Welcome to this episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we sit down with industry leaders to uncover the real-life insights, strategies, and challenges that shape world-class organizations.

Our guest today is Luke Beseda, longtime Talent Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, joining hosts Jess Yuen and Andrew Bartlow for an in-depth conversation about the evolving world of venture capital, the changing expectations of talent partners, and how HR professionals can best navigate their relationships with investors.

In this episode, we explore the inner workings of VC platform and talent teams, lift the curtain on how these roles add value to both the firm and its portfolio, and share practical advice for people leaders in venture-backed environments. Luke offers candid insights from more than a decade at Lightspeed, sharing what’s changed and what remains constant in supporting founders and organizations through rapid growth and change.

We discuss:

• How the role of the venture talent partner has evolved and what their work looks like day to day

• The unique challenges (and opportunities) of supporting hundreds of portfolio companies at once

• What HR and talent leaders should know about working effectively with their VC’s platform team

• How platform teams measure impact and success within a venture firm

• The real story behind “carry” and how compensation works for operating partners in VC

• Practical guidance for those interested in breaking into a talent partner or platform role

• The importance of internal influence, storytelling, and proactivity in both operational and advisory roles

• Why understanding your business’s full context is critical for people leaders

• Lessons from running founder and CEO development programs within a venture portfolio

• The value of peer networks and curiosity for ongoing HR and leadership development

Whether you’re thinking about a career on the “other side of the table” or just want to be savvier in working with your investors, you’ll find plenty of actionable advice and clear-eyed perspective in this episode.

For show notes and bonus resources, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast.

Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community.

Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away.

We can’t wait to share these conversations with you.

Welcome to the journey!

Listen, learn, and connect:

🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube).

💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast.

📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader.

🤝 Connect with your hosts:

• Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com

• Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com