How Lightspeed found its newest hire … via Instagram DM

Lightspeed 是如何通过 Instagram 私信找到最新员工的

Earlier this year, Lightspeed made headlines when it announced that Claire Zau, an investor and popular tech content creator, would join the venture firm. She has more than 100,000 followers on TikTok and over 250,000 followers on Instagram, where she breaks down the day’s biggest tech trends. 今年早些时候，Lightspeed 宣布投资人兼知名科技内容创作者 Claire Zau 将加入该公司，这一消息引发了广泛关注。Zau 在 TikTok 上拥有超过 10 万粉丝，在 Instagram 上拥有超过 25 万粉丝，她经常在这些平台上深度解析每日最热门的科技趋势。

Lightspeed partners Josh Machiz and Zau 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. Lightspeed 合伙人 Josh Machiz 和 Zau 近日做客 Equity 工作室，探讨了他们不断增长的社交媒体影响力背后的策略、他们的播客节目《Lightwork》，以及这一切是如何从一条 Instagram 私信开始的。

“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.” “很多人都渴望参与未来，并对科技感到兴奋，”Zau 对 Equity 表示，“只是他们缺乏以易于理解的方式呈现的事实。所以我感到非常幸运和荣幸，能够扮演这个角色。”

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. 在许多方面，Zau 代表了新一代的风险投资从业者，他们利用社交媒体与新的受众群体建立联系，无论是单纯对科技感到好奇的人，还是未来可能向 Lightspeed 寻求融资的创业者。

The podcast she co-hosts with Machiz, Lightspeed’s CMO, 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. 她与 Lightspeed 首席营销官 (CMO) Machiz 共同主持的播客，是许多风投机构正在拥抱的新媒体趋势的一部分。在这种趋势下，风投机构在帮助其投资组合公司向世界讲述自身故事方面发挥着更大的作用。

“There’s less and less traditional journalism out there because of layoffs and the consolidation in media,” Machiz said. “If you’re a startup, it’s harder to get your story out there. There are less places to go to get it out. There’s now pretty heavy bars to get your funding story out. And so we hope to also be able to provide in the new media world another opportunity to tell your story.” “由于裁员和媒体行业的整合，传统新闻报道越来越少，”Machiz 说道，“如果你是一家初创公司，想要传播你的故事变得更加困难。可以发布信息的渠道变少了，发布融资新闻的门槛也变得很高。因此，我们希望能在新媒体世界中，为初创公司提供另一个讲述故事的机会。”

So far, the duo — and the firm — see some benefits to expanding the Lightspeed media empire. Connecting with early founders is the main one, but being online also helps them get real-time feedback on investments and new technology. 到目前为止，这对搭档以及 Lightspeed 公司都看到了扩张其媒体版图带来的益处。与早期创业者建立联系是主要目的，但保持在线活跃度也帮助他们获得了关于投资和新技术的实时反馈。

For example, Zau talked about how, within the Silicon Valley bubble, everyone was so excited to cut a check for a new AI startup, but then she would talk about the investment online and get the sense that Gen Z was actually quite anti-AI. 例如，Zau 提到在硅谷的圈子里，每个人都对投资新的 AI 初创公司感到兴奋，但当她在网上讨论这些投资时，她感觉到 Z 世代实际上对 AI 持相当抵触的态度。

“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.” “我甚至可以说，这让我感到谦卑，”她谈到自己视频下收到的直接反馈时说，“能够实时了解人们如何使用这些技术，以及什么样的叙事方式能引起共鸣，这非常有帮助。”

Machiz and Zau also spoke to Equity about what comes next for them. Another podcast? A TV show one day? “Our goal is to be the place where hopefully future founders learn about venture, understand the ecosystem,” Machiz said. “We’re still early days.” Machiz 和 Zau 还向 Equity 透露了他们接下来的计划。是再做一个播客？还是未来制作一档电视节目？“我们的目标是成为一个让未来创业者了解风投、理解生态系统的地方，”Machiz 说，“我们目前还处于起步阶段。”

Listen to hear more of the conversation — and what Machiz and Zau have planned next. 收听节目以了解更多对话内容，以及 Machiz 和 Zau 的后续计划。