# Li Jin

> Li Jin is a venture capitalist, writer, and creator who coined the term 'passion economy' and spent years investing in platforms that help individuals turn their passions into livelihoods. She served as a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), then founded Atelier Ventures, and later co-founded Variant Fund - raising over $450M to back web3 and ownership-driven platforms. An active creator herself, she writes 'Li's Newsletter' on Substack with hundreds of thousands of subscribers and co-hosted the Means of Creation podcast. In August 2024, she transitioned from General Partner to Advisor at Variant to pursue interests in education, innovation, and creative projects.

- **Role:** Advisor at Variant Fund
- **Organizations:** Variant Fund, Atelier Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
- **From:** Pennsylvania, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Statistics and English Literature, Harvard University, MBA (dropped out), The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Coined the term 'passion economy' with her 2019 essay that shaped a generation of creator-focused startups and investors, Named to Fortune Creator 25 (2021), Named to Fortune 40 Under 40 (2022)

## Career timeline

- **2012** — Graduated Harvard University with B.A. in Statistics and English Literature
- **2012** — Joined Capital One as Corporate Strategy Associate
- **2013** — Joined Shopkick as Product Manager
- **2016** — Joined Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) as Investment Partner, co-building their Consumer Investing practice
- **2019** — Published seminal essay 'The Passion Economy and the Future of Work', coining the term 'passion economy'
- **2020** — Left a16z to found Atelier Ventures with $13M debut fund
- **2021** — Named to Fortune Creator 25 list
- **2021** — Co-founded Variant Fund with Josh Kramer; raised $110M Fund II
- **2022** — Named to Fortune 40 Under 40
- **2023** — Variant raised $450M Fund III
- **2024** — Transitioned from General Partner to Advisor at Variant Fund to explore other interests

## Achievements

- Coined the term 'passion economy' with her 2019 essay that shaped a generation of creator-focused startups and investors
- Named to Fortune Creator 25 (2021)
- Named to Fortune 40 Under 40 (2022)
- Named to The Marketplace 50
- Titled the 'Godmother of the Passion Economy' by the industry
- Won the V.M. Setchkarev Memorial Prize at Harvard for best undergraduate essay in Slavic Languages & Literature
- Built Atelier Ventures with $13M debut fund focused entirely on creator monetization
- Co-founded Variant Fund which grew to over $450M AUM
- Grew 'Li's Newsletter' on Substack to 300,000+ subscribers
- Co-hosted Means of Creation podcast at Every.to with Nathan Baschez
- Board Observer at Substack and Imgur before they became major platforms
- Advocated for Universal Creative Income (UCI) as a policy concept for creator workers

## Latest updates

- **2024-08** — Announced transition from General Partner to Advisor at Variant Fund, stepping back from day-to-day investing to explore interests in education, innovation, and creative work
- **2024-01** — Published essays on memecoins and continued active presence on X discussing creator economy trends
- **2023-01** — Variant Fund closed Fund III at $450M, one of the largest crypto-focused fund raises of the period

## Links

- Website: https://li-jin.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ljin1/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ljin18

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/li-jin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-22