Barry Li

[Barry Li @BarryLi5936]

@Official18VC Thank you 18VC for having me.

Keep building, keep learning

A lot more to build.

[Official18VC @Official18VC]

At 15 he ran a 200%-margin snack "dark market" out of his dorm – until the principal shut it down. 🍜

Ep. #11 of 18VC is live with Barry (@BarryLi5936), founder of OMNIAPATH, an AI-native entrepreneurship school for young founders, and Wov3, a sportstech company developing recovery footwear and customized insoles using 3D printing. Barry is also an advisor to Hacker Dojo's first accelerator cohort.

What stuck with us:
→ He killed a profitable $100K business the moment he saw ChatGPT 3.5.
→ His AI survival rule: be super well-rounded, or go absurdly deep. "Medium deep" gets replaced.
→ The "one-person company" is coming – solo founders are the default future of work.
→ 5 ventures. 40 partners come and go. He's the one who stayed.

▶️ YouTube: https://t.co/G2B194RLQn
🎧 Spotify: https://t.co/2BO8DvYPZh

#startups #venturecapital #youngfounders #AI #entrepreneurship #18VC #OMNIAPATH #WOV3

[Barry Li @BarryLi5936]

We build Wov3, Inc. — a sports tech brand
Physical product. DTC and B2B
A few years ago, building a physical brand in Silicon Valley felt like showing up to a gun fight with a knife
Now it feels like different
Real products Real people Real value
There will always be a market

[Barry Li @BarryLi5936]

We won #1 at Silicon Valley's pitch night.
13 companies. 12 AI startups.
I was the only non-technical founder in the room.

[Barry Li @BarryLi5936]

Anyone can build software in 2 hours with AI now.
Average products are everywhere.
What you can't replicate is the person behind it.
Their judgment. Their obsession. Their execution.

[Barry Li @BarryLi5936]

Two things matter more than ever in 2026:

1. The founder is the moat.
2. Does this product actually serve people daily?

[Barry Li @BarryLi5936]

The judges said:
"Barry, the moment you stepped on stage I knew — you're not a first-time founder. You know your market. You've done this before. We trust you for this 500K USD"
That meant more than the win.