Alex Taussig
Board Partner
Lightspeed Venture Partners
Lightspeed board partner and former consumer co-head backing marketplaces and software.
Bio
Professional summary
Arif Janmohamed is a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, based in Menlo Park. His official Lightspeed profile lists AI on his profile and describes his earlier experience as a chip designer and product manager at venture-backed startups such as WebTV and Andes Networks. The profile says he joined Lightspeed in 2008 with a focus on cloud and datacenter technologies, enterprise mobile, and SaaS, and that he has helped six companies toward acquisition and one to IPO. His education includes a BSc in computer engineering from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. The profile emphasizes his founder-partnering style and long-term orientation toward enterprise company building.
Investment focus
Stage, sector, and overall fit
Stage
early stagegrowthIPO/exit
Sector
AIenterpriseclouddatacenter technologiesenterprise mobileSaaSsecurity
Thesis
AIEnterprise softwareCloud, datacenter technologies, enterprise mobile, and SaaS
Notable companies
Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed
WebTVAndes NetworksAvarraEndor LabsLightSourceNetskopeNavan
How to approach
Framing and angles for outreach
Pitch framing
Frame the company around durable enterprise value, deep technical differentiation, and founder ambition for a long build.
Personalization hooks
- 1Mention technical founder insight or infrastructure depth if relevant.
- 2Connect the pitch to enterprise AI, cloud, security, or SaaS adoption.
- 3His official profile lists ice hockey as a favorite hobby; use only if naturally relevant.
Recent signals
What the partner has said or done recently
Official profile links recent related stories on AI coding security, Navan IPO, Netskope IPO, LightSource, Avarra, and Endor Labs.
Background
Career, education, and skills
Career history
- Lightspeed Venture PartnersPartner2008 – Present
- Cisco SystemsCorporate Business Development (M&A)Unknown – 2008
- Novitas CapitalInvestorUnknown – Unknown
- WebTV (MSFT)Technical/Product ManagementUnknown – Unknown
Education
- The Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaMBA, Business
- University of WaterlooBSc, Computer Engineering
Skills
Enterprise InvestingCloud InfrastructureSaaSAIBoard Governance
Languages
English
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