups.
