Fund I · $3M – $5M · Los Angeles

Seeking Enduring Infrastructure Companies.

Lightside partners with founders before consensus forms — at the AI, compute, and distributed systems layer that will define how value flows for the next generation.

Pitch The TeamAbout us
Stage
Seed → Series A
Check size
$100K – $250K
Fund I
$3M – $5M
Geography
West Coast
Thesis

The next platform shift will be built on defensible technology.

We invest at the intersection of AI, distributed systems, and compute infrastructure — with a particular emphasis on technologies that enable scalable, cost-efficient, and decentralized digital economies.

We prioritize opportunities where technical defensibility, proprietary systems, and long-term platform potential compound into enduring competitive advantage. Our goal is a concentrated portfolio of companies that become foundational layers of the next generation.

The story

We invest in
infrastructure
economies
depend on.

Railroads, electricity, the internet, the cloud. They didn't just create value, they determined how value flows — who gets access, who captures upside, how entire economies operate. Today, AI, compute, and distributed systems are becoming that next foundational layer. The question isn't whether this infrastructure will be built. It's how, and for whom.

Most capital isn't designed to answer that question. It follows momentum, waits for traction, rewards what's already visible. The most important infrastructure companies rarely look obvious early — they're technical, often misunderstood, and operate ahead of where markets are comfortable. By the time they're recognized, the leverage has already been created.

Lightside exists to operate in that gap.

Principles

A bet on alignment.

The last generation of platforms showed how quickly control centralizes when systems are built without alignment in mind. The next generation offers a different path.

01 — Alignment

Infrastructure is never neutral.

It either concentrates power or expands access. We back systems that are more efficient than extractive, more accessible than gated, designed to scale with users rather than against them. Not as an idealistic stance — as a practical one. Systems that align incentives tend to last.

02 — Conviction

Before consensus forms.

Foundational companies rarely look obvious early. We invest when conviction matters more than pattern recognition — when the technology is real but the market is still uncomfortable with it.

03 — Foundational layer

Where trajectory is set.

Decisions made at the infrastructure layer persist for decades. We focus on pre-seed and seed because that's where protocols, architectures, and economic models are defined — long before they harden into the systems the world runs on.

Focus areas

Where we spend our conviction.

Applied AI

Models, agents, and tooling that move from research artifact to production system.

Distributed Systems

Decentralized digital economies, coordination layers, and resilient compute fabrics.

Compute Infrastructure

The silicon, schedulers, and substrates powering the next decade of intelligence.

Frontier Engineering

Proprietary systems with technical defensibility and durable platform potential.

Geography

The Western states corridor.

Proximity to top research institutions, technical talent, and early-adopter markets — from Southern California through the Bay Area to Seattle, with Phoenix anchoring industrial compute infrastructure.

WashingtonWAOregonORCaliforniaCAIdahoIDMontanaMTNevadaNVUtahUTWyomingWYArizonaAZColoradoCONew MexicoNMLos AngelesLos AngelesBay AreaBay AreaSeattleSeattlePhoenixPhoenix
West Coast CorridorFund I · Active
  • 01
    Los Angeles
    Applied artificial intelligence

    Headquartered in Los Angeles, embedded alongside UCLA, Caltech, and USC — at the center of a rapidly emerging deep tech and applied AI ecosystem.

  • 02
    Bay Area
    Frontier compute

    Active across Stanford, Berkeley, and San Francisco founder networks — where the AI and infrastructure stack is continuously iterated upon.

  • 03
    Seattle
    Cloud & platforms

    Proximity to UW and the operator base behind hyperscale cloud, distributed systems, and developer infrastructure.

  • 04
    Phoenix
    Industrial infrastructure

    Semiconductor and advanced manufacturing buildout reshaping domestic compute, packaging, and industrial capacity.

Portfolio

Backing the foundational layer.

A concentrated portfolio of pre-seed, seed, and Series A companies building at the AI, compute, and distributed systems layer. Lightside leads or co-leads with first checks of $100K–$250K, with selective follow-on into Series A.

Fund I · In motion

The portfolio is being built — quietly.

Fund I is actively deploying. Initial investments will be announced as founders go public with their work.

Pitch The TeamAbout us
  • StagePre-seed → Seed
  • First check$100K – $250K
  • Construction20 – 25 companies
  • Ownership target5% – 10%
  • GeographyWest Coast corridor
01 / Stealth
— — —
Announcement pending founder readiness.
02 / Stealth
— — —
Announcement pending founder readiness.
03 / Stealth
— — —
Announcement pending founder readiness.
04 / Stealth
— — —
Announcement pending founder readiness.
Our edge

A long-term partner, not a spectator.

An extension of the founding team. Lightside is built for founders who value disciplined thinking, intentional execution, and long-term partnership during the earliest and most important stages of company building.

Operator-investor lens

Hands-on experience across product, finance, and systems architecture — not just capital.

University & founder networks

Deep access to emerging research labs and the next wave of technical founders.

Ecosystem participation

Active across venture platforms, founder communities, and institutional partnerships.

Team

The general partner.

Lightside is led by an operator-investor with firsthand experience across product, finance, and emerging technology — backing technical founders before consensus forms.

Abhi Prakash, Founder and General Partner of Lightside

Abhi Prakash

Founder & General Partner

GitHub Instagram LinkedIn Website
Role
Founder & General Partner
Based
Los Angeles / Phoenix
Prior
Adobe · Ernst & Young · General Motors
Education
  • MBA Candidate · UCLA Anderson School of Management
  • M.S. Information Systems · University of Arizona
  • B.A. Economics · University of Arizona

"Lightside exists to partner early with technical founders building the systems that will define the next generation of infrastructure."

Abhi Prakash is the Founder and General Partner of Lightside, a Seed to Series A venture fund focused on next-generation infrastructure across AI, compute, and distributed systems.

He brings a hybrid background as an operator, investor, and advisor — beginning his career in technology before moving into management consulting at Adobe and Ernst & Young, where he built expertise across product management, technical systems, and large-scale business operations.

Abhi operates at the intersection of product, finance, and venture, with direct involvement in building and supporting early-stage technology companies — including work in distributed cloud computing and AI systems. His experience spans product strategy, go-to-market execution, capital formation, and investor engagement.

He is an MBA candidate at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, focused on venture capital, private equity, and technology investing, with leadership roles across Anderson's investment platforms and founder communities. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Arizona in economics and information systems.

Beyond venture, Abhi is a competitive athletics coach and serves on the Board of Directors of Peak Basketball Academy — an experience that informs his approach to leadership, team-building, and long-term development.

Abhi Prakash signature
Abhi Prakash · Founder & General Partner
FAQ

Common questions.

The things founders ask before pitching us.

  • 01

    What should I include in a first pitch?

    Keep it short and technical. We're looking for: a one-line description of what you're building, the system or layer it sits at (AI, compute, distributed systems), the technical insight or unfair advantage behind it, the team and why you're the ones to build it, current status (in research, prototype, in production, with revenue), and how much you're raising. A deck, memo, or short Loom all work — we don't have a preferred format.

  • 02

    What stages do you invest in?

    Pre-seed through Series A, with the majority of Fund I deployed at pre-seed and seed. First checks are $100K – $250K and we're comfortable being the first institutional capital on the cap table. We follow on selectively into rounds we lead or co-lead.

  • 03

    Do I need a warm introduction?

    No. Cold pitches go to abhi@lightside.vc or through the form on this site. We read everything and respond within a week.

  • 04

    Are you sector- or geography-restricted?

    We focus on deep-technology infrastructure across AI, compute, and distributed systems. Geographically we're concentrated in the West Coast corridor — Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Seattle, and Phoenix — but we'll meet exceptional technical founders anywhere.

Pitch checklist

One page. No fluff.

What to include in a first pitch, and which format works best for the work you're doing.

Download PDF
What to include
  • 01
    One line

    What you're building, in plain language.

  • 02
    The layer

    Where it sits in the stack — model, runtime, scheduler, network, silicon, protocol.

  • 03
    Technical insight

    What you see that the market hasn't priced yet, and why it's defensible.

  • 04
    The team

    Who is building it, and why you specifically.

  • 05
    Status

    Research, prototype, in production, with revenue. Numbers if you have them.

  • 06
    The raise

    Round size, target close, lead status, use of funds.

Deck vs. memo vs. Loom
  • Deck (PDF)
    10 – 15 slides

    Visual systems, architectures, benchmarks, demos.

  • Memo
    2 – 4 pages

    Dense technical theses, market structure, research-heavy work.

  • Loom / video
    3 – 6 minutes

    Live demos of working systems or developer tooling.

What we don't need: warm intros, NDAs at first contact, polished branding, or hockey-stick projections without a technical story.
Check sizes from $100K – $250K

Building something special?

Send your technical thesis, your team, and what you're shipping. We read every pitch and respond within a week. No introductions necessary.

abhi@lightside.vcAbout us

We respond within a week.