Lightspeed Venture Partners

Lightspeed Venture Partners is a US-based venture capital firm focusing on early-stage investments in enterprise technology and consumer spaces. The organisation has supported more than 300 companies, including Snapchat (Snap Inc.), DoubleClick, AppDynamics, Pliant Technology, XtremeIO, Phone.com, and Solazyme (SZYM).

Lightspeed Venture Partners (LSVP) invests in early-stage and growth-stage companies across a range of sectors, including enterprise technology, consumer, healthcare, and fintech. The firm has a global presence, with offices in Menlo Park, China, India, Israel, and Europe.

The firm was founded in October 2000 when investors from Weiss, Peck & Greer left to start Lightspeed following the sale of the investment management business to Robeco. Jeremy Liew joined the firm in 2006 as its first consumer tech-focused partner. For the next decade, Lightspeed Venture Partners largely remained an enterprise software and infrastructure specialist, investing in Nimble Storage, Nutanix, MuleSoft, and AppDynamics.

Lightspeed Venture Partners (LSVP) is a venture capital firm that was founded in 2000 by Chris Schaepe, Barry Eggers, Ravi Mhatre, and Peter Nieh. The firm is based in Menlo Park, California, and has additional offices in China, India, Israel, and Europe.

LSVP's early investments were focused on the internet and enterprise software sectors, with early successes including companies such as DoubleClick, which was acquired by Google, and Veritas Software, which was acquired by Symantec. As the technology landscape evolved, LSVP began to invest in a wider range of sectors, including consumer, healthcare, and fintech.

In 2012, Lightspeed became the first venture investor in Snap Inc., a year after Snapchat was launched.  Snapchat raised $485,000 in its seed round and an undisclosed amount of bridge funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners in 2012. Beyond the two Snap founders, the two biggest shareholders for the planned early 2017 Snap IPO were Benchmark and Lightspeed Venture Partners, both prior Snap investors and venture-capital firms from Silicon Valley. They held a combined stake of about 20%.

In September 2020, Lightspeed Venture Partners launched its Southeast Asia operations with a new regional headquarters in Singapore.

In November 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Lightspeed Venture Partners is a major investor in Chinese semiconductor firms, raising U.S. national security concerns. Lightspeed China Partners closed its largest funding round at $920 million the same month.

Today, LSVP is one of the largest and most successful venture capital firms in the world, with over $10 billion in assets under management. The firm has invested in over 400 companies across a range of sectors and has seen many of its portfolio companies go public or be acquired by larger companies.

In addition to its investment activities, LSVP is also known for its thought leadership in the technology industry. The firm's partners are frequent speakers at industry conferences and events and are often sought out for their expertise on emerging technology trends and market opportunities.

Overall, LSVP's history is characterized by its ability to evolve and adapt to changing market conditions, while maintaining a strong focus on investing in innovative and disruptive technologies. The firm's success has been driven by its deep industry expertise, its global network of relationships, and its commitment to working closely with entrepreneurs to help them build successful and sustainable businesses.

• Disruptive technology: LSVP looks for companies that are using technology to disrupt traditional industries and create new market opportunities. The firm seeks out companies that have a unique technology platform, business model, or product offering that can fundamentally change the way a market operates.
• Market opportunity: LSVP looks for companies that are operating in large and growing markets, with the potential to capture a significant share of that market. The firm looks for companies that can scale quickly and efficiently, and that have a clear path to achieving market leadership.
• Strong team: LSVP looks for companies that have a strong management team with a proven track record of success. The firm looks for teams that have a deep understanding of their market and technology, and that are passionate about their vision and mission.
• Sustainable competitive advantage: LSVP looks for companies that have a sustainable competitive advantage, such as proprietary technology, a strong brand, or a unique distribution network. The firm seeks out companies that can build a moat around their business, protecting them from the competition and ensuring long-term success.
• Potential for significant value creation: LSVP looks for companies that have the potential to create significant value for investors. The firm seeks out companies that have a clear path to profitability, and that can generate high margins and strong cash flows over the long term.

• Entrepreneurship: LSVP is committed to supporting entrepreneurship and helping to build successful companies. The firm believes that entrepreneurs are the driving force behind innovation and economic growth, and it seeks out visionary entrepreneurs who are passionate about their ideas and committed to building great companies.
• Partnership: LSVP takes a partnership approach to work with entrepreneurs, providing not just capital but also strategic guidance and operational support. The firm's partners have deep industry expertise and are committed to working closely with entrepreneurs to help them achieve their goals.
• Integrity: LSVP operates with the highest levels of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct. The firm values honesty, fairness, and respect in all its dealings with entrepreneurs, investors, and other stakeholders.
• Diversity and Inclusion: LSVP is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in its portfolio companies and within the technology industry more broadly. The firm believes that diverse teams are more innovative and better able to solve complex problems, and it actively seeks out companies that are committed to building diverse and inclusive workforces.
• Global perspective: LSVP has a global perspective and a deep understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges facing entrepreneurs around the world. The firm has a strong presence in both the US and international markets, with a focus on emerging markets such as China and India.

LSVP's approach to investing is guided by a belief in the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to drive economic growth and create value. The firm is committed to supporting visionary entrepreneurs who are working to build transformative companies in sectors such as enterprise technology, consumer, healthcare, and fintech.

LSVP takes a partnership approach to working with entrepreneurs, providing not just capital but also strategic guidance and operational support. The firm's partners have deep industry expertise and are committed to working closely with entrepreneurs to help them achieve their goals.

Lightspeed Venture Partners (LSVP) has an extensive portfolio of companies across a range of sectors, including enterprise technology, consumer, healthcare, and fintech. Here are a few examples of LSVP's portfolio companies:

• Affirm: Affirm is a fintech company that provides consumer loans at the point of sale. The company's platform allows consumers to make purchases and pay over time with simple, transparent pricing and no hidden fees.
• AppDynamics: AppDynamics is an application performance management company that provides real-time insights into the performance of business-critical applications. The company's platform allows companies to proactively monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize their applications.
• Chime: Chime is a neo-bank that offers a range of financial services, including checking and savings accounts, debit cards, and money management tools. The company's platform is designed to help customers save money and avoid fees.
• OYO Rooms: OYO Rooms is a hospitality company that operates a network of budget hotels and rental homes in India and other markets. The company's platform allows customers to easily book affordable and comfortable accommodations.
• Stitch Fix: Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service that uses data and algorithms to curate personalized clothing recommendations for customers. The company's platform combines human stylists with machine learning to deliver a highly personalized shopping experience.