Venture capital firms are increasingly turning to creators to cultivate trust with the upcoming generation of founders before investments are finalized. This is a growing trend highlighted by a16z’s purchase of Erik Torenberg’s Turpentine podcast and OpenAI’s acquisition of TBPN. Lightspeed Venture Partners has made its own significant hiring move in this area, enlisting Claire Zau, a seed investor who boasts a large following on Instagram and TikTok, to identify deals and co-host the firm’s new program, Lightwork, with CMO Josh Machiz. 

During this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Dominic-Madori Davis converses with Zau and Machiz to thoroughly discuss whether the “creator-investor” role is evolving into a substantial part of venture or is merely a concept that firms are still attempting to understand. 

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