Spent $1.5m On One Sperm Race and It Went Viral | Eric Zhu - E715

An 18-year-old got kicked out of high school, built a data startup from a bathroom stall, and now raises millions to race human sperm on live television. In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au sits down with Eric Zhu, founder of Aviato and Sperm Racing, to unpack one of the strangest venture-backed stories in tech. Eric explains how he ran founder calls from an Indiana high school bathroom using a green screen and hall passes bought from drug dealers, why a billionaire dared him to turn sperm speed into a spectator sport, and how the first race cost $1.5 million and went viral overnight. He also breaks down the real business behind the memes: biomarker sports, rolling up e-commerce and software brands, and running them with AI agents. Along the way he shares why he bets on young, hungry, underpriced talent, why he thinks founders are "degenerate gamblers" chasing asymmetric upside, and why AI may be the biggest inflection point since the early internet. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/eric-zhu-sperm-racing  BRAVE is Southeast Asia's leading tech podcast, hosted by Jeremy Au. Honest conversations with the region's top founders, investors, and operators on building startups in Southeast Asia. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss one. Listen & Subscribe YouTube (English), YouTube (Bahasa Indonesia), Spotify (English), Spotify (Bahasa Indonesia), Spotify (Chinese), Spotify (Vietnamese), Apple Podcasts Follow BRAVE LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp Follow Jeremy Au LinkedIn, X / Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, Twitch Resources Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com #SpermRacing #Startup #VentureCapital #TechPodcast 00:00 The High School Bathroom Startup 03:02 - Moving to San Francisco 04:20 - Building a Data Engine 08:14 - Lessons in Leadership 09:13 - The Genesis of Sperm Racing 10:09 - Production Chaos in LA 14:02 - The Business of Biomarker Sports 21:35 - Hiring Gen Z Talent 23:44 - The Reality of Silicon Valley 26:39 - AI and The Future of Work