CAREY LAI

Carey Lai stands as a prominent figure in the venture capital landscape, currently serving as a Managing Director at Conductive Ventures. In this pivotal role, he is instrumental in leading the firm's investment strategies, focusing on high-growth, early-stage technology companies. Conductive Ventures is known for its strategic investments in B2B software, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and fintech sectors, targeting companies typically at the Series A or Series B stage that demonstrate robust product market fit and significant revenue traction.

Lai's investment focus at Conductive Ventures is sharply honed on disruptive technologies that are transforming enterprise operations. He actively seeks out companies developing innovative SaaS solutions, advanced AI platforms, and groundbreaking fintech infrastructure. His expertise lies in identifying startups with strong technical teams, scalable business models, and the potential to become market leaders. He works closely with portfolio companies, providing strategic guidance and leveraging his deep industry network to foster their growth and success.

Before joining Conductive Ventures, Carey Lai built a distinguished career marked by significant contributions across various investment roles. He previously served as a Partner at August Capital, where he continued to focus on SaaS, cloud computing, and fintech investments, further solidifying his reputation as a discerning investor in enterprise technology. Prior to August Capital, Lai was a Vice President at SAP Ventures, now known as Sapphire Ventures, gaining valuable experience in corporate venture capital and strategic investments. His career foundation was established in investment banking at Credit Suisse, where he developed a strong analytical and financial acumen that underpins his investment decisions today. Lai holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS from the University of California, Berkeley, providing him with a robust academic background in business and finance.

Throughout his career, Carey Lai has been involved in identifying and supporting numerous successful technology companies. While specific individual investments are often attributed to the firm, his work at Conductive Ventures has contributed to the firm's impressive portfolio, which includes companies like Plaid (fintech infrastructure), Sprinklr (customer experience management), Pendo (product analytics), Snyk (developer security), Vercel (frontend development platform), Benchling (R&D cloud for biotech), Tecton (ML feature platform), and Abnormal Security (email security). These investments exemplify his commitment to backing innovative solutions that address critical enterprise needs and drive technological advancement.