Left Lane Capital, a global venture capital and growth equity firm investing in technology and internet companies, has appointed Chris Taylor as its Chief Growth Officer. With an impressive track record of exponential growth within companies, Taylor joins Left Lane’s Accelerate team and will play a pivotal role in adding strategic and operational value to portfolio companies as they scale.
With over 20 years of experience, Chris Taylor’s career blends marketing and strategy consulting. He started his career at Mars & Co before transitioning to marketing at E*TRADE. Since then, Taylor has led marketing teams at 1800Flowers, Automattic (WordPress.com), and most recently, SmartAsset, where he steered the company’s revenue to surpass $100 million.
“I am thrilled to join the team at Left Lane on this new journey,” said Chris. “Many of the growth challenges I’ve seen leading marketing at consumer and SMB brands are the same ones facing our portfolio of 65-plus companies. I’m excited to use this shared experience to support management teams as they scale post-investment.” Taylor will also help Left Lane in evaluating the marketing capabilities of potential investment targets.
Left Lane has been expanding its platform team, also referred to as “Accelerate”, to support its growing portfolio with value-add resources. Two additional key members are Erica Amatori, VP of Platform, and Alex Wu, VP of Talent. Erica Amatori has spearheaded Left Lane’s US and International Fast Growth Summits, which have had 500+ attendees and featured key functional leaders on panels around current growth topics. She has also established Dispatch, Left Lane’s private network for portfolio executives and organizes Left Lane’s CEO Summits. Alex Wu brings deep experience from True Search and VMG to lead executive placements and organizational structuring throughout Left Lane’s portfolio. As an example of the Accelerate team’s recent impact, Wu recruited and placed the US Managing Director for Left Lane portfolio company Blank Street Coffee, among many other hires.
Left Lane Capital’s team continues to grow since its founding in 2019. In 2023 alone, the team hired 27.5% of its current headcount. Notable hires in 2023 include Elizabeth Donovan in Investor Relations, Alice Inchauspé in Platform, Julia Knutson in Talent, and five new investors across the Brooklyn and London offices. Gomathi Ramalingam was also hired as Head of Data Engineering, underscoring Left Lane’s dedication toward leveraging data in its sourcing, underwriting, and portfolio support capacities.
“Left Lane has a deep specialization in internet and technology companies with a consumer orientation, which allows us to leverage our collective expertise, resources, and domain-specific advisor network across our portfolio. Chris and the Accelerate team are primed to support portfolio companies in an ever-evolving market for growth,” said Harley Miller, CEO & Managing Partner at Left Lane Capital.
About Left Lane Capital
Founded in 2019, Left Lane Capital is a New York-based global venture capital and growth equity firm investing in internet and technology companies with a consumer orientation. Left Lane’s mission is to partner with extraordinary entrepreneurs who create category-defining companies across growth sectors of the economy, including software, healthcare, e-commerce, consumer, fintech, edtech, and other industries. Today, Left Lane Capital has invested in more than 65 companies worldwide. Select investments include GoStudent, M1 Finance, Wayflyer, Bilt, Masterworks, Blank Street, Talkiatry, Tovala, and more. For more information, please visit: https://www.leftlane.com
