WhoBuilt

Alfred Lin

director at Houzz

Sequoia Capital partner and former operator at LinkExchange, Tellme Networks, and Zappos.

2 Talks8 Facts8 Sources

Key facts

Founded
Venture Frogs
Roles
Houzz, director
Airbnb, director
Tellme Networks, VP of Finance
LinkExchange, VP of Finance
Sequoia, partner
Zappos, operator
Invested in
Zappos

Career

  1. Houzzcurrentas of Jul 2014
    director
    Unverified1 source
  2. Airbnbcurrentas of Jul 2014
    director
    Unverified1 source
  3. Tellme Networkscurrentas of Jul 2014
    VP of Finance
    Unverified1 source
  4. LinkExchangecurrentas of Jul 2014
    VP of Finance
    Unverified1 source
  5. Sequoiacurrentas of Jul 2014
    partner
    Unverified1 source
  6. Zapposcurrent
    operator
    Unverified1 source
  7. Venture Frogspast1999
    Founder
    Unverified1 source

Timeline 8

Dated events, newest first. Open the sources under any item.

How we verify
Founded1Career6
20147 events
  1. as of Jul 2014Career
    Alfred Lin is director at Houzz
    “He serves as a director at a bunch of awesome Silicon Valley companies like Airbnb and Houzz.” 0:03
    Unverified1 source· Talk
    +4 more roles on the full timeline
  2. as of Jul 2014Career
    Alfred Lin is director at Airbnb
    “He serves as a director at a bunch of awesome Silicon Valley companies like Airbnb and Houzz.” 0:03
    Unverified1 source· Talk
  3. reported 2014-07Investment
    Alfred Lin invested in Zappos
    “You went from being an investor in Zappos to joining as an operator.” 16:51
    Unverified1 source· Talk
19991 event
  1. 1999Founded
    Alfred Lin founded Venture Frogs
    “we left and started a small angel fund called Venture Frogs in 1999” 6:44
    Unverified1 source· Talk

Talks 2

31:03
Alfred Lin with Justin Kan
Alfred Lin, Justin Kan

Alfred Lin traces his path from LinkExchange through Venture Frogs, Tellme Networks, and Zappos, showing how early company experiences shaped his approach to building and investing. He emphasizes solving real customer problems, staying focused, and treating culture and customer service as daily operating priorities. The Zappos story highlights the challenges of limited funding, inventory management, and building reliable fulfillment, alongside the value of persistence through downturns. As an investor, Lin advises founders to choose partners carefully, understand their industry deeply, and focus on a clear path into the market.

Jul 31, 2014· 31 min 0:03