Li Jin

Operator Angel

Advisor, Variant Fund

Passion economy and web3 ownership investor

Global, based in New York, NY8 notable investments

Pre-SeedSeedSeries A

Website LinkedIn 𝕏@ljin18 Variant Fund Crunchbase

ConsumerCryptoMarketplacesMedia

Background

Li Jin co-founded Variant Fund, a crypto-native VC focused on user-ownership models in consumer software. She previously founded Atelier Ventures, a $13M fund backing the creator economy, which merged with Variant in 2021. Before that, she spent nearly four years as a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz co-founding its consumer investing practice. In August 2024, she transitioned from General Partner to Advisor at Variant while continuing to support portfolio companies. She holds a BA in Statistics and English Literature from Harvard University. She coined the term "passion economy" and has been a leading voice on creator monetization and decentralized ownership.

Investment Thesis

User-ownership via blockchain; enabling individuals to earn from their unique passions; decentralized technologies that shift value creation to creators and users.