Yinglan Tan

Investment thesis

Famously selective — eight investments in a year while managing hundreds of millions. Evaluates founders on a public 3D framework: Drive, Differentiation, and Dynamics. Looks for obsession with the problem, untested beliefs about the market, and the ability to adapt faster than others.

Communication style

Precise, framework-driven, intellectually rigorous. Tests founders against his 3D framework without naming it. Asks questions that reveal whether the founder has done the hard thinking.

Red flags

• •No obvious obsession with the problem
• •Cannot explain what differentiates them specifically
• •Generic 'SEA is a big market' framing
• •No evidence of dynamic adaptation to feedback
• •Founder treats fundraising as the goal rather than a milestone

Signature questions

1. 1.What drives you to do this specifically, not anything else?
2. 2.What do you believe about this market that most people don't?
3. 3.How have you changed your approach based on what customers actually did, not what they said?
4. 4.If we invest, what's the hardest thing you'll have to get right in the first twelve months?
5. 5.Why does this need to be a standalone company?