Taihill Venture


Shaping Our Future Today

About Us

Taihill Venture is a Boston-based, industry agnostic, pre-seed, seed stage deeptech fund -- focusing on breakthrough technologies that are solving long-existing problems.

We are a group of young emerging leaders from all over the world, with the vision of shaping our future with the best talents and technologies.

The story starts when our partners began to do angel investments in emerging technologies in 2014. Our first fund, called Skylight Investment, was established in 2017 to bring our practice to institutional level. We launched our second fund in May 2020, brought in new partners from Europe, Middle East, India and China, and formally rebranded to Taihill Venture. The third fund just started in August 2022.

Since 2017, we've invested in 90+ companies. Having a diverse team of resourceful partners and advisors brings boundless vision and networks from across the globe.

Portfolio

Lightelligence

Lightelligence builds optical chips that offer orders of magnitude improvement in terms of high speed, low latency, and low power consumption compared to traditional electronic architectures.

Kula Bio

Kula Bio super-charges natural nitrogen-fixing microbes with renewable energy in order to deliver reliable, low-cost organic biofertilizers.

XtalPi

Xtapli is a quantum physics-based, AI-powered drug R&D company with the mission to revolutionize drug discovery and development by improving the speed, scale, novelty and success rate.

Butlr

Butlr uses a mix of wireless, energy-and-power-effective infrared sensors and AI to detects peoples' indoor location, posture, and body temperature with easy setup, safeguarding privacy.

Revela

Revela uses nature as a launchpad and apply artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge biotechnology to unlock access to millions of new ingredients.

Manus Bio

Natural ingredients for a sustainable future.

Axoft

Axoft develops ultra soft and scalable materials for brain implant to promote long-term communication with the nervous system.

Concerto Bio

Concerto Bio invents high throughput microbioal interaction screening technology to discover microbioal ensembles for new therapeutic.

CacheDNA

CacheDNA develops storage system that maintains the quality and integrity of nucleic acids forever without requiring energy and enables targeted retrieval of any sample subsets. It will revolutionize the biobank in near-term and become the backbone of DNA data storage in long-term.

SanaHeal

SanaHeal is a material startup developing bioadhesives with superior adhesion performance, biosafety & tunable biodegradability.

LASE Innovation

LASE Innovation is developing light-emitting particles with nano-to-micron sizes, that can provide unique IDs for up billion-level live cells.

ChEmpower

ChEmpower Corporation is an advanced materials and specialized chemistry start-up that develops and supplies chemically reactive pads for use in planarization of semiconductor chip devices.

Cyberdontics

Cyberdontics develops dental robotic surgery system that is capable of extremely accurate tooth cutting, down to around 30 microns for dental crowns, in 15 mintues.

Pantheon

10X faster industrial 3D printing solution.

Sylvatica Biotech

Sylvatica is commercializing the supercooled ice-free organ storage system, which can significantly extend the ex-vivo life of transplanting organs.

Bioz

Bioz uses NLP to read >30M biochemical articles and develops search engine for scientific experimentation and product procurement.

Acrobat Genomics

Acrobat developes high-throughput approaches to discover anti-CRISPR proteins to solve off-target effect in gene editing therapeutics.

Enrich Biosystems

Enrich develops a groundbreaking microfluidics-free cell discovery platform to enable a streamlined workflow of cell co-culturing, kinetics profiling, and guided capturing based on cell functions.

Relativity Space

Relativity is the first and only company to automate aerospace manufacturing by integrating intelligent robotics, software, and proprietary metal 3D printing technology.

Cardea Bio

Cardea’s Tech+Bio Infrastructure, the Biology-gated Transistors, has created a paradigm shift in Life Science and technology with the development and introduction of biology being directly integrated into modern electronics.

Kebotix

Kebotix is an algorithm-driven materials discovery and production company. Its self-driving lab combines data and AI with robotics to discover and create advanced chemicals and materials at a faster rate and lower costs.

Immusoft

Immusoft is developing novel cell therapies by programming B cells to produce therapeutic proteins that improve the lives of patients with rare diseases.

Modern Synthesis

Modern Synthesis uses synthetic biology to develop regenerative materials for fashion industry.

Databento

Databento is an à la carte data marketplace for financial industry. Customize your financial data set, get pricing in real-time, and pay for only what you need with Databento's Datapack.

Galixir

Galixir is a company dedicated to applying cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies to empower drug discovery

Signet Therapeutics

Signet Therapeutics is developing two classes of cancer therapies that are focused on the molecularly related cancers of diffuse stomach cancer and lobular breast cancer.

Proteowise

Proteowise invented a proteomic technology that’s 50x faster, 50x smaller, 10x cheaper and gives 100x more data per sample. It will enable researchers to finally move beyond western blot and into easy, high-throughput bench-top proteomics.

AltrixBio

LuCI™ is a repurposed pill that adheres to the gastrointestinal (GI) track for controlled GI targeting, especially for treating Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).

Finwave Semiconductor

Finwave is developing the most advanced and high-performance GaN power electronic chips in the market. With them, we have been able to reduce the the volume of many power electronic systems by x10, while cutting the power losses by at least 50%.

New Frontier Bio

New Frontier Bio is a consumer health company identifying, optimizing, and commercializing natural compounds for human health and longevity by utilizing biopharma and biotech principles.

Regenerative Bio

RegenBio applies AI to explore anti-aging related ingredients, formulas, measurements and treatment.

Hyperloop One

Hyperloop One (previously known as Hyperloop Technologies) starts to research and building the hyperloop into real.

Pointcloud

Pointcloud develops next-gen solid-state Lidar on silicon photonics chips.

Valitor

Valitor, Inc. has developed novel methods of modifying therapeutic proteins to achieve substantial control over their pharmacokinetics, target specificity and bioactivity.

ZSFab

ZSFab is a Medical 3D printing company that provides modeling optimization and 3D printing of patient specific surgical guide & biocompatible, biomechanical fit implants, surgical guides and anatomical models.

Mindshare Medical

Precision medicine through image driven intelligence

Landsdowne Labs

We are focused on developing advanced materials for injury prevention, to bring solutions to a set of patients that are often overlooked: children.

TheraDep Technologies

TheraDep™ Technologies addresses the profound medical need for an entirely new method of local, targeted, non-systemic delivery of a broad range of pure, active biologic materials or drugs.

MuMec

MuMec is building new wireless transceiver technologies that enable drastically lower operating power for use with Bluetooth LE (BLE) and LoRa/Sigfox protocols. MuMec integrates Radio Frequency MEMS technology with CMOS design, offering a 10-100x reduction in power consumption.

EasyTransfer

EasyTransfer helps China's outbound students pay their tuition fees more quickly and at cheaper foreign exchange rates. EasyTransfer processed $140M tuition in 2016.

Parallel Finance

Parallel finance is a decentralized lending and staking protocol on Polkadot and Ethereu

Citcon

Citcon makes integrating Alipay and WeChat Pay for U.S. merchants easy. It helps brands tap into the rapidly growing Chinese market, without the costs and hassles of establishing a business in China.

SnapPay

SnapPay is the leading North American payment gateway. Not only enable traditional payment solutions like Visa, Mastercard, also have the Chinese payment instruments Alipay, WeChat Pay, and China UnionPay acceptance for North American merchants, permitting safe and secure online, in-store, in-app and mobile transactions.

Snaplii

Snaplii is a North American e-wallet application that connects merchants and consumers.
In addition to providing payment services, Snaplii also provides an innovative digital membership management service for local merchants.

WeTravel

Wetravel is the online platform for anyone organizing a group trip. Built to simplify large group trips, their platform provides organizers with pre-departure tools to collect funds and organize logistics.

Verlotric

Premium electronic bike at affordable price.

Saltalk

Saltalk operates highly automated ghost kitchens to enable virtual restaurant to deliver premium food and happiness in an affordable way.

OnePiece Work

OnePiece Work offers serviced space, private phone booths, conference and meeting rooms, and cross-border co-working office spaces.

Our Team

Tianyi (Sky) Yu

General Partner

Previously an Investment Manager at Taiyou Fund, Founding Partner of Skylight Investment and LP of Berkeley Catalyst Fund.
Early investor in Easy Transfer, Sandymount and Manus Bio.
2019 AACYF "30 Under 30", and a member of MIT Alumni Angels Boston.
MBA - NYU Stern, BS in Math - BU.
sky@taihill.vc

Hongkai He

Genearl Partner

Hongkai was previously a General Partner of Skylight Investment and a serial entrepreneur in the Tech industry. Early Investor of Kula Bio, Kebotix, Altrix Bio, Proteowise, Databento. VP of U.S.-China Health Summit (non-profit).
MS in IEOR - Columbia University, MS&BS in Computational Math - Sun Yat-Sen University
hongkai@taihill.vc

Jingjing Chai

General Partner

Currently a Controller in NorthBridge Partners. Former Co-President of MIT-CHIEF. Former Vice Secretary General of Chinese Culture Promotion Society - Media Lab. ALM in Finance - Harvard University.
BS in management - Nanjing University.
jingjing.chai@taihill.vc

Tianmeng Xu

Founding Partner

Forbes 60 Outstanding Chinese in North America. Early investor of Xtalpi, InnoCare Pharma, Kula Bio, Transcenta Holding, BioKangtai, JD Logistics, and Kuaishou. She has worked for the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and Chengwei Capital.
MBA Candidate, and MIA in Economic and Political Development - Columbia University. | tx@taihill.vc

Xuechen (Robert) Zhao

Founding Partner

Forbes 30 Under 30. Robert is a serial entrepreneur in TMT and Biotech industries. An early investor in Bioscience, Xtalpi, Resolute Bio, and Kula Bio. Founder&CEO of Regenerative Bio backed by IMO Ventures, 5Y Capital, and K2VC.
MS in Management in Entrepreneurial Leadership, Babson College.
robert@taihill.vc

Mikel Badiola

Venture Partner

Mikel has experience working on M&A, business development and International Trade, with a vast network of investors, entrepreneurs and businessmen in Europe and Asia.
MS in Entrepreneurial Leadership - Babson College, BS in Management - Deusto University
mbadiola@taihill.vc

Ricki Huang

Venture Partner

Ricki is currently working at Ernest & Young where she is focused on Financial and Risk Management.
She was previously an Investment Manager at Skylight Investment and a Portfolio Analyst at Babson College’s fund focusing on the financial sector and REITs.
BS in Entrepreneurship and Finance - Babson College
ricki@taihill.vc

Fawaz Al Shawwa

Venture Partner

Previously worked at Investment Banks in New York, Dubai and Kuwait, structuring and closing Private Equity Real Estate deals. Experience in startup development and investment in the US, Asia and the Middle East. Member of YPO YNG+.
MS Entrepreneurial Leadership - Babson College, BA International Relations - Northeastern University
fawaz@taihill.vc

Raed Attia

Venture Partner

Currently a Management Consultant at PA Consulting Boston focusing on Organizational Agility and Transformation, with experience in business modeling, growth strategies, profitability analysis and change management.
MS Entrepreneurial Leadership - Babson College, BA in Economics - Lewis and Clark College.
raed@taihill.vc

Yubo Ruan

Venture Partner

Yubo was a Partner of Skylight Investment, the Founder of 8 Decimal Capital and a serial entrepreneur who previously founded Alisimba Education, which was acquired by Tophacker Group.
He is the recipient of 2017 AACYF "30 under 30". Yubo also has an Engineering background, 4 patents in China, and 5 National robot invention awards.
yubo@taihill.vc

Xudong Lv

Venture Partner

Xudong Lv, is a research scholar focusing on AMO physics. He obtained his PhD at UC Berkeley, BS in physics and BA in economics at Peking University. He is also a serial entrepreneur in tech industry and an NPO leader. He is the chair of GCEA (Global Chinese Entrepreneurs Alliance) and a board member of CEO (Chinese Entrepreneurs Organization).

Xiuya Gang

Venture Partner

Xiuya was a data analyst in Hong Kong X-Tech Startup Platform (founded by Sequoia China and top HK universities), supporting investment decisions. She also has working experience in TechAsia Society and People's Daily Hong Kong.
BS in Economics and Math with minor in Business Studies at New York University.

Advisors

LongWen Yu

Advisor

Mr. Longwen Yu is the founder of Taiyou Fund and co-founder of Tsinghua Alumni Capital. Mr. Yu received his PhD from Tsinghua University and currently serves as the Deputy Secretary General of China Young Entrepreneurs Association. Mr. Yu has invested in over one hundred elite early-stage technology startups and bridged his portfolio companies with extensive resources in China.

Cynthia Yu

Advisor

Cynthia is currently the CEO of Taiyou Fund.
Cynthia was previously the General Manager of investment banking division at China Citic Bank, Tianjin Branch.
Cynthia is an experienced investor with a thorough understanding of capital markets including investment banking, securities trading, and fund management.

Georges Khneysser

Advisor

Georges is the founder and Chief Vision Officer of QBIT Capital AG, based in Zurich, Switzerland. He has 30+ years of experience in the capital markets, debt and currency trading, PE and private market. Georges brings an extensive global network, having lived, and worked in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and California.