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Ishan Preet Singh, Co-founder of the now-defunct edtech startup, FrontRow, has returned to Lightspeed Venture Partners as an investor after taking a year-long career break to determine his next steps following the closure of his previous venture.

“I’ve had an unusual year. I took some time off for the first time ever. I did an eating and drinking tour through Europe. I got (a bit) healthier. I binged more content than ever before. I also spent a few months helping build a foundational model company in San Francisco,” Singh said in a LinkedIn post.

Now back at Lightspeed, a VC firm that was an early backer of companies like Nest and Snapchat, Singh aims to leverage his experiences as a startup co-founder to invest in consumer and AI companies. Reflecting on his time at FrontRow, he said he recognised his effectiveness as an investor and his passion for the early stages of startup development.

He added that helping friends with their companies reignited his love for the “zero to one” phase, where ideas take shape. This, coupled with a deeper understanding of founder challenges gained through FrontRow, sparked his return to investing.

“There’s nothing I’m more drawn to or excited by than working with early-stage founders and looking forward to doing this every day,” the post added.

“India’s IT services and BPO market have been mainstays of our growth, but they will look dramatically different. I’ve spent the last few months working on AI, and not only is all the hype real, but I’d say it’s not hyped enough. AI demos are viral today, but AI services will be an integral part of our lives 10 years later,” Singh’s post read.

He continued, “India is incredibly exciting without even getting into the energy transition we’re going through, the rise of global consumer products from India, the amazing consumer brands getting created, the growth of FinTech, and more!”

FrontRow, the celebrity-led hobby learning startup, had secured a total funding of $18 million across three rounds from notable investors, including Peak XV Partners (Sequoia Capital), Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Eight Roads Ventures.

In 2023, the company shut down as it struggled to find a viable market for its product, and faced challenges such as high marketing costs exceeding revenue and low course completion rates.

Despite significant efforts to fix these issues, including layoffs and focusing on improving unit economics, the company realised it couldn’t sustainably grow the business and had to shut shop.