What’s the story
Lightspeed Venture Partners, a leading global venture capital firm, has raised over $9 billion across six multi-stage funds.
The fundraising is one of the largest this year and highlights the continued interest of investors in AI and technology-led businesses.
The funds will be used for early-stage, growth, and opportunity investments in sectors like AI, enterprise software, fintech, healthcare, and consumer technology.
Lightspeed’s strategic focus on AI and tech startups
The $9 billion fundraising includes $980 million for Venture Partners Fund XV-A, $1.2 billion for Fund XV-B, $1.8 billion for Lightspeed Select VI, and $3.3 billion for Opportunity Fund III.
The firm also raised $600 million through a co-investment vehicle and secured $1.25 billion in single-asset commitments during the year.
Ravi Mhatre, founder and partner at Lightspeed, said “AI is the most transformative technology shift in a generation.”
Lightspeed’s extensive investment in AI-focused companies
Since 2012, Lightspeed has invested over $5.5 billion across 165 AI-focused companies.
Its portfolio includes names like Databricks, Glean, Mistral, Rubrik, Netskope, and Navan.
The firm has also backed capital-intensive AI companies such as Anthropic, which received a $1 billion check from Lightspeed when it co-led the LLM-maker’s $13 billion investment in September.
Lightspeed’s market position post-fundraise
With the latest fundraising, Lightspeed now manages over $40 billion in assets globally.
The firm’s new capital is divided across six funds, including a $3.3 billion opportunity fund for follow-on investments in its fastest-growing portfolio companies.
Other top VC firms that have recently raised massive capital pools include Founders Fund ($4.6 billion growth fund), General Catalyst ($8 billion), and Andreessen Horowitz ($7.2 billion).
