Tony Wan

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Los Angeles, Tony thought that simply doing well in school would equate to doing well in life. That was true up to a certain extent, until he tried academia and realized it wasn’t quite the right environment for his more creative aspirations.

With a couple of childhood friends, he built a math game, raised some capital and sold it to a few schools — an empowering experience in which he finally saw his skills and knowledge applied to something that delighted and helped people. His second startup was the edtech journalism outlet EdSurge, where he honed the craft of storytelling and saw firsthand its magic to catalyze an ecosystem of entrepreneurs. 

His unconventional path would not have been possible without other’s generosity and support. At Reach, he is excited to pay it forward — helping early-stage founders and sharing what he’s learned. He wishes some of those lessons had come easier. But growth and comfort cannot always coexist.