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.
- Role
- Founder & General Partner
- Based
- Los Angeles / Phoenix
- Prior
- Adobe · Ernst & Young · General Motors
- 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.
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.