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Venture firms are turning to creators to build trust with the next generation of founders before a check is ever written.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a trend\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0been building with\u00a0a16z\u2019s acquisition<\/a>\u00a0of Erik Torenberg\u2019s Turpentine podcast and\u00a0OpenAI\u2019s acquisition<\/a>\u00a0of TBPN.\u00a0Lightspeed Venture Partners<\/a>\u00a0just made its own notable hire in that vein, bringing on\u00a0Claire Zau<\/a>, a seed investor with a major following on Instagram and TikTok, to source deals and co-host the firm\u2019s new show, Lightwork, alongside CMO\u00a0Josh Machiz<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n On this episode of TechCrunch\u2019s\u00a0Equity<\/a>\u00a0podcast, Dominic-Madori Davis is joined by Zau and\u00a0Machiz\u00a0to dive deep into whether the \u201ccreator-investor\u201d is becoming a real function in venture or just something firms are still trying to figure out.\u00a0<\/p>\n Subscribe to Equity on\u00a0YouTube<\/a>,\u00a0Apple Podcasts<\/a>,\u00a0Overcast<\/a>,\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0and all the casts. You\u00a0also can\u00a0follow Equity on\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Threads<\/a>, at @EquityPod.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n