As a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners — a multi-stage venture firm with offices around the world including places like Southeast Asia and right in Silicon Valley — Mercedes Bent understands the values that she brings to the tables of the founders she works with. During her chat with Black Tech Green Money’s Will Lucas, Bent speaks about engagement between VCs and startup operations, her approach beyond just focusing on bottom-line returns when it comes to her investments, and recommendations for how founders should select their potential investors. Bent is extremely passionate about the Fintech, Edtech, and Consumer spaces within the industry and notes that “if we want to see equality and economic prosperity, a lot of that has to come from financial inclusion.” As a past operator, Bent understands the empathy needed to connect with a founder on a proper level and the mindset that they have when working tirelessly to keep things afloat. “I always ask my founders what their...