JHJONATHAN HUA
Jonathan Hua

About

Built on curiosity.
Backed by capital.

I've been called an unusually capable generalist. I'm Chief of Staff at a Health Tech Startup, a Board Director at Hectre, and a Venture Partner at Scrum Ventures, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm also an advisor to companies building AI and software across health tech, agrifood, climate tech, and industrial deep tech. I've sat on all sides of the table, across early-stage venture, growth-stage strategy, and late-stage operational IR. That mix is the whole point. It's what lets me help teams make sharper decisions, communicate value, and close deals.

But before we continue, let's rewind.

My story starts somewhere between Texas, Tokyo, and Taipei. I grew up Taiwanese American, with eight formative years in Japan and Taiwan, enough to learn that stories land differently across cultures, and that context, more than credentials, usually decides what gets funded. I studied History at Rice University, because what moves markets and what makes a founder's story land are human questions before they're financial ones. Then Cornell, to sharpen the analytical edge.

As a student, I launched two businesses. Both created real value for thousands of people; neither survived. Those early failures gave me lasting respect for anyone who bets on themselves, and a conviction that the world's most important problems deserve the most impactful stories and the most sophisticated capital strategies.

I've built my career at the intersection of capital, story, and strategy.

First came THRIVE, SVG Ventures' award-winning agtech accelerator, where I ran deal selection, diligence, and program management for a global cohort of early-stage founders and helped generate millions in new contracts and follow-on funding. Then venture at Scrum Ventures, investing as a generalist across B2B, frontier, and deep tech: neurotechnology, VR surgical training, skin multi-omics, food supply chain, and enterprise SaaS, including a nine-figure exit through Prodigy's acquisition by Upstart (NASDAQ: UPST).

Then I crossed to the operator side.

At GrubMarket, a $2B+ revenue pre-IPO food-tech unicorn, I built the IR and capital markets function from the ground up: orchestrating nearly $300M across multiple late-stage rounds from investors like Tudor Investment Corp, Pinegrove Capital, Japan Post Capital, and General Mills, driving a 3.5× valuation increase, running all corporate PR as chief storyteller, and leading a full IPO readiness program with Tier-1 Wall Street banks. Along the way, I launched GrubMarket's Sustainable California initiative, planting 150,000 trees, because the best companies grow their top line and move the world forward at the same time.

Today, I advise high-growth technology companies on fundraising, investor relations, and the art of building stories that close, and I write about all of it on my newsletter, The Data Room. Off the clock, you'll find me at tech and VC meetups around San Francisco, or in an intense battle on the tennis courts, because every good investor knows when to press the advantage and when to just keep the ball in play.

Places That Said Yes

Hectre logo

Hectre

Board of Directors

GrubMarket logo

GrubMarket

Head of IR · VP Strategy

Scrum Ventures logo

Scrum Ventures

Associate → Principal → Venture Partner

SVG Ventures-THRIVE logo

SVG Ventures-THRIVE

Accelerator Manager

Cornell University (Johnson) logo

Cornell University (Johnson)

MBA · VC & Entrepreneurship

Rice University logo

Rice University

B.A. History

The Part Where I Brag

Disruptor 50 (×2) logo

Disruptor 50 (×2)

CNBC

30 Under 30 logo

30 Under 30

AgGrad

Under 30 Summit Speaker logo

Under 30 Summit Speaker

Forbes

Gold Rush Advisory Council logo

Gold Rush Advisory Council

Gold House

Most Valuable Agrifood Tech Accelerator logo

Most Valuable Agrifood Tech Accelerator

AgFunder

Young Global Green Opportunity Enabler logo

Young Global Green Opportunity Enabler

Energy Innovation Network

In Their Words

Nice things people
have said about me.

Some of these people are friends. All of them have worked with me. Two of them hired me.

One of the sharpest capital-raising minds I knowManas Minglani, Haggle
Jonathan led the fundraising effort that resulted in GrubMarket's $200 million Series EJustin Parnell, GrubMarket
A really quick thinker, great at storytellingDavid Hu, OpenTable
He checked in on me more than once when he had no reason toSaki Oshima, NextBlue VC
I decided to hire him about five minutes into our first conversationKlaus Wehage, Global Copilot
One of the sharpest capital-raising minds I knowManas Minglani, Haggle
Jonathan led the fundraising effort that resulted in GrubMarket's $200 million Series EJustin Parnell, GrubMarket
A really quick thinker, great at storytellingDavid Hu, OpenTable
He checked in on me more than once when he had no reason toSaki Oshima, NextBlue VC
I decided to hire him about five minutes into our first conversationKlaus Wehage, Global Copilot

Manas Minglani, PhD

Founder, Haggle. Ex-Lucid Motors, ex-Google.

I met Jonathan on a tennis court. It took a few sets and a few conversations to realize the guy across the net is one of the sharpest capital-raising minds I know. What sets him apart is how practical he is. Every conversation I've had with him about how founders should tell their story has taught me more than most panels manage in an hour.

Manas Minglani, PhD

Founder, Haggle

Former clientLinkedIn

From  Justin Parnell

To  Jonathan Hua

Re: a few words

Jonathan led the fundraising effort that resulted in GrubMarket's $200 million Series E, the company's largest financing round at the time, led by Tiger Global and including funds and accounts managed by BlackRock. He brought clarity, sound judgment, and composure to high-stakes work, and he was equally effective with internal teams and in shaping a concise message for investors, media, and partners.

Justin Parnell

Founder, JustinGPT. Former VP of Marketing, GrubMarket.

Former colleagueEmail

You're a really quick thinker, great at storytelling and at articulating things in general.

Great attitude too. You roll up your sleeves and do anything, learn anything.

And along with the attitude of getting things done, you're just a great coworker to have around.

David Hu

Director of Finance, OpenTable. Former Head of Finance, GrubMarket.

Former colleagueText

I worked with Jonathan for three years at an early stage VC, and somewhere along the way he went from being a colleague to being a friend.

He noticed when the people around him were having a hard time. I was one of them, and he checked in on me more than once when he had no reason to. Founders don't need someone who only shows up for the good news.

Saki Oshima

Partner, NextBlue VC

Former colleagueText

From  Klaus Wehage

To  Jonathan Hua

Re: happy to say a few words

I worked with Jonathan at Silicon Valley Forum, where he was part of our team bridging the startup ecosystem with corporate and investor stakeholders. We've stayed close since. He's someone whose career I've watched with genuine admiration. I decided to hire him about five minutes into our first conversation because I just knew right off the bat that he was the right person for the job.

Klaus Wehage

CEO, Global Copilot. New York Times bestselling author.

Former bossEmail

Stuff That's Not On My Résumé

Things you may not
know about me.

Where You'll Find Me After Work

Tennis Courts

Go-To Food

Taiwanese Beef Noodles & Boba Tea

On The Playlist

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

Tech Gadgets of Choice

Amazfit Helio Strap & Hypervolt

Musical Artist

Laufey

Currently Reading

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

VC Podcasts

Acquired & How I Built This

Inbox Staple

Morning Brew & Axios Pro Rata

Tool I Can't Live Without

Claude Code

Site I Can't Stop Scrolling On

Reddit

Proof That I Leave The House

A few snapshots,
of me in action.

Places I've Called Home

From Taipei to the Bay,
by way of the world.

San Francisco, CALos Angeles, CADallas, TXHouston, TXIthaca, NYTokyo, JapanTaipei, Taiwan

Work with me

Let’s build somethingworth funding.

Whether you’re raising now or getting the story straight first, the fastest way to start is a conversation.

© 2026 Jonathan Hua