Adrian Radu

Adrian joined Lightspeed in 2021 as a Partner on the Growth team focused on U.S. and European Tech. He brings experience and a perspective to his day to day that “there is no one correct approach to scaling in venture, but being authentic and genuinely yourself goes a long way in this industry.”

Prior to Lightspeed, Adrian worked at Qatalyst Partners, where he advised European technology companies on M&A.  “There is so much innovation coming out of Europe — there are more European privately-held unicorns and world-beating solutions from start-ups across Fintech, Gaming, Marketplaces, Music, RPA, Security and Travel than ever before,” says Adrian. 

Born and raised in the U.K., Adrian’s parents emigrated from Romania following the revolution, making England their new home. Their key objective was to guarantee their children the best opportunities, instilling the values of hard work, determination and resourcefulness in the process. Adrian’s father worked in the space satellite industry and his passion for technology spilled over into the home, inspiring a shared excitement around and deep appreciation for technology.  

At Qatalyst, Adrian spent the majority of his time advising leadership on their strategic options, including M&A. During that time, he worked on the Tink / Visa, Peakon / Workday, Instana / IBM, Dialog / Renasas, and Spacemaker / Autodesk transactions. Hearing founders talk about their vision, their disregard for the status quo, and how they went from concept to reality, inspired him to go support and empower the next generation of disruptors and led him to Lightspeed. Before Qatalyst, Adrian held roles within corporate advisory at Ondra Partners, and Jefferies, within M&A, in London. 

Adrian graduated from Imperial Business School with a Master’s degree in Investment and Wealth Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics at Southampton University. When he’s not working, you can find him on the tennis or squash courts, skiing, or at an art gallery. He also enjoys drawing and painting and rooting for Chelsea Football Club.