LiveOak Ventures
LiveOak Ventures is an Austin-based early-stage venture capital firm investing $500K–$10M in Texas-based technology and tech-enabled service founders from Pre-seed through Series B, with over 60 portfolio investments and four institutional funds.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What LiveOak Ventures does
LiveOak Ventures is an Austin, Texas-based venture capital firm that provides early-stage capital and company-building support to technology and tech-enabled service startups founded in Texas. Founded in December 2012 by Krishna Srinivasan and Venu Shamapant, the firm invests from Pre-seed to Series B with initial check sizes ranging from $500K to $10M, leading or co-leading rounds and engaging actively across the full portfolio company lifecycle. The firm has built a portfolio of over 60 investments over the past decade spanning healthcare technology, legal technology, real estate technology, fintech, cybersecurity, and AI-forward enterprise software.
The firm operates a multi-fund platform: LiveOak Fund I closed in March 2014, Fund II in March 2019, Fund III at $210 million in November 2021, and Select Fund I in September 2023. Capital is sourced from institutional limited partners, family offices, and corporate investors. LiveOak generates revenue through standard VC economics — management fees on committed and invested capital plus carried interest on successful exits. Notable realized outcomes include the IPO of DISCO (NYSE: LAW) at a first-trade market capitalization above $2.5 billion in July 2021, plus strategic acquisitions of Mavenir, StackEngine (Oracle), Opcity (News Corp), Digital Pharmacist (K1), and Eventador (Cloudera).
LiveOak's differentiation rests on a regionally concentrated thesis: 25+ years of continuous Texas investing experience, deep local founder networks cultivated through proprietary community events (CEO Summit, Startup Soirée, LiveOak Launch, Startup Bash), and a partnership bench drawn from Austin Ventures, Dell Technologies Capital, Kleiner Perkins, McKinsey, and KPCB. The firm layers its venture activity with a philanthropic program (LiveOak Gives) that has donated over $1.4 million to 24 nonprofits and supported 14 scholars. Geographic and thesis concentration in Texas is a deliberate strategic choice, trading breadth for depth in a single ecosystem.
LiveOak Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LiveOak Ventures
- Legal name
- LiveOak Ventures
- Website
- https://liveoak.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- LiveOak Ventures is an Austin-based early-stage venture capital firm investing $500K–$10M in Texas-based technology and tech-enabled service founders from Pre-seed through Series B, with over 60 portfolio investments and four institutional funds.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LiveOak Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- HoldCo / Permanent Capital ETA (FSANALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Endowment / OCIO-Style Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAGAG)
Keywords
Where LiveOak Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
LiveOak Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Fund Management: LiveOak Ventures manages multiple venture funds (Fund I, Fund II, Fund III, Select Fund I) and earns management fees from Limited Partners (institutional investors, family offices, corporations). The firm also earns carried interest (performance fees) on successful portfolio company exits.
- Portfolio Company Equity: LiveOak generates returns through equity ownership in portfolio companies, with notable exit including DISCO's IPO (NYSE: LAW) at over $2.5B first trade market cap.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels10 records
LiveOak Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LiveOak Ventures is an Austin-based venture capital firm that makes early-stage investments in Texas-based founders building tech and tech-enabled service companies. The firm provides initial check sizes ranging from $500K to $10M across Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, and opportunistically Series B stages, and engages actively across the full company-building lifecycle as a strategic advisor and partner.
Product overview
LiveOak Ventures is an Austin-based venture capital firm that provides early-stage investment capital and strategic partnership services to exceptional Texas-based founders building tech and tech-enabled service companies. Their offering spans from Pre-seed to Series B stages, with initial check sizes ranging from $500K to $10M. The firm engages actively across the full lifecycle of portfolio companies, providing company-building assistance, strategic advisory, and access to their deep networks. As a service-oriented firm rather than a product company, LiveOak does not offer discrete software products or modules.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- LiveOak Fund I First institutional venture fund from LiveOak Ventures, with final close in March 2014, used to invest in early-stage Texas-based companies.
- LiveOak Fund II Second institutional venture fund from LiveOak Ventures, with final close in March 2019, used to invest in early-stage Texas-based companies.
- LiveOak Fund III Third institutional venture fund from LiveOak Ventures, closed at $210 million in November 2021, used to back Texas founders from Seed through Series B and opportunistically Pre-seed and Growth stages.
- LiveOak Select Fund I Select venture fund from LiveOak Ventures that closed in September 2023 to expand the firm's investment capacity for Texas entrepreneurs.
- Early-stage venture investment program LiveOak's core investing program delivering $500K to $10M initial checks to Texas-based tech and tech-enabled service founders from Pre-seed through Series B, with active company-building support across the full lifecycle.
Quantifiable outcome
- DISCO IPO with first trade market cap above $2.5B
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use LiveOak Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers36 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
LiveOak Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
LiveOak Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
LiveOak Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Silverton Partners: Austin-based early-stage VC also focused on Texas founders. Silverton Partners is the most directly comparable peer, often co-investing alongside LiveOak (e.g., Uptiq rounds) and serving the same Texas-first mandate at the seed and Series A stages.
- Capital Factory: Austin-based accelerator and seed investor. Capital Factory sources Texas deal flow at pre-seed and seed stages and frequently co-invests with LiveOak (e.g., Artis seed round), making it a direct peer in the Texas early-stage funnel.
- S3 Ventures: Austin-based early-to-growth VC focused on Texas and the Southwest. S3 overlaps with LiveOak on stage (seed through Series B), geography (Texas-heavy), and check size, making it a directly comparable regional VC.
Regional players
- Mercury Fund: Houston-based early-stage VC investing across Texas. Mercury Fund competes for Texas deal flow at the seed stage and shares the Texas-only thesis, though it skews toward Houston and enterprise software.
- Active Capital: San Antonio-based VC fund focused on B2B SaaS companies with ties to Texas founders. Active Capital is a regional peer in the Texas early-stage market with comparable check sizes and stage focus.
- Wild Basin Investments: Austin-based early-stage VC investing in Texas founders across consumer and enterprise. Wild Basin is a comparable regional peer at the seed stage.
- ATX Seed Ventures: Austin-based seed fund focused on Texas startups. ATX Seed Ventures competes for the same early-stage Texas deals and shares a similar regional specialization.
Broad incumbents
- Lerer Hippeau: NYC-based seed-stage VC. Lerer Hippeau is a broadly comparable incumbent peer at the seed/Series A stage in tech-enabled services, with similar check sizes, though it operates nationally rather than regionally.
- Greycroft: National early-stage VC investing across consumer and enterprise. Greycroft is a comparable incumbent at the seed and Series A stages, though it does not share LiveOak's regional Texas focus.
Emerging players
- Antler: Global early-stage VC that has co-invested with LiveOak (e.g., Fastn seed). Antler operates a founder-first, pre-seed-led model with US presence in Austin and shares deal flow at the earliest stages.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LiveOak Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceLiveOak Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LiveOak Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
LiveOak Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LiveOak Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments145 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LiveOak Ventures
What does LiveOak Ventures do?
LiveOak Ventures is an Austin-based venture capital firm that makes early-stage investments in Texas-based founders building tech and tech-enabled service companies. The firm provides initial check sizes ranging from $500K to $10M across Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, and opportunistically Series B stages, and engages actively across the full company-building lifecycle as a strategic advisor and partner.
Is LiveOak Ventures a public or private company?
LiveOak Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was LiveOak Ventures founded?
LiveOak Ventures was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is LiveOak Ventures based?
LiveOak Ventures is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does LiveOak Ventures make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Fund Management is the primary driver. The others are portfolio Company Equity.
Who are LiveOak Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Silverton Partners, Capital Factory and S3 Ventures. Regional players are Mercury Fund, Active Capital, Wild Basin Investments and ATX Seed Ventures. Broad incumbents are Lerer Hippeau and Greycroft. Antler is listed as an emerging player.
Does LiveOak Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for LiveOak Ventures.
What industry is LiveOak Ventures in?
LiveOak Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANALAE, HoldCo / Permanent Capital ETA, with a secondary code of FSANAGAG, Endowment / OCIO-Style Multi-Manager Platforms. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.