Back

Simon Zhou

Senior Associate

Simon is a Senior Associate at Unusual, focusing on investments in open-source and developer tools. Having spent most of his engineering upbringing in the JavaScript/TypeScipt and Node.js ecosystem, Simon has a deep appreciation for open-source and its unique potential to democratize software to allow for rapid innovation. He loves supporting open-source founders and maintainers as they think critically about early open-source GTM. Simon was most recently a consultant within McKinsey & Company's Digital practice, where he worked with Fortune 500 companies to accelerate cloud adoption. Simon holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. Outside of work, Simon enjoys running, golfing, and exploring new restaurants.

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

Where do you spend your free time?
What’s your advice for entrepreneurs looking to get funded?
What inspired you to transition to venture capital?
Where do you spend your free time?

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.

What’s your advice for entrepreneurs looking to get funded?

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.

What inspired you to transition to venture capital?

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.

Where do you spend your free time?
What’s your advice for entrepreneurs looking to get funded?
What inspired you to transition to venture capital?

Background

No items found.
No items found.
No items found.

From our founders