Leo Wang

I'm Leo Wang, a passionate advocate for democratizing angel investment and empowering grassroots entrepreneurs. Often referred to as "the outlier investor," I believe in the extraordinary potential of ordinary people who dare to dream big and are honed through adversity.

My Story

My angel investment journey began in 2011 with a modest check of $15K for GuruDigger. This sentimental decision marked the inception of PreAngel Fund and unveiled a crucial fact: grassroots entrepreneurs face significant disparities in securing initial capital. Over the past decade, I've invested $40M across 300 startups spanning healthcare technology, financial technology, blockchain applications, mobile internet, and artificial intelligence, resulting in 2 NASDAQ-listed companies, 1 Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed company, and 5 unicorns.

One of my most meaningful investments was in SuperMonkey, a company founded by Tiao Tiao, who was facing dire circumstances with a six-month-old baby in her belly when no other investor would believe an ordinary woman could disrupt the fitness industry. Nine years later, SuperMonkey established itself as a prominent fitness brand in major cities, attracting investors like Yao Ming and Sequoia China, and delivering a 400x financial return.

Beyond my own investments, I've been committed to broadening public involvement in angel investing. I've launched an audio course, "Anyone Could Be an Angel," and written "Outlier Investor" to share my philosophy and experiences. I've also spurred partners to create new angel funds, resulting in four independent funds—Galileo Venture, Ten Dimension Angel, DC Capital, and Rongming Capital—which collectively manage assets exceeding $60M USD.

While the past decade was centered on China, my ambitions and portfolios have always been global. For instance, Ehang's autonomous drones have already spanned 14 countries; Westwell's self-driving trucks have served 160+ clients in 18 countries and regions; and Dobot has sold over 68,000 collaborative robots to 100 countries and regions, ranking first in Chinese robot exporter volume for 4 consecutive years.

Skills

  • Angel Investing
  • Venture Capital
  • Global Investment Strategy
  • Tech Startup Evaluation
  • Entrepreneurship Mentoring
  • AI Development
  • Python Programming
  • Cross-Border Business

Experience

Founder & Creator

AI Projects Portfolio

2020 - Present

Developed several innovative AI projects including Enspiring.ai (English learning platform), Sumatman.ai (unified API for AI services), Mino Haythorn (AI-powered comic artist creating daily humorous comics), and NextBIG.world (global founder community for Chinese entrepreneurs expanding internationally).

Creator

Democratization of Angel Investment

2017

Produced and narrated a popular audio course on Himalaya app that has been played over 823,000 times, making angel investing knowledge accessible to the general public and challenging the notion that angel investing is only for the wealthy or financially sophisticated.

Author

Outlier Investor

2016

Wrote a practical guide to angel investing, debunking myths and detailing essential skills and strategies for success, with endorsements from distinguished investors including Mike Cai (Meitu), Bob Xu (ZhenFund), Lei Jun (Xiaomi), and Kai-Fu Lee (Sinovation Ventures).

Founding Partner

PreAngel Fund

2011 - Present

Founded and built one of the most active angel funds in China, and arguably the first institutional angel fund in China, with investment check size ranging from $20k to $1 million. Portfolio includes Hesai (HSAI) and Ehang (EH) which have successfully listed on NASDAQ, as well as unicorns like Medlinker, Shouqianba, Westwell, SuperMonkey and Dobot.

Founder

Mobile2.0 Forum

2007 - 2011

Created a platform connecting mobile internet professionals through monthly events, fostering collaboration among industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and specialists. With over hundreds top-tier events, the forum cultivated a network of 5000+ industry elites and partnered with giants such as Qualcomm, Microsoft, Huawei, and China Mobile.

Product Marketing Manager

Huawei

2001 - 2004

Worked at Huawei in the early stages of its growth into a global ICT leader, focusing on product marketing strategies for telecommunications equipment and solutions.

Education

Bachelor of Engineering in Communication Engineering

Xi'an University of Posts and Telecommunications, 2001

Self-Taught Developer in Python & AI

Independent Learning, 2020

PreAngel Gallery

PreAngel