Alex Chang co-founded and sold his first internet startup to Expedia in 2000, giving him first-generation dot-com founder experience that now informs his pre-seed investing at Underdog Labs. He has been building and investing alongside his co-founder for over 25 years across 100+ early-stage investments, focusing on an unusually broad range of technical categories including BioTech, Climate/CleanTech, and Pharmaceuticals rather than only traditional software plays.

• Champions portfolio companies that solve tangible, real-world problems across diverse sectors like electric vehicles and digital wellness. He frequently highlights specific milestones, such as TELO Trucks achieving capital efficiency with their compact pickup design or BePresent gaining traction among teenagers for fighting screen addiction.
• Demonstrates a nuanced interest in artificial intelligence, valuing creative applications while remaining wary of impersonal automation. He has experimented with tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT for entertainment but expressed frustration with founders who use AI to automate cold outreach or record every conversation, preferring authentic human interaction instead.
• Places high value on founder professionalism, courtesy, and transparency. He shared a specific example of being converted by a cold email only to pass on the deal because the founder showed up late and distracted to the demo, emphasizing that basic etiquette is critical to securing his support.
• Focuses on pre-seed investing with a philosophy centered on resilience and supporting overlooked opportunities. He refers to his firm as investing in underdogs and cited the journey of portfolio company Tennr as a lesson in how great founders find a way to succeed despite early challenges.