Meet the expert...
Mercedes Bent
Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners

Mercedes Bent is a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. Mercedes is an investor and operator who lives and breathes startups. She invests in consumer, fintech, edtech, LATAM, & multicultural regions and founders including Flink, Outschool, Stori, and more. In 2016, she was named a 40 Under 40 for Tech Diversity in Silicon Valley" and in 2021, WSJ named her one of 9 "Women to Watch in VC". She has an MBA and a Masters in Education from Stanford University and an AB from Harvard University. She is an African-American of Bermudian, Grenadian, and Colombian heritage and in her free time she enjoys playing cards & off-roading in her Jeep.