Prior to joining Smash Capital in 2022, Yao spent more than 4 years at a $32 billion AUM fund, leading her team through more than 50 early and growth stage investments. Yao enjoys working closely with founders as they strive to build and scale the next generation of consumer internet, software and fintech products.
Yao worked for two years as an M&A banker with Jefferies, and for three years on the Deloitte M&A advisory team. Her work spanned three continents and totaled more than $10 billion in transaction value.
She is a Kauffman Fellow and has received an MBA from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia.