Lightspeed China Partners: Funding, Team & Investors

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Lightspeed China Partners: Funding, Team & Investors | Startup Intros

About

Lightspeed China Partners is a venture capital firm that specializes in early-stage and emerging growth investments, primarily within the internet, mobile, and technology sectors in China. The firm identifies and supports innovative companies, providing capital and strategic guidance to accelerate their development in a dynamic market. Its investment strategy centers on deep engagement with entrepreneurs and a focus on disruptive business models.

The firm was founded in 2011 by James Mi, who served as a founding partner. Initially established as the dedicated China-focused investment arm of Lightspeed Venture Partners, it evolved into an independent venture capital group. This strategic evolution allowed it to tailor its investment approach specifically to the nuances and opportunities within the Chinese entrepreneurial ecosystem, building on a robust foundation of global venture expertise.

Lightspeed China Partners actively partners with visionary entrepreneurs, offering more than just capital to its portfolio companies; it aims to be a collaborative force in building significant enterprises. The firm's long-term vision involves fostering innovation and creating lasting value by empowering founders to realize their ambitious goals, thereby shaping the future landscape of technology and commerce in China.

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
Nov 27, 2025	Hypershell	$70.0M Series B	Elwin Yuan, Guanghe Venture, Monolith	王新宇 Sean Wang, Hongshan Capital Group (Sequoia Capital China), IDG Capital, Vitalbridge Capital
Apr 1, 2022	Laiye	$70.0M Series C	Hopu Magnolia	Menlo Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, VMS Group
Feb 1, 2022	Ro	$150.0M Series U	ShawSpring Partners	Accel, Adverb Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Chloe Sladden, Basis Set Ventures, BITKRAFT Ventures, Bono, BoxGroup, Caffeinated Capital, Crosscut Ventures, Curie.Bio, Dig Ventures, Electric Capital, Emergence Capital, ENIAC Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Eric Rosenblum, Footwork, FTX Ventures, Gaingels, General Catalyst, Great Oaks Venture Capital, GSR Ventures, Hardware Club, Heretic Ventures, Highbury Group, Insight Partners, Kindred Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Madrona Ventures, Mayfield, Mischief Venture Capital, Moxxie Ventures, mParticle, NEO, Hilarie Koplow-McAdams, Next Play Ventures, Operator Partners, Origin Ventures, Outlander Labs, Portal Ventures, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Quiet Capital, RSE Ventures, SciFi VC, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, SignalFire, Sound Ventures, South Park Commons, Starting Line, Stellar Capital, Summit Partners, TCG (The Chernin Group), The Finger Group, Y Combinator, Aaron Levie, Asher Leids, Ben Davenport, Bill Tai, Charlie Songhurst, Drew Houston, Eric Ries, Frederic Kerrest, Jon Gelsey, Julia Hartz, Scott Belsky, Spencer Slaine, Tony Hawk, Varsha Rao, Wyc Grousbeck, Altimeter Capital, Baupost Group, Initialized Capital, The Chernin Group, TQ Ventures
Jan 13, 2022	Starfield	$100.0M Series B	William Wang	Ming Zeng, Joy Capital, Matrix Partners, Sky9 Capital
Jan 5, 2022	MKSEMI	$12.8M Pre-Series A	James Mi	Ivy Capital, Qiming Venture Partners
Jan 1, 2022	MKSEMI	$13.0M Series A	—	Gaorong Capital
Jan 1, 2022	Starfield Food & Science Technology	$100.0M Series B	William Wang	Granite Asia, Qiming Venture Partners, Samuel, Sky9 Capital, Ming Zeng, Joy Capital, Matrix Partners
Nov 1, 2021	Reprise	$62.0M Series B	ICONIQ Capital	2xN, 645 Ventures, Addition, Afore Capital, Altair Capital Management, Alt Capital, Alumni Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Angel investor, Arkitekt Ventures, August Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Banana Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Boldstart Ventures, Boost VC, BoxGroup, Broadway Angels, Buckley Ventures, C2 Investment, Cedar Capital Group, Costanoa Ventures, Countdown Capital, CRV, Curie.Bio, Fifth Down Capital, Firework Ventures, First Round Capital, Founder Collective, Founders Fund, Freestyle Capital, Glasswing Ventures, Gradient Ventures, Granite Asia, GSR Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Jude Gomila Rolling Fund, Kleiner Perkins, LGF, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Lobby Capital, Lux Capital, Madrona Ventures, Maverick Capital, Mayfield, Metanoia, Mischief Venture Capital, Not Boring Capital, Operator Partners, Paradigm, Penny Jar Capital, Qualcomm Ventures, Revolution, Saga, Scalar Capital, Scout Ventures, Section 32, Seven Seven Six, SNR, SV Angel, Thirty Five Ventures, Threshold Ventures, Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund, Trinity Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Vibe Capital, Y Combinator, Alice Zhang, Allison Pickens (Allison Pickens Ventures), Ashley Larson, Colin Carrier, Dylan Field, Edvard Engesæth, Elliott Cohen, Eric Wu, Harry Hurst, Howie Liu, Immad Akhund, John Collison, Jon Gelsey, Kelvin Beachum Jr., Mark Ghermezian, Max Mullen, Oliver Cameron, Pau Gasol, Sam Altman, Scott Belsky, Trevor Noah, Jack Altman, Jayni Shah, John Nisi, Lauren Farleigh, Nick Mehta, Phil Fernandez, Rahul Vohra, Ryan Petersen, Sameer Dholakia, Todd Goldberg, Zachary Perret, Accomplice, WndrCo
Nov 1, 2021	Printify	$50.0M Series A	Dino Becirovic	1984 Ventures, 75 & Sunny, 7percent Ventures, Accel, Acequia Capital, AlleyCorp, Alpine Ventures, Alt Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Atomico, Bain Capital Ventures, Bling Capital, bloom venture partners, Bora&Sons, BoxGroup, Camber Creek, CapitalG, Catapult Capital, Change Ventures, Citi Ventures, Concrete Ventures, Contrarian Ventures, Contrary Capital, CRV, Dreamers VC, FJ Labs, Flashpoint VC, Foundation Capital, Founders Fund, Gaingels, Great Oaks Venture Capital, GSR Ventures, Haatch, Hitachi Ventures, Intel Capital, Khosla Ventures, Kima Ventures, L Catterton Growth, Madrona Ventures, Magma Partners, Market One Capital, Mayfield, Mischief Venture Capital, Moxxie Ventures, N49P Ventures, NextView Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners, Otherwise Fund, Outrun Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Punch Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Sarona Ventures, Scribble Ventures, Second Century Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Softbank Group, SoftBank Investment Advisers, SRB Ventures, Streamlined Ventures, SV Angel, Tapas Capital, Techstars, Third Point Ventures, Thirty Five Ventures, Trajectory Ventures, Tribe Capital, TrueSight Ventures, Two Small Fish Ventures, UpHonest Capital, Vibe Capital, Walden Catalyst Ventures, XFactor Ventures, Y Combinator, Adrian Aoun, Ameet Ranadive, Bob Young, Bradley Horowitz, Charlie Cheever, Chris Murphy, Dharmesh Shah, Eric Wu, Evan Moore, Evan Williams, Fabio Cannavale, Gokul Rajaram, Guy Podjarny, Haroon Mokhtarzada, Ilya Kondrashov, Immad Akhund, Jacqueline Reses, Jeff Bezos, Jeffrey Wilke, Jeff Seibert, Johnny Boufarhat, Jon Gelsey, Joshua Schachter, Juha Paananen, Kevin Lin, Kevin Weil, Konstantin von Unger, Liu Jiang, Louis Beryl, Manik Gupta, Mantas Mikuckas, Markus Villig, Martin Henk, Martin Villig, Maximilian Tayenthal, Ott Kaukver, Paul Graham, Pete Koomen, Peter Kazanjy, Ragnar Sass, Richard Branson, rich simoni, Rohini Pandhi, Rolf Schrömgens, Sam Altman, Scott Belsky, Steve Chen, Thomas Dohmke, Thomas Plantenga, Tobias Lutke, Triin Hertmann, Varsha Rao, Wayne Chang, Elise Fahlén, Richard Branson
Sep 1, 2021	MingMed	$50.0M Series A	—	Gaorong Capital
Aug 2, 2021	BMSer Technoogy	$15.5M Series B	Lightspeed China Partners	—
Aug 1, 2021	Yellow.ai	$78.0M Series C	Sapphire Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, Sumir Chadha	Accel, Dell Technologies Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed India Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures, Social Capital, Prashant Malik
Jun 1, 2021	Hesai Technology	$300.0M Series D	Meituan, CPE, Xiaomi	BoxGroup, GSR Ventures, Madrona Ventures, Mayfield, Mischief Venture Capital, Qiming Venture Partners, Jon Gelsey, Scott Belsky, Baidu, Bosch, Lightspeed Venture Partners, ON Semiconductor
May 1, 2021	Madrona Venture Labs	$8.0M Series U	—	75 & Sunny, BoxGroup, Foundation Capital, GSR Ventures, Hambro Perks, Madrona Ventures, Mayfield, Mischief Venture Capital, Kurt Bilafer, Mark Pincus, Scott Belsky
May 1, 2021	TwinStrand Biosciences	$50.0M Series B	Section 32	BoxGroup, GSR Ventures, Madrona Ventures, Mayfield, Mischief Venture Capital, Third Rock Ventures, Jon Gelsey, Scott Belsky, Alexandria Venture Investments, Janus Henderson Investors, Ridgeback Capital Investments, Soleus Capital
Apr 13, 2021	StoneWise	$100.0M Series B	Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund, Legend Capital, Lightspeed China Partners	CDH Investments, Eastern Bell Capital, Hillhouse Capital, Linear Capital, SIG China
Apr 1, 2021	Laiye	$50.0M Series C	Ping An Voyager Partners, Shanghai AI Industry Investment Fund	Menlo Ventures, Hongshan Capital Group (Sequoia Capital China), Lightspeed Venture Partners, Wu Capital
Mar 1, 2021	MingMed	$60.0M Series A	—	Gaorong Capital
Mar 1, 2021	Celential.ai	$10.0M Series A	GSR Ventures	BoxGroup, Foothill Ventures (formerly Tsingyuan Ventures), Madrona Ventures, Mayfield, Mischief Venture Capital, The House Fund, TSVC Capital, Uncork Capital, Webb Investment Network, Jon Gelsey, Scott Belsky, Spider Capital, TSVC
Nov 23, 2020	Huochebang	$1.7B Other Equity	Fidelity Management & Research Company, Hongshan Capital Group (Sequoia Capital China), Permira, SoftBank	GGV Capital, Hillhouse Capital, Tencent, Yunfeng Capital
Jul 1, 2020	Ro	$200.0M Series C	General Catalyst	Accel, Basis Set Ventures, BITKRAFT Ventures, Bono, BoxGroup, Crosscut Ventures, Curie.Bio, Dig Ventures, Emergence Capital, ENIAC Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Eric Rosenblum, FTX Ventures, Gaingels, Great Oaks Venture Capital, GSR Ventures, Insight Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Madrona Ventures, Mayfield, Mischief Venture Capital, Moxxie Ventures, mParticle, NEO, Hilarie Koplow-McAdams, Next Play Ventures, Operator Partners, Origin Ventures, Outlander Labs, Portal Ventures, QueensBridge Venture Partners, RSE Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, SignalFire, Sound Ventures, Starting Line, Stellar Capital, Summit Partners, TCG (The Chernin Group), The Finger Group, Y Combinator, Asher Leids, Charlie Songhurst, Eric Ries, Frederic Kerrest, Jon Gelsey, Scott Belsky, Spencer Slaine, Tony Hawk, Varsha Rao, Wyc Grousbeck, 3L Capital, Initialized Capital, Zachariah Reitano, Torch Capital, TQ Ventures
Apr 1, 2020	Yellow.ai	$20.0M Series B	Amy Wu	Lightspeed India Partners, Menlo Ventures, Prashant Malik
Mar 1, 2020	HashiCorp	$180.0M Series E	Jonathan Curtis	Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, BoxGroup, Craft Ventures, Dell Technologies Capital, Energy Impact Partners, Flybridge Capital Partners, Founder Collective, Goldcrest Capital, GSR Ventures, Lux Capital, Madrona Ventures, Mango Capital, Mayfield, Mischief Venture Capital, Glenn Solomon, Notable Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, SNR, Telstra Ventures, Jeff Seibert, Jon Gelsey, Scott Belsky, Wayne Chang
Feb 1, 2020	Laiye	$42.0M Series C	Lightspeed China Partners, Amy Wu	Menlo Ventures, Cathay Innovation, Wu Capital
Jan 1, 2020	Hesai Technology	$140.0M Series C	Bosch, Lightspeed Venture Partners	BoxGroup, GSR Ventures, Madrona Ventures, Mayfield, Mischief Venture Capital, Jon Gelsey, Scott Belsky, Axiom Asia Private Capital, ON Semiconductor, Qiming Venture Partners

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Lightspeed China Partners.

Co-Founder and Partner

Jingying Li

PR Manager

Ron Cao

Co-Founder and Managing Director

Leadership Team

Key people at Lightspeed China Partners.

Co-Founder and Partner

Jingying Li

PR Manager

Ron Cao

Co-Founder and Managing Director

Deep Dive

Lightspeed China Partners (LCP) is a leading China-focused venture capital firm specializing in early-stage and emerging growth investments. Its mission centers on partnering with entrepreneurs to foster sustainable development and innovation, primarily investing in sectors such as green technology, deep technology, enterprise services, health technology, and consumer markets. LCP leverages its strong relationship with the global Lightspeed Venture Partners network to provide international value-added capabilities, supporting startups with capital and strategic resources to accelerate growth and impact the Chinese startup ecosystem positively[1][2][3].

Founded in 2011 and based in Shanghai, Lightspeed China Partners was established as the Chinese counterpart to Lightspeed Venture Partners, a global multi-stage venture capital firm. The founding partners brought deep industry expertise and a vision to focus on early-stage investments in Internet, mobile, services, and enterprise solutions within China. Over time, LCP has evolved to emphasize sectors aligned with emerging global trends such as sustainability and deep tech, while maintaining a strong commitment to nurturing startups through active partnership and operational support[2][3][4].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: LCP focuses on early-stage and emerging growth companies, often leading rounds with significant investments (minimum around $1 million), emphasizing deep involvement rather than passive funding[2][6].
Network Strength: It benefits from a close partnership with Lightspeed Venture Partners, providing startups access to a global network, cross-border expertise, and international markets[2][5].
Track Record: With over 270 investments and multiple successful exits, LCP has demonstrated a strong ability to identify and scale promising ventures in China’s dynamic tech landscape[2].
Operating Support: The firm offers hands-on operational assistance, leveraging industry insights and ecosystem connections to help portfolio companies grow sustainably[1][3].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Lightspeed China Partners rides the wave of China’s rapid digital transformation and the global push towards sustainable and deep technologies. The timing is critical as China accelerates innovation in green tech, semiconductor manufacturing, AI, and enterprise digitalization. Market forces such as government support for tech innovation, growing consumer demand, and increasing global integration favor LCP’s investment focus. By backing early-stage companies in these sectors, LCP influences the broader ecosystem by enabling the rise of new technology leaders and fostering cross-border collaboration between China and international markets[1][2][3].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Lightspeed China Partners is poised to deepen its focus on sectors like green technology and health tech, aligning with global sustainability trends and China’s strategic priorities. The firm’s influence is likely to expand as it continues to leverage its global network and operational expertise to support startups scaling domestically and internationally. Emerging technologies such as AI, semiconductors, and enterprise digital solutions will shape its investment trajectory, positioning LCP as a key player in bridging innovation between China and the world. This sustained commitment to early-stage innovation underscores LCP’s role as a catalyst for the next generation of transformative companies in China’s tech ecosystem[1][2][3][5].

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Lightspeed China Partners?

Lightspeed China Partners was founded in 2011 by Herry Han (Co-Founder and Partner) and Ron Cao (Co-Founder and Managing Director).

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Lightspeed China Partners?

Lightspeed China Partners was founded in 2011 by Herry Han (Co-Founder and Partner) and Ron Cao (Co-Founder and Managing Director).

Deep Dive

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: LCP focuses on early-stage and emerging growth companies, often leading rounds with significant investments (minimum around $1 million), emphasizing deep involvement rather than passive funding[2][6].
Network Strength: It benefits from a close partnership with Lightspeed Venture Partners, providing startups access to a global network, cross-border expertise, and international markets[2][5].
Track Record: With over 270 investments and multiple successful exits, LCP has demonstrated a strong ability to identify and scale promising ventures in China’s dynamic tech landscape[2].
Operating Support: The firm offers hands-on operational assistance, leveraging industry insights and ecosystem connections to help portfolio companies grow sustainably[1][3].