Lucas Oliveira

Investor

Lucas Oliveira joined Kleiner Perkins in 2023 where he focuses on inflection investments primarily in enterprise software. Prior to joining Kleiner Perkins, Lucas was at Thoma Bravo in the firm’s Flagship Software Buyout Fund, where he worked on $10bn+ in take-private transactions including the firm’s investments in Coupa Software and Bottomline Technologies. Lucas is from Brazil but spent the majority of his childhood in Colorado. He graduated with highest distinction from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree from the Leeds School of Business. Outside of work, Lucas likes to ski, generally spend time outdoors, read, and explore new restaurants.

Investment focus areas

— Enterprise Software

— Growth

Q&A

What role has your upbringing played in shaping your perspectives?
My mom’s career led our family to move from Brazil to Colorado when I was in Elementary School. What was initially meant to be a two year role turned into a permanent one when her employer, Kodak, shut down her factory in Brazil, leaving her without a job to return to.
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My parents took the leap of faith to create a new life in the United States, and I grew up trying to emulate their work ethic, adaptability, and selflessness. Today, I want to partner with founders and teams who exhibit these same traits. The ones that are most hungry to succeed, are unafraid to change directions when necessary, and that feel a deep sense of responsibility to their people and customers. Ironically, you could say a lack of innovation (from Kodak) is the only reason I’m at Kleiner Perkins today.
What led you to Venture Capital?
I grew up in Fort Collins (Colorado) with two engineer parents and no exposure to venture capital until I got to my college campus. Public market and late stage private market investing always felt like a zero-sum game, and that for you to win, someone had to lose. Venture felt more collaborative, and that founders + investors could win together by growing the overall pie. It actually made the decisions of what I wanted to study in college, and subsequently what career I wanted to pursue after college, quite difficult given I was interested in several things at each juncture. I initially landed on investing because it gave me the opportunity to learn about the broadest range of topics, from experts in each topic.
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My more recent switch from leveraged buyouts to venture was partly driven by the same logic, with the added bonus of that learning now centering on the most exciting, innovative companies forming and growing in real time.
What are you focused on?
I spend the majority of my time with companies that have recently found product market fit, and are looking to “step on the gas” through more product, talent, and go-to-market investment. Building an incredible business goes beyond building an incredible product. It requires thoughtful capital allocation, distribution, talent management, and industry foresight. My goal is to partner with the founders building (primarily) enterprise SaaS companies who demonstrate this thoughtfulness + an unmatched desire to execute and win.