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Sydney Lai

Former Venture Partner at NextGen Venture Partners · Former Sr. Associate - Technical Diligence at Griffin Gaming Partners

New York, New York

Writes $100K – $5M checks · typically $1.5M

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Ask Arlan Hamilton to introduce you to Sydney

You →Arlan · together at Backstage Capital (2021–2026) →Sydney

Ask Jamie Chen to introduce you to Sydney

You →Jamie · 3 people · together at Republic →Sydney

Ask Sam Okafor to introduce you to Sydney

You →Sam · 2 people · together at TED Conferences →Sydney

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About

Sydney Lai is Chief Technology Officer at GaiaNet.AI and a Venture Partner specializing in Edge AI and distributed systems. With over 10 years of experience in aerospace, IoT, and enterprise AI, she has architected infrastructure supporting significant network value and built technologies ranging from spacecraft software to edge computing platforms. Lai advises venture capital and private equity firms on technical diligence and M&A evaluation across Edge AI, distributed systems, and critical infrastructure sectors.

Experience

  1. GaiaNet.AIChief Technology Officercurrent2023 — present
  2. EVM CapitalChief Technology Officercurrent2023 — present
  3. Backstage CapitalLimited Partnercurrent2021 — present
  4. CodecorgiKeynote Speaker, Developer Advocatecurrent2015 — presentGlobal
  5. CodecorgiCo-Founder, Software Development Agency2015 — 2025
  6. Practical Venture CapitalLimited Partnercurrent2020 — present
  7. Squad VenturesAngel Investor2018 — 2024
  8. The DefiantTechnical Guest Reporter2020 — 2023
  9. MagicSr. Developer Advocate2022 — 2023
  10. Baruch CollegeVisiting Lecturer, CSCI 9551, Master's in Information Systems2018 — 2022New York, New York, United States
  11. Web3 FoundationWeb3 Developer Advocate2018 — 2022
  12. Web3 FoundationSenior Polkadot Ambassador2020 — 2021
  13. Web3 FoundationPolkadot Ambassador2020
  14. Web3 FoundationTechnical Apprentice2019 — 2020
  15. Griffin Gaming PartnersSr. Associate - Technical Diligence2022
  16. OutSystemsHost of Decoded Podcast2020 — 2022
  17. OutSystemsLead Developer Advocate, Project X2020 — 2022
  18. NextGen Venture PartnersVenture Partner2020 — 2022New York City Metropolitan Area
  19. RepublicVenture Partner2020 — 2022
  20. ConsenSysPrincipal - Covan2018 — 2020
  21. ConsenSysHead of Strategy - Token Foundry2018
  22. CryptoNYCCo-Founder2017 — 2020New York City Metropolitan Area
  23. CryptoNYCChapter Founder - Startup Boost Accelerator2017 — 2019
  24. TechstarsGlobal Facilitator2015 — 2020New York City Metropolitan Area
  25. SpotMe LendingCo-Founder2017 — 2018
  26. Jump Gaming, Inc.Growth Product Manager2017
  27. StartingBlocSocial Innovation Fellow2017
  28. Audacy CorporationHead Of Business Development and Marketing2016 — 2017San Francisco Bay Area
  29. Audacy CorporationTechnical Product Lead2016 — 2017San Francisco Bay Area
  30. Upload, Inc.VR Growth Advisor2016 — 2017San Francisco Bay Area
  31. TED ConferencesTEDx Speaker2016
  32. LaunchPad CentralMarketing Manager2015 — 2016San Francisco, CA
  33. F50Manager2014 — 2015San Francisco, CA
  34. Credit SuisseAssociate, Private Banking & Wealth Management2014New York City Metropolitan Area
  35. Wells Fargo, N.A.Community Banking Group, Wells Fargo Labs2013 — 2014San Francisco, CA
  36. United States Department of CommerceGrants, Minority Business Development Agency2012Washington DC-Baltimore Area
  37. Deutsch-Chinesische Wirtschaftsvereinigung (DCW) e.V. | 德中经济联合会Program Manager2012Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Skills & more

Public Speaking61Entrepreneurship59Community Development36Venture Capital12Strategic Planning44Leadership32Management4

Languages Chinese · English · German · Spanish · Swedish · Taiwanese

  • Statement of Accomplishment, Venture Deals Team — Kauffman Fellows
  • Digital Marketing — General Assembly

From Sydney's professional profile.

Network1

Dave McClureScout
General Partner at Practical Venture Capital

Investors connected to Sydney in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Sydney Lai?
Sydney Lai is Chief Technology Officer at GaiaNet.AI and a Venture Partner specializing in Edge AI and distributed systems. With over 10 years of experience in aerospace, IoT, and enterprise AI, she has architected infrastructure supporting significant network value and built technologies ranging from spacecraft software to edge computing platforms. Lai advises venture capital and private equity firms on technical diligence and M&A evaluation across Edge AI, distributed systems, and critical infrastructure sectors.
What check size does Sydney Lai write?
Sydney Lai typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
Where did Sydney Lai go to school?
Sydney Lai studied at University of California, Berkeley (Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Sociology); University of Houston (The College of Technology, Professional Certificate); CBS International Business School (Finance).

Same school

Shared employers