Yida Gao

Yida Gao (Forbes 30 Under 30) is the founder and Managing General Partner of Shima Capital, a California-based venture capital firm established in 2021 focusing on early-stage Web3, DeFi, and blockchain investments. Shima has deployed over $200M in initial funding across 300+ portfolio companies, backed by prominent investors including Bill Ackman, Dragonfly Capital, and Galaxy Digital. Gao holds degrees in mathematics and computer science from MIT, where he later taught the crypto finance course (15.492) previously instructed by SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Prior to Shima, he worked as an M&A investment banker at Morgan Stanley and as a technology investor at New Enterprise Associates ($25B+ fund). He also co-ran Struck Capital before founding Shima. Shima Capital's investment thesis centers on backing exceptional founders building consumer apps, gaming/metaverse projects, composable financial systems, decentralized infrastructure, and next-generation blockchain technology. The firm is known for its hands-on approach, providing portfolio companies with talent acquisition, engineering support, marketing assistance, and active founder mentorship. Shima remained highly active during crypto winter, completing successful exits including Funcurve, DotOracle, and Qouth. However, Shima has faced significant controversies including disputes with investors over valuation practices (marking up holdings based on internal estimates), compliance concerns, and SEC investigations in 2023-2024. Issues included undisclosed related-entity arrangements (ShimaB), sanctioned asset holdings (Chatex), and conflicts with former employer Struck Capital over proprietary information. Some investors, including Galaxy Digital, redeemed investments due to concerns over governance and valuation methodology. Despite challenges, Shima continues active deployment in seed and private stage deals, investing $500K-$2M per round with typical 2-4 year token lockups.