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AI and the "Why Now" of Data DAOs
Talks about data licensing deals, AI model training and Common Crawl
LJ
Li Jin
General Partner at Variant
United States
Overview
Li Jin is a startup investor and advisor with a background in leading venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and currently serving as the Co-founder & General Partner at Variant. With experience in various sectors such as Web3/Blockchain, Creator/Passion Economy, and Consumer Internet, she has a strong educational foundation from Harvard University and The Wharton School.
Highlights of Li Jin's career include founding Atelier Ventures, serving as a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and holding positions at innovative companies like Substack and Imgur. She specializes in investing in Series A, Seed, and Pre-seed stages, focusing on areas like the Future of Work and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Work Experience
Co-founder & General Partner
2021 - Current
Variant is an early-stage venture firm investing in crypto networks & platforms building The Ownership Economy.
Founder & General Partner
2020
Investing in the future of work. Investments include Patreon, Substack, Descript, Luma, Maven, and more. atelierventures.co
Atelier Ventures is an early-stage venture firm investing in the Passion Economy.
Board Observer
2019 - 2020
Substack is a subscription-based newsletter publishing platform for independent writers.
Raised $100,229,219.00 from Omeed Malik, Naval Ravikant, Mark Pincus, Nate Silver and Haroon Mokhtarzada.
Partner
2016 - 2020
Investments I worked on: Substack, Rappi, LimeBike, Overtime, Shift.org, Meitre, Belong Home, Sandbox VR, Pietra, Hipcamp, Virtual Kitchen Co, Snackpass, Lunchclub, Knowable, Merit (Sigma), Run the World Board Observer: Sandbox VR, Virtual Kitchen Co, Substack, Imgur, Onshape, Honor, Dialpad, OpenGov
Andreessen Horowitz is a stage-agnostic venture capital firm with assets under management across multiple funds.
Board Observer
2016 - 2019
Imgur is an internet company that specializes in providing online entertainment for its users.
Raised $60,000,000.00 from Coil.
Product Manager
2013 - 2016
Shopkick is the 4th most widely used shopping app overall (behind Amazon, eBay and Groupon) and the most widely used shopping app at physical retailers. --- I worked on monetization, core product, and user growth: - Viral acquisition features, invite testing framework, new user experience/onboarding, re-engagement features, push notification strategy - Built performance advertising products for CPG & retailer customers, including Unilever, Frito-Lays, Constellation Brands - Launched features to close the loop between in-app advertising and offline sales - Managed Visa and MasterCard card-linked offers program with nationwide retailers - Managed 7-figure yearly user acquisition budget
Shopkick, a Trax company, is the leading shopping rewards app, bringing moments of joy to everyday shopping – both on- and off-line.
Raised $26,700,000.00 from Employee Stock Option Fund.
Corporate Strategy Associate
2012 - 2013
Advised Capital One executives on projects driving strategic and operational improvements across company, spanning Card, Small Business, and Digital.
Capital One is a diversified banking company that offers early and later stage venture, and debt financing investments.
Raised $954,000,000.00 from Berkshire Hathaway.
College Marketing
2012 - 2012
Ran the campus ambassador program and helped with launch of direct sales program.
Rent the Runway is an online e-commerce website that allows women to rent designer apparel and accessories.
Raised $626,149,985.00 from Ares Management.
M&A
2011 - 2011
Focus on media and additional work in chemicals and natural resources.
Provides its services to pension and profit sharing plans; pooled investment vehicles; institutional investors.
Reporter
2009 - 2009
Major regional newspaper with print circulation of 300,000+. Wrote 10+ front-page articles and was selected to be on a small team of reporters covering the Pittsburgh G20 Summit in September 2009.
Post-Gazette is an American newspaper that offers the latest local, international, and sports news.
Education
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