The Guest – Marcus Wang, Partner at Coda Global Ventures
Marcus Wang is a Partner at Coda Global Ventures, his expertise lies within helping early-stage companies scale, and mature companies optimise for successful exits. He also co-founded and exited ZytoGen, a precision medicine company, and launched Under Armour’s operations in China. Most recently, he worked with a venture studio to commercialise cutting-edge technologies in sustainability and materials science, and is currently advising multiple companies in venture capital and global market entry in multiple sectors. In the public sector, Marcus is also a State Health Commissioner for Maryland, bridging public and private interests to drive societal impact.
Marcus brings a global and cross-sector perspective to scaling companies, driving innovation, and aligning stakeholder incentives. We explore the realities of tech transformation in both early-stage startups and legacy enterprises, how to assess and modernise tech stacks for maximum ROI, and why AI isn’t replacing people; it’s empowering them. From hands-on team interventions to future-proofing through culture and capability, this conversation is a masterclass in operational excellence.
Some highlights of this episode include:
- Role of an Operating Partner
- Challenges and Successes in VC and PE
- Assessing and Optimizing Technology in Portfolio Companies:
- AI Integration and Future of Work:
- Team Building and Performance Optimization
Q: Talk to me about AI. AI must be a major focus on your agenda right now as you try to figure out its use cases. Can you share your thoughts on where your head is at with AI? Is it still mostly theoretical for companies, or are you actually seeing it put into practice with measurable ROI?
“That’s a great question, and it’s definitely one of the most pressing and relevant topics today. I think your episode on AI is incredibly timely and important. From what I’m seeing, AI adoption really varies across different companies. Some are fully integrating it into their operations, while many others are still in the exploratory phase. They understand its value, but the challenge remains in figuring out how to effectively leverage it—not just as a shiny new tool, but as something that genuinely drives outcomes.
In data-intensive sectors with high-quality data, like healthcare and logistics, companies are leading the way. They’re using AI for process optimization, predictive analytics, and more. It’s clear that there isn’t a single organization—whether it’s a small local business or a large, publicly traded enterprise—that wouldn’t benefit from understanding how to deploy AI effectively.
AI has the power to eliminate redundancies, improve efficiencies, and help companies of all sizes punch above their weight. I wouldn’t say the future belongs to AI, but it certainly belongs to those who know how to use AI wisely and strategically.”
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