• About
  • Article PDF
  • White Papers
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Advertising & Sponsorships
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Times Of Entrepreneurship
Growth and Equity for a Changing World
Times Of Entrepreneurship
No Result
View All Result

VC Spotlight: Entrepreneur-Turned-Investor Lu Zhang Is On Her Third, $120M Fund

by Elizabeth Macbride
March 11, 2022
in Finance
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Lu Zhang

Name: Fusion Fund

Location: Palo Alto, CA

Website: https://www.fusionfund.com/

Size: I just launched Fund III last year. It is $120M. My second fund, launched in 2018, is $85M.

What it is: Fusion Fund supports early-stage entrepreneurs who are looking to build globally disruptive companies using innovative technologies to drive systemic change. We are entering the next wave of technological advancement and foundational innovation is required to enable massive growth. We seek to support entrepreneurs who are building companies with strong technical barriers and advantages in their business models. We work in  established industries and nascent markets. Areas where we have strong conviction include: network technology, connected industry, AI, and health + medical.

Minimum investment: $1M -$3M

Leadership:

  • Lu Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner
  • Shane Wall, Partner and President of Fusion CXO network

Investment style/track record: I am an entrepreneur and investor with strong technical and operational experience. I sold my startup, Acetone Inc., focused on medical device for testing for Type II diabetes, developed a track record as an investor at Fenox Venture Capital and launched my own firm in 2014. We have more than 60 portfolio companies across the United States with 6 M&A exits and 3 upcoming IPOs. Portfolio companies include GrubMarket, Accern and Otter.ai.

The firm operates the Fusion CXO network, which has 44 CTO/CIO from global 100 companies and is led by Shane Wall, the former CTO of Hewlett Packard.

Quote: “We invest in the industry and sectors that we have strong domain expertise, understand the life cycle of early-stage startup very well, and leverage our former entrepreneurial experiences. … We focus on bringing in strong revenue traction to the founder post-investment.”

VC insights:

  • The keys to digital transformation are software-hardware integration. There are three layers: understanding data entrance, network technology that allows data transfer, and data processing.
  • AI in health care should focus on solving what I call the AAA problem: accessibility, affordability and accuracy
  • The future of health care innovation isn’t just about curing the disease. It’s also about improving the quality of life. Personalized diagnostics that detect diseases like cancer, heart disease and mental illness at super-early stages could be very important, too.
  • Diversity is critical to innovation!

This Q&A was developed with written answers to our VC spotlight questions, and then edited for clarity and length.



This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Tags: Fusion FundLu Zhang
Elizabeth Macbride

Elizabeth Macbride

A business journalist for 20 years, am the founder of Times of Entrepreneurship and the co-author of The New Builders.

Related Posts

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

by Ellen Chang
January 26, 2023
0

Marie Rocha is the founder and general partner of Realist Ventures. Photo: Tiffany Hagler-Geard After spending over 20 years working...

A Great Financial Backbone For A Social Enterprise

A Great Financial Backbone For A Social Enterprise

by Elizabeth MacBride
January 19, 2023
0

Evergreen Lodge near Yosemite National Park, California. Photo: courtesy of Evergreen Lodge Finding investors for a social enterprise that combines...

Venture Spotlight: Boomerang Ventures in Indiana Focuses on MedTech and Health

Venture Spotlight: Boomerang Ventures in Indiana Focuses on MedTech and Health

by Elizabeth MacBride
December 15, 2022
0

Oscar Moralez, founder and managing partner of Boomerang Ventures. Unexpected fact: Warsaw, Indiana, population 16,000, is the orthopedic capital of...

A Venture Capitalist Asks, Do We Add Value To Startups?

A Venture Capitalist Asks, Do We Add Value To Startups?

by Seth Levine
December 2, 2022
0

Editor’s Note: This post appeared originally on Seth Levine’s blog, VC Adventure in August 2022. Seth is a venture capitalist and co-founder of Foundry Group...

Venture Spotlight: $3.2B Advantage Capital Looks To Invest Even Deeper, Especially In Black Communities

Venture Spotlight: $3.2B Advantage Capital Looks To Invest Even Deeper, Especially In Black Communities

by Elizabeth MacBride
November 9, 2022
0

With $3.2 billion in assets under management, Advantage Capital is considered one of the most important impact investors in the...

Black woman standing confidently in an apron

Why Today’s Small Businesses Can’t Get Bank Loans

by Elizabeth Macbride
September 21, 2022
0

Last spring, Egypt Noble was saving $20,000 to open a restaurant. Fifty-three years ago, Booker T. Wilkins, a barber in...

Subscribe to Times of E’s Free Weekly Newsletter

Learn about the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders

Popular

  • Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Top 20 U.S. University Entrepreneurship Competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Capital Returns Are More Skewed Than People Realize

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent

Homepage Header

Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Leaders: Miami, Pittsburgh, Virtual

January 27, 2023
Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

January 26, 2023
Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

January 25, 2023

Recommended

  • Health
  • Climate
  • Deep Tech
  • Finance
  • Education
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • Mentorship
Fund of the Week: Lightship Capital

Fund of the Week: Lightship Capital

3 years ago
Taking the Fight Outside

Taking the Fight Outside

2 years ago
  • About
  • Partner
  • Bespoke Research
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy

(703-966-7357)

© 2020 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 
Facebook Twitter Linkedin
No Result
View All Result
  • Research
  • Finance
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • New Builders
  • Ecosystem
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Editor’s Note

© 2022 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Support Times of E

Times of E covers the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders.

With your support of our journalism, you will receive our weekly newsletter and one of these resources for free: 

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?