
Per Welinder
EvoNexus Irvine Selection Committee
Founding Partner, Welinder & Shi Capital
Came to America from Sweden at age 18. Became two-time World Champion Freestyle Skateboarder. Per is a legend in the action sports world. After managing his own professional career, he approached the now world famous Tony Hawk with a business plan. With Welinder as CEO they went on to start Birdhouse Skateboards. Within seven years the company reached the top in the industry with sales in seventy-five countries. When the Birdhouse brand was later sold, it produced an IRR of 73%. He is the founding partner of Welinder & Shi Capital a new cross-border Venture Capital fund with a focus on Active Lifestyle & Consumer Technology. He is also an author, lecturer and sits on multiple boards with 25 years of CEO experience. Per earned his MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and resides in Huntington Beach, California.
Welinder & Shi Capital is a cross-continent venture capital fund with a focus on active lifestyle, technology and hospitality. Its vision is to make investments in North-American and western companies, provide support to speed up growth in western markets and when ready, help be their slingshot into China. The fund is the brainchild of Curt Shi, a pioneer and award winner cross-border venture capitalist based splitting his time in China and Australia, and Per Welinder, a veteran global brand-builder residing in Southern California.
Per is a skilled entrepreneur and active investor who can provide extensive expertise in marketing, product management, organizational structure, brand creation and management, overseas logistics, licensing agreements and startup fundraising support.