Lightspeed Venture Partners

Lightspeed Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm established in 1998 that focuses on investing in early-stage companies across a diverse range of sectors. The firm targets technology-led businesses as well as non-technology opportunities in areas such as advertising and media, healthcare, education, financial services, and retail. It engages in various investment stages, including seed, early-stage, later-stage, and expansion-stage financing. Lightspeed specializes in debt financing for start-ups and growth companies while also exploring opportunities in consumer, enterprise, cleantech, and other markets. The firm is known for its strategic investments in innovative sectors, including big data, bitcoin, mobile technology, and software solutions.

Vaibhav Agrawal

Associate Partner

Saqib Awan

Partner

Mercedes Bent

Partner

Akshay Bhushan

Partner

Guru Chahal

Partner

Yoni Cheifetz

Partner

Shelley Chu

Partner

James Ephrati

Partner

Gaurav Gupta

Partner

David Gussarsky

Partner

Galym Imanbayev

Partner

Nnamdi Iregbulem

Partner

Raviraj Jain

Partner

Arif Janmohamed

Partner

Ansaf Kareem

Partner

Dev Khare

Partner

Harsha Kumar

Associate Partner

Pinn Lawjindakul

Partner

Pachara Lawjindakul

Partner

Will Leas

Partner

Jeremy Liew

Partner

Jonathan MacQuitty

Venture Partner

Hemant Mohapatra

Partner

Andrew Moley

Operating Partner and CFO

Tal Morgenstern

Partner

Justin Overdorff

Partner

Nicole Quinn

General Partner

Christopher Schaepe

Co-Founder

Shan Shan

Partner

Shuvi Shrivastava

Partner

Adam Smith

Partner

Bejul Somaia

Partner

Rahul Taneja

Partner

Anoushka Vaswani

Partner

Rytis Vitkauskas

Partner

Jerry Ye

Partner, Data Platform

Connor Love

Partner

Peter Nieh

Partner and Co-Founder

John Thompson

Venture Partner

James Alcorn

Partner

Alex Taussig

Partner

Past deals in Advertising

Beehiiv

Series B in 2024
Beehiiv is an email newsletter platform that empowers creators to produce, monetize, and expand their newsletters. The platform enhances audience engagement and growth through advanced customization and superior analytics, allowing users to effectively scale their web and email content. Beehiiv's direct engagement model reduces reliance on cookie-based data, providing a more reliable method for publishers and advertisers to connect with their audiences. Notably, the company does not take a share of subscription revenue, offering a more lucrative financial model for creators looking to maximize their earnings.

Beehiiv

Series A in 2023
Beehiiv is an email newsletter platform that empowers creators to produce, monetize, and expand their newsletters. The platform enhances audience engagement and growth through advanced customization and superior analytics, allowing users to effectively scale their web and email content. Beehiiv's direct engagement model reduces reliance on cookie-based data, providing a more reliable method for publishers and advertisers to connect with their audiences. Notably, the company does not take a share of subscription revenue, offering a more lucrative financial model for creators looking to maximize their earnings.

Mason

Seed Round in 2022
Mason is a no-code, headless content toolkit that streamlines the creation, editing, and organization of graphic designs for eCommerce storefronts. By leveraging AI and an API-based infrastructure, Mason enables brands to efficiently produce personalized content, such as videos, GIFs, and high-quality product images. This capability allows brand content teams to maintain a consistent and engaging shopping experience across diverse channels, including webstores, apps, and social media platforms. Mason's platform is designed to facilitate scalable creative production, allowing clients to concentrate on developing original ideas and effectively bringing them to market.

AudioMob

Series A in 2021
AudioMob Limited is a London-based company that specializes in advertising technology for the gaming industry. Established in 2019, it provides a platform that enables developers to monetize their games through non-intrusive audio advertisements. These ads are designed to enhance the gaming experience by allowing players to listen to them while engaging with the game, rather than interrupting gameplay. By integrating these audio ads, AudioMob helps brands connect with mobile gaming audiences, which can lead to improved player retention and more favorable reviews for games. The company was previously known as JUKEBOX TECHNOLOGY LTD before rebranding in July 2019.

Curastory

Seed Round in 2021
Curastory is a content creation platform that empowers creators to produce and manage their video content effectively. The platform enables users to shoot and edit high-quality videos, monetize their shows, and distribute them across various social media channels at no cost. Additionally, Curastory offers a programmatic media buying solution specifically for creator ad reads, facilitating monetization opportunities for creators. The platform also provides tools for video matchmaking and attribution tracking, allowing brands to benefit from targeted advertising while ensuring creators maintain ownership of their narratives. Overall, Curastory supports creators in maximizing their reach and revenue through innovative video solutions.

Viralspace.ai

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Viralspace uses AI to help marketers make data-driven decisions about their ad creative. We tag creative factors across a brand's past ads, ranging from objects to actions to text styles, and present recommendations in a variety of AI-based tools. We work with brands like TechStyle and Philips and have proven 70%+ improvements in CPA.

Mason

Funding Round in 2019
Mason is a no-code, headless content toolkit that streamlines the creation, editing, and organization of graphic designs for eCommerce storefronts. By leveraging AI and an API-based infrastructure, Mason enables brands to efficiently produce personalized content, such as videos, GIFs, and high-quality product images. This capability allows brand content teams to maintain a consistent and engaging shopping experience across diverse channels, including webstores, apps, and social media platforms. Mason's platform is designed to facilitate scalable creative production, allowing clients to concentrate on developing original ideas and effectively bringing them to market.

KERV Interactive

Venture Round in 2019
KERV Interactive is a digital advertising platform that utilizes advanced patented technology to enhance user engagement through video content. The company has developed an AI-powered video creative technology that employs machine learning to accurately identify objects and their dimensions within video streams, mimicking human visual perception. This innovative approach allows for every frame in a digital video to become an immersive and interactive experience for consumers. By leveraging these capabilities, KERV aims to improve the performance of digital advertising, making it more effective for brands and engaging for audiences.

Audius

Series A in 2018
Audius, Inc. is a music streaming platform that leverages blockchain technology to create a decentralized community where artists, developers, and listeners can collaborate and share music. Founded in 2018 and based in San Francisco, Audius enables artists to securely register their creative works and generate immutable records on its network. This decentralized approach ensures that metadata attribution is safe, verifiable, and transparent, allowing creators to connect directly with their audience without intermediaries. The platform offers features such as audio file hosting, streaming, and a creator dashboard, enabling artists to earn royalties instantly as consumers engage with their content. Audius also allows users to discover new music and verify authenticity through a transparent system. By automating payments and licensing agreements, Audius aims to empower artists while providing a seamless experience for listeners.

Zaihui

Series A in 2016
Zaihui is a SaaS-based data-driven marketing automation solution for local businesses that offers them with member management, precipitation members, incentive members, and mining member values. Product system offers intelligent precision marketing, integral marketing, stored-value marketing, anniversary marketing, attendant performance, theme marketing activities, and brand packaging marketing. Zaihui is headquartered in China and the company was founded in 2015.

EverString

Series B in 2015
EverString is a provider of a cloud-based predictive analytics platform that assists companies in identifying and engaging with potential customer prospects. The platform leverages data from both online and offline sources to deliver accurate company and contact information, including firmographics and technographics. Its features encompass predictive scoring, demand generation, and advertisement targeting, enabling businesses to develop new sales pipelines and enhance conversion rates. Designed for B2B sales and marketing professionals, EverString’s solution supports pipeline growth, customer acquisition, market expansion, account prioritization, and the provision of actionable insights.

Eyeview

Series D in 2014
Eyeview Inc. is a video advertising technology company based in New York that specializes in providing brands with effective return on investment for their video advertising expenditures. The company’s flagship platform, VideoIQ, integrates consumer, brand, and retail data to create personalized, one-to-one video advertisements, which can be delivered programmatically across various platforms, including television, desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Eyeview also offers a range of solutions tailored to specific industries, such as lead generation for the automotive sector, in-store marketing for consumer packaged goods, and online booking for travel. The platform can be utilized through a managed service with support from Eyeview's team or via a self-service interface. Established in 2007, Eyeview has garnered recognition for its rapid growth and serves notable clients such as P&G, Walgreens, Lowes, Honda, and BMW.

EverString

Series A in 2014
EverString is a provider of a cloud-based predictive analytics platform that assists companies in identifying and engaging with potential customer prospects. The platform leverages data from both online and offline sources to deliver accurate company and contact information, including firmographics and technographics. Its features encompass predictive scoring, demand generation, and advertisement targeting, enabling businesses to develop new sales pipelines and enhance conversion rates. Designed for B2B sales and marketing professionals, EverString’s solution supports pipeline growth, customer acquisition, market expansion, account prioritization, and the provision of actionable insights.

Outbrain

Series E in 2013
Outbrain is a recommendation platform designed for the open web, facilitating the discovery of content for online consumers through personalized recommendation feeds. It connects advertisers with their target audiences by delivering ads that appear as links to articles, products, and videos on various media partners' websites and mobile applications. The platform drives quality engagement by matching users with relevant content, generating revenue for the company based on user interactions with the advertisements. Outbrain operates in multiple regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States, positioning itself as a significant player in the digital advertising landscape.

Eyeview

Series C in 2013
Eyeview Inc. is a video advertising technology company based in New York that specializes in providing brands with effective return on investment for their video advertising expenditures. The company’s flagship platform, VideoIQ, integrates consumer, brand, and retail data to create personalized, one-to-one video advertisements, which can be delivered programmatically across various platforms, including television, desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Eyeview also offers a range of solutions tailored to specific industries, such as lead generation for the automotive sector, in-store marketing for consumer packaged goods, and online booking for travel. The platform can be utilized through a managed service with support from Eyeview's team or via a self-service interface. Established in 2007, Eyeview has garnered recognition for its rapid growth and serves notable clients such as P&G, Walgreens, Lowes, Honda, and BMW.

Rhythm NewMedia

Venture Round in 2012
Rhythm NewMedia specializes in mobile video advertising, connecting brand advertisers with engaged mobile audiences through the sale and distribution of video, rich media, and immersive advertising formats. The company collaborates with over 50 premium media partners, including major names such as NBC Universal, CBS, and Sony, to provide targeted advertising within high-quality content across a diverse portfolio of more than 200 properties. In 2011, Rhythm facilitated campaigns for over 200 top brand advertisers, including P&G, Unilever, and Disney, achieving significant engagement results. In addition to its advertising services, Rhythm also develops mobile applications and offers site design and media hosting services, enhancing its capabilities in the mobile advertising space.

Eyeview

Series B in 2012
Eyeview Inc. is a video advertising technology company based in New York that specializes in providing brands with effective return on investment for their video advertising expenditures. The company’s flagship platform, VideoIQ, integrates consumer, brand, and retail data to create personalized, one-to-one video advertisements, which can be delivered programmatically across various platforms, including television, desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Eyeview also offers a range of solutions tailored to specific industries, such as lead generation for the automotive sector, in-store marketing for consumer packaged goods, and online booking for travel. The platform can be utilized through a managed service with support from Eyeview's team or via a self-service interface. Established in 2007, Eyeview has garnered recognition for its rapid growth and serves notable clients such as P&G, Walgreens, Lowes, Honda, and BMW.

Outbrain

Series D in 2011
Outbrain is a recommendation platform designed for the open web, facilitating the discovery of content for online consumers through personalized recommendation feeds. It connects advertisers with their target audiences by delivering ads that appear as links to articles, products, and videos on various media partners' websites and mobile applications. The platform drives quality engagement by matching users with relevant content, generating revenue for the company based on user interactions with the advertisements. Outbrain operates in multiple regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States, positioning itself as a significant player in the digital advertising landscape.

Teads

Private Equity Round in 2011
Teads, Inc. is a company that specializes in digital branding through a video advertising supply side platform (SSP) designed for publishers and brands. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Chicago, Manhattan Beach, and San Francisco, Teads enables clients to create and monetize outstream video advertising inventory via their own sales teams, third parties, and programmatic buying. The company provides an omnichannel platform that facilitates programmatic digital advertising across a global network of premium media, ensuring brand safety and efficiency. By integrating buy-side, sell-side, creative, and data optimization technologies, Teads allows advertisers to access inventory from top publishers while reaching billions of unique users. The platform aims to deliver sustainable business outcomes by combining media, data, and creativity in a curated ecosystem for advertisers and agencies.

Outbrain

Series C in 2011
Outbrain is a recommendation platform designed for the open web, facilitating the discovery of content for online consumers through personalized recommendation feeds. It connects advertisers with their target audiences by delivering ads that appear as links to articles, products, and videos on various media partners' websites and mobile applications. The platform drives quality engagement by matching users with relevant content, generating revenue for the company based on user interactions with the advertisements. Outbrain operates in multiple regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States, positioning itself as a significant player in the digital advertising landscape.

Teads

Series A in 2010
Teads, Inc. is a company that specializes in digital branding through a video advertising supply side platform (SSP) designed for publishers and brands. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Chicago, Manhattan Beach, and San Francisco, Teads enables clients to create and monetize outstream video advertising inventory via their own sales teams, third parties, and programmatic buying. The company provides an omnichannel platform that facilitates programmatic digital advertising across a global network of premium media, ensuring brand safety and efficiency. By integrating buy-side, sell-side, creative, and data optimization technologies, Teads allows advertisers to access inventory from top publishers while reaching billions of unique users. The platform aims to deliver sustainable business outcomes by combining media, data, and creativity in a curated ecosystem for advertisers and agencies.

Rhythm NewMedia

Series C in 2010
Rhythm NewMedia specializes in mobile video advertising, connecting brand advertisers with engaged mobile audiences through the sale and distribution of video, rich media, and immersive advertising formats. The company collaborates with over 50 premium media partners, including major names such as NBC Universal, CBS, and Sony, to provide targeted advertising within high-quality content across a diverse portfolio of more than 200 properties. In 2011, Rhythm facilitated campaigns for over 200 top brand advertisers, including P&G, Unilever, and Disney, achieving significant engagement results. In addition to its advertising services, Rhythm also develops mobile applications and offers site design and media hosting services, enhancing its capabilities in the mobile advertising space.

Apptera

Venture Round in 2010
Apptera is a mobile communications and advertising company with their flagship consumer product Raved. Their Apptera MobileAd Network provides a powerful way for advertisers to engage and interact with millions of mobile consumers through unique set of publisher partners including AOL Moviefone, 1-800-FANDANGO, Movietickets.com, Mozes, UpSnap, RH Brands, TapFury, and more. Apptera has been recognized with numerous industry awards including, most recently, the 2011 OnMobile 100 Top Private Companies and holds numerous patents for their communications technology. Founded in 2001, Apptera is a privately held, venture-financed company headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

Eyeview

Series A in 2010
Eyeview Inc. is a video advertising technology company based in New York that specializes in providing brands with effective return on investment for their video advertising expenditures. The company’s flagship platform, VideoIQ, integrates consumer, brand, and retail data to create personalized, one-to-one video advertisements, which can be delivered programmatically across various platforms, including television, desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Eyeview also offers a range of solutions tailored to specific industries, such as lead generation for the automotive sector, in-store marketing for consumer packaged goods, and online booking for travel. The platform can be utilized through a managed service with support from Eyeview's team or via a self-service interface. Established in 2007, Eyeview has garnered recognition for its rapid growth and serves notable clients such as P&G, Walgreens, Lowes, Honda, and BMW.

Outbrain

Series B in 2009
Outbrain is a recommendation platform designed for the open web, facilitating the discovery of content for online consumers through personalized recommendation feeds. It connects advertisers with their target audiences by delivering ads that appear as links to articles, products, and videos on various media partners' websites and mobile applications. The platform drives quality engagement by matching users with relevant content, generating revenue for the company based on user interactions with the advertisements. Outbrain operates in multiple regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States, positioning itself as a significant player in the digital advertising landscape.

Apptera

Debt Financing in 2008
Apptera is a mobile communications and advertising company with their flagship consumer product Raved. Their Apptera MobileAd Network provides a powerful way for advertisers to engage and interact with millions of mobile consumers through unique set of publisher partners including AOL Moviefone, 1-800-FANDANGO, Movietickets.com, Mozes, UpSnap, RH Brands, TapFury, and more. Apptera has been recognized with numerous industry awards including, most recently, the 2011 OnMobile 100 Top Private Companies and holds numerous patents for their communications technology. Founded in 2001, Apptera is a privately held, venture-financed company headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

Apptera

Venture Round in 2008
Apptera is a mobile communications and advertising company with their flagship consumer product Raved. Their Apptera MobileAd Network provides a powerful way for advertisers to engage and interact with millions of mobile consumers through unique set of publisher partners including AOL Moviefone, 1-800-FANDANGO, Movietickets.com, Mozes, UpSnap, RH Brands, TapFury, and more. Apptera has been recognized with numerous industry awards including, most recently, the 2011 OnMobile 100 Top Private Companies and holds numerous patents for their communications technology. Founded in 2001, Apptera is a privately held, venture-financed company headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

Outbrain

Series A in 2008
Outbrain is a recommendation platform designed for the open web, facilitating the discovery of content for online consumers through personalized recommendation feeds. It connects advertisers with their target audiences by delivering ads that appear as links to articles, products, and videos on various media partners' websites and mobile applications. The platform drives quality engagement by matching users with relevant content, generating revenue for the company based on user interactions with the advertisements. Outbrain operates in multiple regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States, positioning itself as a significant player in the digital advertising landscape.

Apptera

Series D in 2007
Apptera is a mobile communications and advertising company with their flagship consumer product Raved. Their Apptera MobileAd Network provides a powerful way for advertisers to engage and interact with millions of mobile consumers through unique set of publisher partners including AOL Moviefone, 1-800-FANDANGO, Movietickets.com, Mozes, UpSnap, RH Brands, TapFury, and more. Apptera has been recognized with numerous industry awards including, most recently, the 2011 OnMobile 100 Top Private Companies and holds numerous patents for their communications technology. Founded in 2001, Apptera is a privately held, venture-financed company headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

RockYou

Series B in 2007
RockYou, Inc. is an interactive media and entertainment company based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in in-game video advertising and social gaming. Founded in 2005, RockYou developed a platform that connects premium brands with users through a network of cross-platform video advertisements. The company’s offerings include a diverse portfolio of free-to-play games across various genres and platforms, including Facebook and mobile. RockYou Media amplifies the voices of multicultural millennials by providing brands and publishers with engaging content designed for a diverse audience. However, in February 2019, RockYou filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 in the US Bankruptcy Court, marking a significant shift in its business operations.

Flixster

Series A in 2007
Flixster, Inc. operates an online platform that serves as a social networking site for movie enthusiasts in the United States and Australia. Founded in 2005 and based in San Francisco, the platform allows users to create profiles, invite friends, rate movies and actors, and share reviews. It provides access to movie information, showtimes, celebrity news, and video clips, fostering a community where users can engage with one another. With over 50 million registered users and more than 1.5 billion movie ratings, Flixster has gained significant popularity and outperformed other movie sites in total page views. The company also offers advertising services and is a subsidiary of Fandango Media, LLC.

RockYou

Series A in 2007
RockYou, Inc. is an interactive media and entertainment company based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in in-game video advertising and social gaming. Founded in 2005, RockYou developed a platform that connects premium brands with users through a network of cross-platform video advertisements. The company’s offerings include a diverse portfolio of free-to-play games across various genres and platforms, including Facebook and mobile. RockYou Media amplifies the voices of multicultural millennials by providing brands and publishers with engaging content designed for a diverse audience. However, in February 2019, RockYou filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 in the US Bankruptcy Court, marking a significant shift in its business operations.

Rhythm NewMedia

Series B in 2006
Rhythm NewMedia specializes in mobile video advertising, connecting brand advertisers with engaged mobile audiences through the sale and distribution of video, rich media, and immersive advertising formats. The company collaborates with over 50 premium media partners, including major names such as NBC Universal, CBS, and Sony, to provide targeted advertising within high-quality content across a diverse portfolio of more than 200 properties. In 2011, Rhythm facilitated campaigns for over 200 top brand advertisers, including P&G, Unilever, and Disney, achieving significant engagement results. In addition to its advertising services, Rhythm also develops mobile applications and offers site design and media hosting services, enhancing its capabilities in the mobile advertising space.

Apptera

Series C in 2004
Apptera is a mobile communications and advertising company with their flagship consumer product Raved. Their Apptera MobileAd Network provides a powerful way for advertisers to engage and interact with millions of mobile consumers through unique set of publisher partners including AOL Moviefone, 1-800-FANDANGO, Movietickets.com, Mozes, UpSnap, RH Brands, TapFury, and more. Apptera has been recognized with numerous industry awards including, most recently, the 2011 OnMobile 100 Top Private Companies and holds numerous patents for their communications technology. Founded in 2001, Apptera is a privately held, venture-financed company headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

Apptera

Series B in 2003
Apptera is a mobile communications and advertising company with their flagship consumer product Raved. Their Apptera MobileAd Network provides a powerful way for advertisers to engage and interact with millions of mobile consumers through unique set of publisher partners including AOL Moviefone, 1-800-FANDANGO, Movietickets.com, Mozes, UpSnap, RH Brands, TapFury, and more. Apptera has been recognized with numerous industry awards including, most recently, the 2011 OnMobile 100 Top Private Companies and holds numerous patents for their communications technology. Founded in 2001, Apptera is a privately held, venture-financed company headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

Telespree

Series B in 2000
Telespree offers a cloud-based mobile services platform designed to enhance the customer experience for wireless service providers, carriers, retailers, and MVNOs. By transforming any wireless device into a self-service terminal, Telespree allows users to activate, program, enroll in services, and manage their accounts independently, without the need for sales clerks or call centers. This innovative approach not only reduces customer care and distribution costs but also enables providers to engage with users through targeted plans and advertising, thus creating new revenue opportunities. The platform supports a wide range of devices, including handsets, laptops, data cards, and telemetry modules, facilitating session monitoring, policy management, and real-time charging.
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