Eric Zhu Aviato Startup Was Built In A High School Bathroom

Be crazy enough to change the world and daring enough to start from scratch. In the world of startups, we often hear stories of entrepreneurs turning their vision into reality. A high school student named Eric Zhu might soon become a top entrepreneur.

Most people know Eric Zhu Aviato as a startup built in an unusual place. The teen genius started a company inside his high school’s bathroom. Yes, you heard that right.

It’s a unique story to tell and rather an inspiring one. The 17-year-old Zhu’s passion for creating something innovative has earned him wide recognition at an early age. So, to know more about him, stay with us.

Eric Zhu Has Always Been A Whiz Kid

American citizen Eric Zhu was born in July 2007 in Indiana, United States. His Asian parents are first-generation US immigrants. Zhu’s mother is a doctor, and his father is a scientist. Unfortunately, little information is available about them.

Eric’s parents, like typical Asian moms and dads, were very protective of their son. They hoped he would be a doctor or a lawyer. But fate had different plans for Eric.

Eric Zhu Aviato. Image Credit: Instagram.

During the 2019 global pandemic, Eric convinced his parents to buy a computer. He had never used a computer and wanted to explore a new device during the quarantine.

So, Eric’s parents brought him a MacBook and a working computer. From there, he started a YouTube channel for gaming robots, which gained decent subscribers.

At just 13, Zhu immersed himself in Discord group chats about venture capital and startups. He even received some insights from the OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Beginning of an Entrepreneurial Journey

By 14, Eric had already built his first company, Esocial (acquired in 2021). It was a centralized platform for schools that had amassed over 49K students from school partnerships.

After that, Zhu joined a community called Stanford Online School. Initially, he wanted to learn about coding. He found out that everyone in the community knew how to code. But, Eric found it difficult to learn coding from other websites. So, he started a non-profit to teach himself coding.

Eric Zhu Aviato. Image Credit: Instagram.

Regarding his academics, Eric studied at Carmel High School until July 2023. Currently based in San Franciso, he is finishing his high school degree online at Laurel Springs School. But Eric jokingly says he will drop out someday.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Zhu was banned from using the restroom during school hours. So, what was the reason?

Well, Eric used to have virtual meetings with venture capitalists. For Eric Zhu Aviato, he initially took calls from the Janitor’s closet but was soon kicked out. So, Zhu chose his high school bathroom as his workplace.

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Eric Zhu Aviato was started from High School Bathroom

After selling his first company, Esocial, Eric realized he didn’t want to work in ed-tech. So, he became a venture scout and noticed the inefficient processes. He jokingly started Aviato as a dating app for VCs and founders.

Eric would often make stomach issues to escape class and pitch to investors. And guess what? At just 15, Zhu raised $1 million for his company, Aviato, in pre-seed funding. Investors include the founder of GitHub and the owners of Sacramento Kings.

Zhu has ambitious plans for Aviato, such as replacing PitchBook, a popular market data platform for venture capital, private equity, and more. While Aviato has similar features, it also has some unique features.

Aviato not only tracks funding rounds and headcount but also offers unique insights, such as company credit card revenue data, employee vesting schedules, and even where top engineers are currently working.

Aviato has raised $2.3 Million

Starting with a green screen, a ring light, and a laptop from his high school bathroom, Eric Zhu built a startup that has raised millions of funding. Aviato is an analytical platofrm for provate market data.

Recently, Eric Zhu Aviato startup raised $2.3 million in seed funding from investors including 8VC, Soma Capital, and Softbank.

Despite his young age, Zhu is a mature individual who knows what it takes to build a strong company. He has brought David Razavi, a former CTO of LowerMyBills, as co-founder and COO and Harrison Kessel, a former employee at Sequio-backed Zeet, as CTO.

Oversees Bachmanity Capital

Eric also runs a $20 million fund on the side called Bachmanity. He is a general partner at the company that focuses on enterprise software, data, and fintech deals. It is mainly focused on the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Before co-founding Bachmanity, Eric co-founded an international AI hackathon backed by Tesla. It was called ‘Segment Hack’ and had 400 participants. It was one of the biggest machine-learning hackathons.

Zhu was also the Head of Marketing for Carbon Zero Financial, a climate fintech startup that was acquired for seven figures in April 2021.

Eric Zhu Aviato. Image Credit: Instagram.

In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Eric’s commitment to giving back is evident in his position on the board of the Koenig Childhood Cancer Foundation, which is backed by Mark Cuban.

Eric Zhu Aviato story tells us that age is just a number. Sometimes, you need to be brave enough to follow your heart. If you are passionate about something, unconventional methods can be beneficial.

Eriz Zhu’s journey from a high school bathroom to Silicon Valley is more than just an entertaining anecdote.

FAQs

Q: What is the founder of Aviato?

A: Eric Zhu co-founded Aviato in May 2022.

Q: Who are Eric Zhu’s parents?

A: Eric was born to Asian parents in the US, but there is little info.

Q: What is Eriz Zhu’s age?

A: As of July 2024, Eric Zhu is 17 years old.

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