David Chao
Co-Founder and General Partner·DCM Ventures
Bio
Professional summary
David Chao is Co-Founder and General Partner at DCM. His official DCM profile describes him as a venture capitalist and entrepreneur with deep experience in technology and international markets. The profile lists investments across fintech, software, media, and mobile technologies, including Bill.com, Fortinet, Musical.ly, SoFi, Careem, DocSend, BitTorrent, Sling Media, and others. His current or recent DCM investments and board responsibilities include Assured, Cherry, DXY, EvenUp, Fountain, Figure Technologies, and Musely. Before DCM, he co-founded Japan Communications and served as acting CFO/CTO. He also worked at McKinsey in San Francisco and Tokyo, at Apple in Japan and on Apple's U.S. startup investment portfolio, and at Recruit. He holds a Brown undergraduate degree and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Investment focus
Stage, sector, and overall fit
Stage
Sector
Thesis
Notable companies
Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed
How to approach
Framing and angles for outreach
Pitch framing
Emphasize international market potential, category scale, and why the company can become a durable technology platform across geographies.
Partneralization hooks
- 1Reference cross-border market strategy if the company has U.S.-Asia or international expansion relevance.
- 2Highlight fintech, software, or mobile distribution lessons if relevant to Bill.com, SoFi, Fortinet, or Musical.ly-style scale.
Recent signals
What the partner has said or done recently
Official profile lists current or recent board responsibilities including Assured, Cherry, DXY, EvenUp, Fountain, Figure Technologies, and Musely.
Official profile states he serves on the Board of Directors of SoftBank Group and is a member of Stanford GSB Trust and the International Advisory Council.
Background
Career, education, and skills
Career history
- DCM VenturesCo-Founder & General PartnerCurrent
- Japan Communications Inc. (TSE: 9424)Co-Founder, CFO/CTOPrior to DCM
- McKinsey & CompanyManagement ConsultantPrior (SF and Tokyo)
- AppleVarious roles including startup investments portfolio managerPrior
- RecruitAccount ExecutivePrior
Education
- Stanford Graduate School of BusinessMBA
- Brown UniversityB.A. with high honors, Economics and East Asian Studies
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