Austin Yu

Austin Yu is an Investor at Playground Global, where he focuses on identifying and supporting Series Seed and Series A deep tech founders who are building the future of next-generation compute and semiconductors.

Prior to joining Playground, Austin was an investor at Taiwania Capital where he actively sourced, led diligence, and invested in early stage startups across hardtech (spanning from semiconductors to robotics) and software infrastructure (applied AI, data and cybersecurity). Austin served his portfolio companies at the board level to navigate the strategic and operational hurdles of scaling breakthrough technologies into category-defining businesses.

Austin began his venture capital journey as an Analyst at Mesh Ventures, a growth-stage fund in Taipei focused on data centers, automotive, semiconductors, 5G, and materials. This initial transition into the venture ecosystem allowed him to move to Taiwan to be closer to family, providing him with a valuable cross-border perspective on hardtech investing and supply chains before he ultimately returned to the Bay Area.

When he is not building with founders, Austin enjoys weightlifting, Bible study, and making his infant daughter laugh with his wife.