Carey Lai in

Carey Lai

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Founder & Managing Partner at Conductive Ventures
📍 Palo Alto, California, United States

Carey Lai is the Founder and Managing Partner of Conductive Ventures, focusing on capital-efficient software, hardware, and tech-enabled services. An alumnus of The Wharton School and UCLA, he has extensive experience from prior roles at Intel Capital and IVP. Colleagues describe him as a committed, thoughtful, and shrewd partner.

He is passionate about supporting unconventional and overlooked founders, drawing inspiration from underdog stories of perseverance and resilience. His approach to venture is shaped by values of integrity and building authentic relationships, influenced by his Taiwanese heritage. He enjoys identifying disruptive business models that challenge established industries.

Early in his career, when a VC partner told him, “I was expecting a hot Asian girl, ” he replied without missing a beat: “Sorry to disappoint.

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Experience
8 Years
Current Role
Founder & Managing Partner
Job Level
Leadership
Location
Palo Alto, California, United States
Personality Overview

How Carey shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

Behavioral traits and communication patterns that shape how this person evaluates opportunities, builds trust, and makes decisions in professional settings.

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Priorities

Topics Carey cares about

Capital-Efficient Startups
His firm's core thesis is investing in capital-efficient companies. He often speaks about backing businesses that can punch above their weight with less funding.
Supporting Underdogs
He is passionate about backing "unconventional founders. " His social posts often highlight inspirational stories of people like Tom Brady and Eric Yuan who overcame initial skepticism.
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Career

Work history

6-2017
Founder & Managing Partner
Conductive Ventures
12-2023
Board Member
Empowerly
9-2022
Board Member
evolvedMD
12-2021
Board Observer
MoeGo
12-2021
Board Observer
hireEZ
In the press

Media appearances

Carey Lai // S2 Ep 152 // Starting Conductive Ventures. Featured in Spotify
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Interview with Carey Lai, Founder & MD Conductive Ventures. Featured in YouTube
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Education
2007 - 2009
MBA
The Wharton School
2000 - 2001
Business
HKUST Business School
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

Dominance, influence, steadiness, and calculativeness scores with guidance on how this person prefers to communicate and decide.

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