Venture Firm Lightspeed Finds New Hire via Instagram DM, Expands Social Media Presence

Lightspeed, a venture firm, has made headlines by announcing Claire Zau, a popular tech content creator, as its newest hire. Zau has over 100,000 followers on TikTok and over 250,000 followers on Instagram, where she breaks down the day’s biggest tech trends.

Zau and her new partner, Josh Machiz, stopped by the Equity studio to talk about the strategy behind their growing social media presence, their podcast, Lightwork, and how it all started with a direct message on Instagram.

“A lot of people want to participate in the future and are excited about technology,” Zau told Equity. “They just don’t have the facts presented to them in an accessible way. So that’s hopefully the role I feel very lucky and privileged to play.”

Zau, in many ways, is part of a new class of venture operators using social media to connect with new audiences, whether that’s people who are simply tech curious or future founders who may then turn to Lightspeed for a check.

• The podcast she co-hosts with Machitz is part of the new media trend that many venture firms are embracing, where firms take on a greater role in helping their portfolio companies share their stories with the world.

• There’s less and less traditional journalism out there because of layoffs and the consolidation in media, making it harder for startups to get their story out there.

Zau and Machitz see some benefits to expanding the Lightspeed media empire, including connecting with early founders and getting real-time feedback on investments.

“It was, I would even say, humbling,” she said of the direct feedback she would get to some of her videos. “It’s so helpful to have basically real-time visibility into how people are using these technologies and what kinds of narratives are hitting.”

Machiz and Zau also spoke about what comes next for them, including the possibility of another podcast or a TV show.

“Our goal is to be the place where hopefully future founders learn about venture, understand the ecosystem,” Machiz said. “We’re still early days.”

Listen to hear more of the conversation — and what Machiz and Zau have planned next.