Welcoming Wesley Yee as Partnership Associate at DNX Ventures
We welcome our newest member to the DNX family, Wesley Hitomo Yee. He joined our Partnership Team as an Associate in our Silicon Valley Office. Wesley, a Chinese and Japanese-American Silicon Valley native who speaks Mandarin and Japanese, holds an M.A. in Japan Studies from the University of Washington. Prior to joining DNX, he worked at the Japan Society of Northern California where he organized industry events/workshops and facilitated business development furthering Japan-U.S. Technology Innovation. With his tri-cultural background, global perspective, and ties to the Silicon Valley Japanese business community, he will provide critical support for our Corporate LP programs and customer development activities.
Keep reading to learn about Wesley and why he decided to join DNX Ventures.
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I am Wesley Yee, and I joined the DNX team in January 2023.
I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and from a young age was immersed in both Chinese and Japanese culture. This tri-cultural upbringing nurtured a global perspective within me, and I have always enjoyed working in cross-border and multicultural environments. I am excited to continue doing so with DNX.
In my previous position, I was a Program Coordinator at the Japan Society of Northern California, an NPO with a history of over 115 years that focuses on supporting the U.S. — Japan collaboration in the Bay Area. While at the Society, I organized and executed two major conferences and various smaller events about Japan which reached thousands of attendees from both U.S. and Japanese companies. Along the way, I was able to forge many important connections within the Japanese business community in Silicon Valley.
After Japan Society, I decided to double down on my understanding of Japan and earned my Master’s in Japan Studies from the University of Washington. While there, I focused on public/private cooperation in Japan’s defense industry while increasing my understanding of Japan’s business environment generally.
After graduate school, I came to know DNX and was drawn to the fast-paced and dynamic nature of venture capital, along with DNX’s talented and unique multicultural team between Silicon Valley and Japan. After some research and communicating with the team, and an internship, we realized that we were a great fit for each other and I decided to take the plunge into VC, using my experience to support DNX’s corporate LPs.
In my free time, I play the Japanese Taiko drums (I have been playing since I was 4 years old!), and also enjoy amateur digital and film photography. In particular, I enjoy going into downtown San Francisco and taking photos of street scenes, and I casually maintain an Instagram account where I share some of my favorite shots.
In closing, I am excited to join DNX as a full-time team member and I hope to become a valued teammate of our Corporate LPs in Silicon Valley. I hope to see you at our office soon!
