Eric Mao

Eric Mao is the CEO of Clado, a technology startup focused on developing internal social networks for specific high-achieving alumni communities. He previously studied computer science and business at the University of Pennsylvania as part of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology before leaving after one semester to pursue software entrepreneurship full-time. Mao recently participated in the Y Combinator X25 batch, where he further developed his technical expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and complex search applications. Prior to his current venture, he independently built and scaled Linkd, a specialized search platform that indexed approximately 300,000 LinkedIn profiles across five distinct universities and attracted over 120,000 active users. His current professional focus remains entirely on engineering exclusive, community-driven software platforms that connect accomplished academic and professional networks across the broader technology sector.