Currently building AI House · investing at AI2 Incubator

Yifan Zhang

2x founder · Managing Director, AI2 Incubator · Building AI House

Forbes 30 Under 30
Exited to Flyhomes
$130M raised at Loftium
Managing Director, AI2 Incubator

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Seattle, WA

Bio

A founder’s path —
now backing the next ones.

Yifan Zhang is a 2x CEO & exited founder, and now invests in early stage AI as Managing Director at AI2 Incubator, born from the Allen Institute for AI (AI2). Her company Loftium, a Norwest and DFJ-backed housing affordability startup, was acquired by Flyhomes after raising $130M in venture capital and asset-backed debt. She was Forbes "30 under 30" as the CEO of top 5 fitness app GymPact, downloaded by 3M+ users. Yifan graduated from Harvard, served as CEO in Residence with Techstars, and has worked with Seattle Mayors Bruce Harrell and Jenny Durkan on affordable housing, downtown reactivation and, most recently, the launch of AI House.

Career

Harvard → GymPact → Loftium → AI2 Incubator + AI House

2010
Harvard (Economics, magna cum laude)
2010
Styleta — student founder
2012
GymPact / Pact — co-founder, CEO
2017
Loftium — co-founder, CEO
2023
Flyhomes acquires Loftium
2024
AI2 Incubator — Managing Director
2025
AI House — founder / driver

Track record

Five ventures, two exits, one civic hub.

AI2 Incubator
Current
Managing Director2024 – present
Invest $600K + hands-on company building from a single talented founder.
- $80M Fund III (Oct 2025)
- ~70 ventures over 4 years
- 90%+ of incubated companies raise venture funding
- 24% acquisition rate (incl. Apple, DocuSign)
Visit site →
AI House
Current
Founder / Driver2025 – present
Seattle's first physical hub for AI innovation — connecting engineers to real-world problems.
- 108,000 sq ft Seattle waterfront hub
- Room for 1,000 desks
- Public–private partnership with City of Seattle + WA Dept of Commerce
Visit site →
Loftium
Acquired
Co-founder / CEO2017 – 2023by Flyhomes
Host-to-own housing affordability — converted spare bedrooms into down-payment funding.
- Acquired by Flyhomes (Feb 2023)
- Raised $130M venture + asset-backed debt
- 150,000+ guests hosted across US
- Featured in NYT, Fortune, Bloomberg
GymPact / Pact
Closed
Co-founder / CEO2010 – 2017
Behavioral-econ fitness app — pay if you skip, earn if you show up.
- Forbes 30 Under 30
- 3M+ members
- 60M+ healthy goals hit
- Backed by Khosla Ventures, Max Levchin
Styleta
Closed
Founder2009 – 2012
Online thrift-store model funding charity partners.
- Multi-campus nonprofit
- Charity partners incl. Kiva, Harvard Square Homeless Shelter

Press & mentions

Where Yifan shows up.

Podcasts

Yifan in conversation.

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Seattle City Makers · 2025-06
Seattle City Makers Podcast, Episode 86
Path to AI House, importance of in-person collaboration, advice for founders.
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Raiser's Edge · 2025
Raiser's Edge Episode 1: Turning High Stakes Into Supercharged Raises
Fundraising lessons from $130M raised at Loftium and what AI2 founders do differently.
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Product Grade · 2025
Moving from Founder to AI Investor
Yifan on her arc from operator to investor and what makes a fundable AI founder today.
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Shift AI Podcast · 2024
Cultivating the Next Wave of AI Startups
AI2 Incubator's approach to company building, Seattle as an applied-AI hub, the 80→95% gap.