Faraz Fatemi

The beauty of venture is you can be a dreamer. Looking not at what can go wrong, but rather what can go absolutely right. This upside orientation is what drives me.

Faraz joined Lightspeed as a Partner in 2022 and is focused on investments in AI applications & consumer platforms. Previously, he was an early team member and operator at Clubhouse and Wave, leading monetization and growth initiatives, and spent time on the investing team at Bain Capital Ventures, focused largely on consumer internet and marketplaces. It was during his time at BCV that he first got to know the Lightspeed team, having co-invested in several companies including Cameo and Rubrik.

Faraz grew up in the Bay Area with heavy Persian influence – his primary source of motivation stems from the sacrifices his parents made in immigrating from post-Revolution Iran to the United States to provide future generations the best opportunity for personal and professional success. “My parents sacrificed everything back home to come pursue the American entrepreneurial dream,” said Faraz. His path to venture was also heavily influenced by his parents’ professional experiences – his father works in finance, which helped instill Faraz’s love for the quantitative side of company building, and his mother is a psychologist, which spurred Faraz’s interest in the human and community side of startups and understanding what truly brings people together.

To Faraz, “community is at the center of everything,” and there are many different communities he spends his free time with: founder communities through his involvement as LA Chapter Lead with On Deck and separately as mentor for UC Berkeley’s SkyDeck accelerator; philanthropic communities through his fundraising involvement with organizations including Make-A-Wish; the broader LA startup community; and even communities of puppy parents at places like DOG PPL. Building and actively contributing to communities is his passion. “Part of the reason I’ve become so drawn to consumer platforms is the importance of network effects and the power of technology to amplify community building efforts on both a micro and macro level,” said Faraz.

Faraz graduated from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and currently lives in Los Angeles with his fiancée and goldendoodle. When he’s not investing, advising or building communities, he loves exploring all LA has to offer – “beautiful beaches, amazing hikes, and delicious food.” And despite moving to Southern California, he remains a devoted Bay Area sports fan.