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Lightspeed
Lightspeed launched in 2000 as a single fund focused on early-stage enterprise technology, co-founded by Barry Eggers, Ravi Mhatre, Christopher Schaepe,...
Lightspeed
Lightspeed launched in 2000 as a single fund focused on early-stage enterprise technology, co-founded by Barry Eggers, Ravi Mhatre, Christopher Schaepe, and Peter Nieh. The firm quickly differentiated by betting heavily on data-center infrastructure and enterprise software, securing anchor investments in companies like Nutanix and MuleSoft, both of which went public and later traded at valuations above $5 billion. The firm runs distinct strategies across venture capital and growth equity, with sector coverage spanning enterprise software, fintech, consumer platforms, digital health, and cybersecurity. Lightspeed funds participate in seed through Series D rounds and growth equity, with significant co-investment capacity alongside its core funds. In addition to its US platform, Lightspeed operates autonomous investment teams in Israel and India — the latter raising $500 million for Lightspeed India Partners III in 2019. Portfolio positions have included Stripe, Rubrik, Affirm, and Udaan. The partnership has expanded to over a dozen investing partners, with offices in Mountain View, Larchmont, Morristown, and Tel Aviv. In July 2022, Lightspeed closed Lightspeed Venture Partners XIV at $7 billion, alongside a $2.5 billion Select fund for growth and late-stage investments (per the firm, July 2022). The firm also periodically raises dedicated follow-on funds, such as Lightspeed Opportunity Fund, to double down on winners. Lightspeed's structural differentiator is its regionally autonomous partnership model: each geography — US, Israel, India — operates with local decision-making authority while sharing the firm's brand and limited partners. Unlike peers who retrofit global expansion onto a centralized US team, Lightspeed built its India and Israel practices from scratch with native partners, giving local funds genuine discretion over deal selection and portfolio management. This architecture reflects the founders' early conviction that innovation pools are global, not Silicon Valley-centric.
General information
Firm type
null
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Mountain View
Corporate office
Mountain View, CA, United States
Additional offices
Larchmont, NY · Morristown, NJ · Tel Aviv, Israel
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Lightspeed?
Lightspeed operates a partnership model with several senior partners leading strategy. Barry Eggers, Ravi Mhatre, and Arif Janmohamed are among the named managing partners on the US team. The India and Israel practices maintain separate investment committees under local leadership, with partners like Harshjit Sethi in India and Yoni Cheifetz in Israel holding full decision-making authority for their funds, per the firm's public communications.
How does Lightspeed source proprietary deal flow?
Lightspeed sources through a combination of thematic research, founder networks built over two decades, and dedicated early-stage scouts in each region. Its early bets on enterprise infrastructure — backing Nutanix prior to its 2016 IPO and MuleSoft before its 2017 public listing — established a reference base that attracts repeat entrepreneurs. The autonomous India and Israel offices generate local deal flow without competing for US allocations.
Is Lightspeed structured as a single firm or does it operate separate regional funds?
Lightspeed raises distinct fund vehicles for its US, India, and Israel strategies. Lightspeed India Partners is a separately raised fund sequence, as is the Israel-focused fund series. This structure gives limited partners direct exposure to a single geography while the firm's brand and back office remain shared.
Does Lightspeed participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Lightspeed primarily invests directly into private companies across seed, early, and growth stages. It is not known as a fund-of-funds or an LP in third-party venture funds, though its late-stage Select strategies occasionally co-invest alongside other large growth investors.
What investment stages does Lightspeed typically target?
Lightspeed invests from seed and Series A through growth equity. Its core early-stage funds typically lead or co-lead Series A and B rounds, while the Lightspeed Select series targets late-stage and pre-IPO rounds. The firm also maintains a dedicated opportunity fund for follow-on investments in portfolio companies.
How is Lightspeed related to other venture firms with similar names?
Lightspeed is unrelated to Lightspeed Venture Partners, the consumer-technology-focused firm. The full legal name is Lightspeed Management Company, L.L.C., operating under the Lightspeed brand. It is not affiliated with Lightspeed Trading or any other financial services entity.
What is Lightspeed's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Lightspeed actively co-invests with other venture and growth firms, particularly in late-stage rounds requiring larger capital pools. In its early-stage practice, the firm typically leads or co-leads rounds and encourages syndicate construction with other seed-stage specialists.
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