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From Vision to Venture: The Amino Youth Entrepreneur Mindset Summit

Writer's picture: Bretton LamBretton Lam

By Bretton L - August 13, 2024


In collaboration with Amino Capital and CalColor Academy, SVYEP cohosted the Amino Youth Entrepreneur Mindset Summit on August 4–a landmark event that selected 30 exemplary students to attend. The event was headed by Sue Xu, a managing partner of Amino Capital, and founding CEO of CandyHouse and CyteSi. The event commenced with a brief introduction by Dr. Xu, before diving into what drives a successful business pitch, and the thought process behind it.  Xu then provided an overview of Amino Capital and introduced the students to the VC firm.

Founded in 2012, Amino Capital is a venture capital firm that manages over $1 billion in capital. Its founding team includes Larry Li, Sue Xu, and Huican Zhu. Among the hundreds of businesses Amino Capital has funded, notable investments include being an angel investor of Zoom and investors of Replit and Chime. Collectively, Amino’s portfolio is valued at around $540 billion.


Xu then discussed the rationale behind their investments and how Amino’s support has propelled these companies to success. Focusing on their 3 most successful investments, Xu first dived into how Amino contributed to Zoom’s success. Currently valued at over $17 billion, Zoom received its angel investment in 2011 from Larry Li, founder and managing partner at Amino Capital, funding the early developmental stages of Zoom. Likewise, Amino was also an initial investor of Replit, helping fund the software platform to achieve a valuation exceeding $1 billion and an user base of over 22 million people. Lastly, Xu explained Amino’s early investment in Chime in 2013 before they had any users, launching Chime into one of the largest fintech companies in the world, now valued at $25 billion. In addition to the funding provided, Amino also gave guidance and consulting to companies they invested in.

The event then transitioned to guest speakers, where students had the opportunity to hear from several pioneers in the business world. Among them were the founders of HuhuAI, an AI platform that enables users to visualize how clothing will look on users before making a purchase, and Kyros AI, an online platform designed to help high school students get admitted into their dream colleges. Additionally, Huican Zhu, another previously mentioned Amino founder, spoke to the students about his success as an entrepreneur, advising students on how to navigate the challenging road that is building a business. As one of the initial members of the Google team, Zhu spearheaded the development of Google Image Search, an algorithm allowing users to search the web using images. The session concluded with a live Q&A, engaging students with a panel of speakers, who answered questions about their experiences and lessons in the entrepreneurial field.

Before wrapping up the event, students were tasked with transforming their newfound knowledge into business ideas. Collaborating in teams, they developed innovative solutions to address real-world problems, including AI healthcare, business consulting, and entertainment streaming services. Students then pitched their ideas to the entrepreneurs and investors, gaining valuable feedback and praise. The summit, led by the founding members of Amino Capital, exposed high school students to the world of business and entrepreneurship, connecting them with successful industry leaders whose insights and personal feedback inspire and guide students to one day become their very own entrepreneurs and leaders.


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