P.R. Yu is the Founder & Managing Partner of Yu Galaxy, a solo-GP venture firm backing visionary founders at the earliest stages, with $500M in AUM. He was accepted into Peking University (0.01% acceptance) and later won a full scholarship to the University of Colorado Boulder’s top-ranked physical chemistry Ph.D. program, where he developed new solar energy technologies that drew global recognition and led him to found his own company.
That arc - scientist, entrepreneur, investor - still defines his career. P.R. has invested in 100+ founders, with companies spanning healthcare, robotics, AI, and infrastructure. Some early Yu Galaxy bets have achieved 30x valuation increases and successful exits, and are already saving or improving lives in more than 50 countries. His investment philosophy: bet heavily on visionary founders early, value big hearts over big egos, and measure success in lives saved as well as returns.
PR’s five values - passion, service, education & growth, equity, and community - anchor his work. He globalized the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, bringing it to Asia and attracting more than 250,000 people to attend in a single week, and serves as Advisor for Research and Innovation to CU Boulder, where he has helped to accelerate commercialization of university innovations.
A distinctive philanthropist, PR has generously supported many programs in K-12 schools and universities, and donates 100% of his speaking fees to charities. Outside venture, he is a meditator, certified scuba diver, golfer, skier, and hiker, and practices calligraphy and seal carving, carrying forward a 3,000-year artistic tradition.
Mark has been an investor in DeepTech startups since 2008 with 35+ investments in Digital Transformation and Sustainability. Exits include A123 (IPO), QD Vision (Acq by Samsung), Device42 (Acq by a PE), SeeClickFix (Acq by CivicPlus), LiveOak (Acq by DocuSign), MoQuality (Acq by Snap)
