Mercedes Bent

Partner

2019 - Current

I am an investor on the early stage team at Lightspeed with a focus on consumer & smb fintech in the Americas (USA, Brazil, Mexico). I'm an investor in Stori, Honeylove, Outschool, Beek, Forage, Magic Eden, Crossmint, XMTP and more. I also co-lead our LATAM region and our Scout Fund (angel fund). https://lsvp.com/about-us/mercedes-bent

Non-Profit Board Member

2019 - 2021

Vice President

2016 - 2017

Upload was a leading news, events, and education provider in the VR space dedicated to accelerating the growth of the immersive tech industry. Upload's education arm, Upload EDU, helped individuals and brands transform through in-person courses and in-VR experiences. As Vice President of Education I was hired to create a multi-million dollar education business for a co-working/media brand. Increased booked revenue 484%, expanded offerings, and grew marketing base by 2x. Managed team of 5 directly, matrix 15.

General Manager & Product Manager

2012 - 2016

General Assembly (acquired 2018, $412.5mm) is a global network of campuses helping individuals pursue work they love by teaching skills in technology, business, data and design. I led our (then) largest division and oversaw our fintech products - loans, ISAs, etc. My Roles at GA: General Manager, University Programs (2015 - 2016) Head of New Ventures (2015) Global Director of Immersive Programs (2014) Product Manager, Web Development Immersive (2013-2014) Education Program Manager (2012-2013) As GM of University Partnerships I created strategic partnerships with universities. Key responsibilities included managing our P&L, sales, marketing and establishing strategic partnerships with university leaders (Presidents and Provosts). Created the first credit-bearing semester program between a university and coding bootcamp. As Head of New Ventures I was responsible for building out new lines of business at General Assembly. This included assessing new ventures, diversifying revenue streams, and testing new lines of business conducting market analysis, product discovery and building go-to-market strategies. As the Global Director of Immersive Programs I led GA’s (then) largest product line – our immersive courses, focusing on scaling global operations through cost structure improvements, and overseeing global instructor hiring. Led a team of 5 global teammates and matrix managed a team of 100 global teammates across 4 continents. I also oversaw our fintech products - loans, ISAs, etc. As Product Manager of WDI, I oversaw the global rollout of our flagship course, the full-time Web Development Immersive Program. As an Education Program Manager I oversaw the development and execution of our part-time programs. GA was a 30-person team at this time.

Financial Analyst

2010 - 2012

Analyst in the Asset Management division on a private wealth team. Managed $1.75 billion in wealth for high net worth and institutional clients. Facilitated client participation in the IPO market and traded public equities, options and and commodities in the equity and futures' markets on clients' behalf.

Analyst

2009 - 2009

Analyst at the Boston and DC Feds. At the Boston Fed I worked on mortgage default analysis during the financial crisis. At the DC Fed I did executive compensation analysis.

International Business Development Intern

2008 - 2008

Led special projects in US economy and gold analysis

Creative Enterprises and Marketing Department Intern

2007 - 2007

Led special projects in marketing a global food campaign launch for this non-profit