Founders chose Lightspeed as the most impactful lead investor in gaming of 2023.

Gaming and interactive media,
from first check to IPO.

01
/
PLATFORM

Depth is our center of gravity

It’s how we build and maintain a mastery that enables unwavering conviction in the companies we back.

Today, we manage the largest set of funds with a dedicated gaming practice. We currently invest from an over $6.5 billion pool of early and growth-stage capital.

Our combination of knowledge, support, and organizational culture sets us apart within the industry.

2006
Gaming investors
since
$29B
in Assets Under
management
12
Offices across America, Europe and Asia
190+
IPOs and
Acquisitions
KNOWLEDGE

Authentic industry expertise

Lightspeed has successfully invested in gaming and interactive technology for almost two decades—from early wins like Playdom and Snap to recent breakouts like Epic Games, Inworld AI, and Tripledot Studios.

Our core team includes a former #1 ranked professional player, a game studio founder, and a gametester turned private equity professional.

Support

A global, multi-stage investment fund

Great ideas originate and reach across the world; that’s why Lightspeed operates globally. Backed by respected and mission-aligned institutions, we solve for “doing the right thing”—with a rare ability to support our portfolio companies with the capital, talent, and network throughout their journey to greatness.

We helped many founders achieve worldwide success, and we vividly remember what it looked like at the outset of our partnership.

2006
Gaming investors
since
$29B+
in Assets Under
management
13
Offices including global partners
190+
IPOs and
Acquisitions
Culture and Values

One Lightspeed

In an industry that glorifies individual stars and their egos, we believe that true partnerships build more repeated success—and that reputation is built from the inside out.

That’s why our team of partners invests jointly from a shared family of funds that bridges the traditional borders and limits of sectors and geographies.

02
/
FOUNDERS

When we partner, we mean it

Don’t just take our word for it. We’ve been investors, board members, and advisors to entrepreneurs who led the creation of video games like Fortnite, Call of Duty, League of Legends, Halo, Destiny, Overwatch, Sky, Valorant, Apex Legends, StarCraft II, and Warcraft III.

We asked some of them about what they thought Lightspeed's superpower was.

Chris Bell
Dave Ratti
Evan Spiegel
Frank Gigliotti
Ilya Gelfenbeyn
Juha Paananen
Kirin Sinha
Kylan Gibbs
Michael Chow
Patrick Wyatt
Pierina Merino
Steven Snow

Building Iconic Companies, Together

As conviction-based investors, each of our investment partners teams up with only a few companies per year. This allows us to be with you in the trenches and continually earn our seat at the table.

Our founders deserve more than an army of advisors, but senior veterans who roll up their sleeves and generate real outcomes.

lightning
Executive & Talent Hiring

Meet our world-class talent team.

We believe access to the best talent in the world through our in-house support and partner agencies is the difference between building good companies and iconic ones.

Fundraising & Syndication

We’ll help you raise future rounds.

Countless financings we led were followed by the world’s most renowned VCs, strategic parties, and angels; and our multi-stage setup allows us to reserve ample capital for follow-on investments.

Operations & Execution

We’ve seen this movie before.

We won't just give you money and high fives; we want to dream with you, work through inevitable pivots and downturns. And be by your side when you go public.

Marketing & Publishing

Helping you make a splash.

In part thanks to our global footprint, network, and relationships, we're close with all the relevant outlets and publishers in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Business Development

Skip the red tape.

Over the past two decades, we’ve formed deep relationships and authentic connections with every major gaming, media, and technology company.

Networking & Introductions

We’ll open all doors, and then some.

Every year, we host the world’s leading private gaming event, convening over 250 CEOs, CFOs, and C-level executives of public companies and emerging unicorns.

Every year—together with partners from Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and Sony—we host the world’s leading private gaming event, convening CEOs, CFOs, and C-level executives of public companies and emerging unicorns.

LEADING THE WAY

We build amazing syndicates with our founders. Here are some examples of our previous investors who followed our lead checks.

AmazonAmazon
DisneyDisney
Epic GamesEpic Games
Goldman SachsGoldman Sachs
GoogleGoogle
HTCHTC
IntelIntel
LegoLego
MetaMeta
MicrosoftMicrosoft
NetEaseNetEase
NianticNiantic
NintendoNintendo
NvidiaNvidia
QualcommQualcomm
Riot GamesRiot Games
SamsungSamsung
SonySony
Stanford UniversityStanford University
Take Two InteractiveTake Two Interactive
TencentTencent
UbisoftUbisoft
03
/
THESIS

The infinite power of play

For half a century, video games have profoundly shaped consumer behavior and acted as a catalyst for significant technological innovation.

As an ever-increasing time of our lives is spent in immersive virtual worlds, gaming is expected to continue its pivotal role in how we play, work, and connect.

$6.5B+
Current Pool of Capital
$2M - $100M+
INVESTMENT RANGE
75%+
Deals Led
Seed – Series B
Sweet Spot

We have a heritage of partnering with gaming founders since 2006—often starting at the Seed round.

We partner with extraordinary founders building:

Game Studios

Creators not only of games—but worlds. Leaning into technological paradigm shifts to bring previously impossible player dreams to life. Like Believer, Epic Games, and Gardens Interactive.

PC
Console
Mobile
Cloud
Interactive Platforms

Communities and networks that redefine how we play, work, and connect. Like Giphy, Snap, and Volley.

Social
UGC
Distribution
Streaming
Analytics
AI & 3D TECHNOLOGies

Infrastructure for the creation and access of virtual worlds, including artificial intelligence and extended reality. Like Inworld AI, Suno, and Pika.

AI/ML
3D Assets
Engines
Game Development
AR/VR
Web3
(
)
Studio
(
)
Platform
(
)
Studio
(
)
Platform
(
)
Platform
(
)
Platform
(
)
Studio
Acquired
(
Meta
)
Platform
(
)
Studio
(
)
Platform
(
)
Platform
Acquired
(
MTG
)
Studio
(
)
Studio
(
)
Platform
(
)
Studio
(
)
Studio
Acquired
(
Disney
)
Studio
Trading
(
MATIC
)
Platform
IPO
(
NYSE:SNAP
)
Platform
(
)
Studio

As a firm, we place a significant focus on generative AI startups that are not only improving developer workflows—but build completely novel, previously impossible player and creator experiences.

(
)
Generative AI
(
)
Generative AI
(
)
Generative AI
(
)
Generative AI
(
)
Generative AI
(
)
Generative AI
(
)
Generative AI
(
)
Generative AI
(
)
Generative AI
(
)
Generative AI
04
/
PORTFOLIO

Possibility grows the deeper you go

No spray and pray. Complete immersion is the heart of our philosophy for investing, and what separates us from speculators and opportunists.

Dedicating ourselves to our founders’ businesses and growing with them means we can help build something truly impactful.

05
/
TEAM

No individual egos

It’s intentional that no one’s last name is on the building. We’re at our best as a global team—and operate as a true partnership. Unlike many other firms of our size, our partners invest together from a joint family of funds.

While we’re all individually specialized, we’re collectively aligned to help entrepreneurs and innovations that transcend the borders of sectors and geographies. This is one of many reasons why every investor opens up their expertise and network to help all of our companies—from gaming to consumer, enterprise, fintech, and blockchain.

Core Gaming Team

Moritz Baier-Lentz
Moritz Baier-Lentz
Seed - Growth
Los Angeles
Favorite Games
Diablo IIRocket League

Moritz is a lifelong gamer who spent the majority of his teenage years competitively playing Blizzard’s Diablo II—culminating in a global #1 ranking among 13 million players in 2003. The first person in his family to graduate high school, he traded the digital swords and armor that he earned in-game to afford his college tuition—approximately two decades before NFTs entered the mainstream.

Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy
Seed - Series B
London
Favorite Games
Sky: Children of the LightAlto's Adventure

Like many, Paul’s formative years in technology started with gaming, where he found a way to solder modified chips on his high school classmates’ (and a few teachers’) gaming consoles so they could all play networked games together. Many years later, Paul co-founded his own game studio, Dots, which quickly rose to popularity.

Faraz Fatemi
Faraz Fatemi
Seed - Series B
Los Angeles
Favorite Games
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare IIMadden NFL

Faraz's passion for gaming stretches back nearly three decades to countless summer days spent challenging friends to Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam on his first ever console, the Sega Genesis. His first "job" as an early teen was participating in game playtests each weekend to scrape together enough money to buy himself a PSP, to this date his favorite console of all time.

Priscilla Lu
Priscilla Lu
Executive Administration
San Francisco
Favorite Games
Counter-Strike: Global OffensiveWorld of Warcraft

Priscilla’s interest in gaming started with dial-up internet. She began playing Counter-Strike during its Beta release and continues to celebrate its 24-year anniversary today.

Subject matter experts

Interactive Platforms

Alex Taussig
Alex Taussig
Partner
Marketplaces & Economies
Bejul Somaia
Bejul Somaia
Partner
Firm Leadership
Mercedes Bent
Mercedes Bent
Partner
Fintech, Blockchain & Virtual Reality
Michael Mignano
Michael Mignano
Partner
Creator Tools & Platforms
Nicole Quinn
Nicole Quinn
Partner
Platforms & Social Networks

AI & 3D Technologies

Gaurav Gupta
Gaurav Gupta
Partner
Data & Machine Learning
Nnamdi Iregbulem
Nnamdi Iregbulem
Partner
Developer Infrastructure
Ravi Mhatre
Ravi Mhatre
Partner
Firm Leadership
Raviraj Jain
Raviraj Jain
Partner
Artificial Intelligence & Frontier Technology

Global Presence

Antoine Moyroud
Antoine Moyroud
David Gussarsky
David Gussarsky
Harsha Kumar
Harsha Kumar
Partner
Bengaluru
Pinn  Lawjindakul
Pinn Lawjindakul
Partner
Singapore

Founder Success

Charlotte van Reyk
Charlotte van Reyk
Vice President
Platform
Meredith Kendall Maines
Meredith Kendall Maines
Partner
Marketing & PR
Nicole North
Nicole North
Partner
Executive Talent
Pete Steinle
Pete Steinle
Partner
Sales & BD Talent
Rachel Manson
Rachel Manson
Vice President
Marketing & PR
Sam Wholley
Sam Wholley
Partner
Developer Talent

Industry Partners

Media & Thought Leadership
Exclusive Annual CEO Summits
CEO Events & Insights
Industry Insights & Analytics
Game Changers Program
Recruiting & Talent Support
Executive Education for Founders

Lightspeed Advisory Council

Our founders also benefit from direct access to many of today's greatest builders across gaming & interactive media, consumer, and enterprise technology.

Bernard Kim
Former President
ZyngaZynga
Danny Lange
SVP of AI
GoogleGoogle
Dara Khosrowshahi
CEO
UberUber
Gustav Soderstrom
CPO & CTO
SpotifySpotify
John Hanke
Founder & CEO
NianticNiantic
John W. Thompson
Former Chairman
MicrosoftMicrosoft
Manuel Bronstein
CPO
RobloxRoblox
Michael Eisner
Former Chairman & CEO
DisneyDisney
Strauss Zelnick
Chairman & CEO
Take Two InteractiveTake Two Interactive
Vanessa Pappas
Former COO
TikTokTikTok
Walter Driver
Chairman & Co-CEO
ScopelyScopely
Yamini Rangan
CEO
HubspotHubspot