Orbit Startups

William Bao Bean is Managing General Partner of Orbit Ventures and a Venture Partner at SOSV. He previously served as Managing Director at SingTel Innov8 Ventures supporting China investments and as a Partner at Softbank China & India Holdings, and earlier spent 11 years as an equity research analyst covering technology, media, and telecom in Asia at Deutsche Bank, Banc of America Securities, and Bear Stearns. He holds a BA from Bowdoin College and was an active angel investor with 39 investments between 2004 and 2014.

Ching-Ping Lin is Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Orbit. She previously held roles at Dragon Aviation Leasing (a joint venture between China Aviation Supplies and Aercap), Amazon.com, and McKesson, and worked at startups including Planetall.com, HPR Inc., and Freemark Communications. Trained as a health informaticist and qualitative researcher, she has built digital health systems for under-resourced populations in Uganda, China, and the United States. She holds a BA in computer science and classics from Bowdoin College, a Ph.D. in biomedical informatics from the University of Washington School of Medicine, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in global health at Peking University.

Jenne Wong is a Partner and Business Development Director at Orbit Ventures, where she works on developing cross-border internet startups and leads business development with corporates and partners globally. She has over 15 years of experience in digital performance marketing, mobile ad technologies, and international business development, and previously served as SVP at massiveImpact overseeing global sales and media buying. She began her career at Motorola in product marketing and program management, and holds a double degree in Science and Commerce and an M.Com from the University of Canterbury.

Minjia Wu is a Partner at Orbit Ventures, a venture fund investing in emerging markets. She was previously a Partner at SOSV, where she managed a portfolio of more than 30 companies and deployed US$16.5M, with portfolio companies raising over US$102M in follow-on funding. Her investing covers the US, Southeast Asia, and India, with a focus on media and logistics.

T.R. Harrington is a Partner at Orbit Ventures and its Director of Growth, focusing on data-driven growth initiatives for startups. A four-time entrepreneur with over 25 years in media, internet, and software, he sold his previous company, Darwin Marketing, to Dentsu/iProspect in 2016. He holds an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and a BA from Boston College, and is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Business at CEIBS.

Abdul Rasheed Mohammed has spent roughly two years working across software development for gaming, business development, fundraising, and community building in the tech and startup space. He states a preference for early-stage, fast-paced environments.

Aditya Kathpalia leads Orbit Ventures across India and the MENA region and has worked in entrepreneurship and innovation for over a decade. He previously served as an Innovation Consultant for the Anjal Z program at the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority and as Head of Ecosystem & Growth initiatives at Chiratae Ventures in India. He holds a computer science engineering degree and has advised large firms on their startup initiatives across energy, fintech, enterprise SaaS, health, and hardware sectors.

Alok Somani is the CFO of Orbit, with over 25 years of finance experience across Fortune 25 companies and smaller businesses. Before joining Orbit, he worked as an independent consultant offering CFO advisory services to growth-stage small businesses, and previously held leadership roles at PopCap Asia, Hess Corporation, and BP. He focuses on strategic planning, corporate finance, operational finance, treasury operations, investment advisory, and M&A, and holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a BSE in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Amani Alshaikhmubarak leads Saudi ecosystem engagement and strategic partnerships at Orbit, overseeing the Saudi program and Riyadh office. Before Orbit, she was a Business Advisor for SME Growth Programs at Monsha'at, and earlier held senior roles at Honeywell as Localization and Government Relations Director for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and at Saipem as Localization Transformation Manager, with prior experience at ELM and Saudi Aramco. She holds a Master of Education from the University of Akron and a Master of Entrepreneurship from the University of Washington.

Ander Gonzalez is Chief of Staff at Orbit Ventures, joining in January 2025 to support the firm's international expansion and work with the General Partner on partnerships and operations across emerging markets. He has worked in the entrepreneurship ecosystem since 2018 through the Mondragon Team Academy network and the LEINN degree, and previously served as International Trade Manager at the Economic and Commercial Office of Spain in Shanghai and as a consultant with the European Union Trust Fund for Colombia. He has also pursued entrepreneurial ventures in Spain and South Korea.

Carrie Chang is Finance Manager at Orbit Ventures. She holds a bachelor's degree from Chihlee University of Technology and has 15 years of experience in accounting and finance. Her prior employers include Electrolux, Honeywell, and McKinsey.

Chenchen Liu serves as Assistant General Counsel at Orbit Ventures, where she handles legal matters mainly for the Orbit Cross Border Program. She previously worked as an associate at a Chinese law firm in Shanghai, focusing on private investment and venture capital transactions along with corporate legal affairs. She earned a JD from the University of Sydney and an LL.M from Georgetown University Law Center.

Daniel Osorio Peña began his career at a local investment bank, advising SMBs on M&A and financial strategy, before joining an international infrastructure-focused private equity fund where he supported investment work and portfolio company board discussions across Latin America. Most recently he worked at a Colombian startup helping microbusinesses in the region improve their access to technology and inventory. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Universidad de los Andes.

Daphne Liu is HR & Operations Manager at Orbit Ventures. She was raised in South Africa, moved to China, studied in the USA, and now lives in Taiwan. Before Orbit, she was an executive assistant to the CEO of a locally listed financial group, and prior to that spent over six years as a real estate consultant at a Fortune 500 company.

Elbern Pabiran holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Financial Management and has worked with Orbit Ventures since 2022. As Canva and Design Queue Manager, he oversees visual content production for the communications team and ensures creative requests are delivered on schedule. He also assists with backend website maintenance, making minor edits and updates to keep pages accurate.

Emil Jersling is a Senior Growth Manager at Orbit Ventures, where he helps CEOs accelerate growth through data-driven decision-making. Trained as an engineer and holding an MBA, he draws on two decades of venture-building experience across Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Since 2005 he has founded eight companies across five countries and exited two, including launching Groupon Belgium in 2011, a vibration-energy-harvesting deep-tech venture in China in 2018, and an organic flow battery company in 2025.

Francesca Tang works in business development with experience in hardware, IoT manufacturing, and startup investment due diligence. She spent over five years as a Business Development manager at Foxconn Group, and previously served as Quotation Manager at NXP and as a Project Manager for a conference organizer. She was based in the Bay Area for over four years, providing manufacturing, design engineering support, and investment partnerships for hardware startups in the smart home and IoT space, and holds a bachelor's degree in Recreational Sport Management with a double major in Business Administration from National Taipei University.

Hebatalla Gad is an Investment Analyst at Orbit Ventures. She holds a Master's degree in Technology Management from NYU, and her prior professional background includes customer success and engineering management, as well as project controls, automation, system administration, and operations. In her current role she works with entrepreneurs to conduct assessments and valuations.

Hiruy Ephrem is a Senior Associate at Orbit Ventures, where he works on portfolio management and deal sourcing. He previously served as Program Manager for Angelvest Group, an angel investor network based in Asia, in Shanghai, and completed internships at Coca-Cola Sabco in Addis Ababa and Beijing Niu Technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Politics and Economics with a Mandarin Chinese concentration from Middlebury College.

Jae Woong Choi is a Program Analyst at Orbit Ventures, where he supports portfolio founders by coordinating mentor engagement and startup perks, and helps run pre-accelerator programs across Orbit and government-backed initiatives. Before Orbit, he worked in corporate sales, closing deals through demonstrations and consultations with major clients. He also previously served at the Korean Embassy in Myanmar in a marketing and community engagement role.

Jean-David (JD) Zhu is an Investment Analyst at Orbit Ventures. He previously worked as an investment manager at New Access Capital, an onshore RMB VC fund, where he handled deal sourcing, investing, and fundraising with a focus on software, hardware, web3, and new consumer sectors. Earlier in his career he worked in asset management consulting and investment banking, and he holds an MSc from the University of London.

Jojo Pan is a Senior Investment Analyst at Orbit with a background in finance across the private and public sectors. She graduated from Boston University with a degree in business administration and a concentration in finance, and during her senior year worked in the finance department of a government agency focused on debt investment for housing and commercial developments. Before joining Orbit, she worked in the consumer industry conducting early-stage merchandise analysis, scouting brands for investment, and advising startups on market-expansion strategies.

Kelly Pang is a Program Manager at Orbit Ventures, where he designs and runs pre-accelerator programs for corporate innovation projects and for the firm's portfolio companies. He has built and worked at tech startups during the first dotcom era and serves as a startup weekend facilitator. His background includes digital marketing work at the English law firm Simmons & Simmons and in a large hospital management institution. He holds a Medicine degree from the University of Cambridge, along with degrees in law and e-commerce.

Liz Lee joined Orbit Ventures as Communication Manager in 2021, working on marketing, PR, and government relations for tech and NGO projects. She previously led marketing and PR for Slush China and HICOOL, designing and launching startup-focused events. Earlier she studied and worked in Finland and China, holding content, PR, and marketing roles at companies including TCL, BIOSK (HK), and HOME CREDIT across fintech, environmental sustainability, and NGO work.

Maggie Ye is an HR and operations manager at Orbit Ventures, where she handles the office's daily operations and supports portfolio companies with recruiting talent. She holds a degree in logistics management from Shanghai University and earned an HRP certificate during earlier work in the internet advertising exhibition industry.

Salman Saleem is a Growth Manager at Orbit Ventures. He previously worked with early-stage startups across Pakistan, MENA, and Kenya, leading cross-functional growth and BizOps teams across functions including data, customer experience, growth marketing, product, and operations. His approach centers on data, customer understanding, and rapid iteration.

Sherry Jin is the Operations Director and Accountant at Orbit Ventures, which she joined full time in 2014, where she oversees operations and financial matters and advises on Chinese laws and regulations for the firm and its portfolio companies. Before Orbit Ventures, she worked in operations and finance at venture capital funds including Softbank and Singtel Innov8. She holds a Bachelor's in International Trading from Shanghai Dianji University.

Viren Dissanayake is the IT Manager at Orbit Ventures, where he oversees technology operations with an emphasis on scalability, security, and efficiency. He has worked across the manufacturing, mining, and technology sectors, as well as with two startups in transportation and AI. At Orbit, he focuses on IT infrastructure, global device management, and supporting teams across multiple regions.

Wei Pan holds a BA in Business from the University of Southern California and an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Before her MBA, she worked as a business development specialist across industries including trading and human resources in the US, and interned at an international financial and business consulting firm during her studies in Israel. She has been involved in startup projects and impact investment seminars.