LiquidSky Software
LiquidSky Software operated a GPU VM cloud platform founded in 2015 that pioneered multi-tenant GPU virtualization to stream full Windows PC environments for cloud gaming and remote computing. The company served consumer gamers and enterprise clients including Verizon, Samsung, and Walmart before being acquired by Walmart in 2018.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What LiquidSky Software does
LiquidSky Software, Inc. was a New York-based private company founded in 2015 that operated a GPU VM cloud platform for streaming interactive applications, with cloud gaming as its primary use case. Its core product was a multi-tenant GPU virtualization service that allowed multiple users to share GPU resources on the same hardware, a technical approach LiquidSky pioneered at a time when most cloud providers used bare-metal deployments. Unlike competitors such as Xbox XCloud, NVIDIA GeForce Now, and PlayStation Plus that offered curated game-catalog experiences analogous to Netflix-style streaming, LiquidSky provided a full Windows Cloud PC environment where users could install and run any program or game.
The company's customer base spanned individual consumers seeking to run demanding PC applications without owning high-end hardware and enterprise clients including Verizon, Samsung, and Walmart, all of whom reportedly used the platform. LiquidSky's revenue model is not publicly disclosed, but the service reached millions of users before being acquired by Walmart in 2018. The company raised approximately $10.75 million across disclosed rounds led or participated in by Samsung NEXT between 2016 and 2017.
LiquidSky was acquired by Walmart in 2018 as part of Walmart's strategy to compete with Amazon's AWS; the company could not raise capital to fund server expansion against free GPU cloud offerings from Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and NVIDIA. The service was subsequently discontinued, and the original LiquidSky.com domain is now operated by fans unaffiliated with the corporate entity. Some former team members founded Stim.io as a successor platform that runs on AWS and Azure rather than proprietary hardware, explicitly designed to avoid the scaling constraints that forced LiquidSky's sale.
LiquidSky Software firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LiquidSky Software
- Legal name
- LiquidSky Software, Inc.
- Website
- https://liquidsky.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- LiquidSky Software operated a GPU VM cloud platform founded in 2015 that pioneered multi-tenant GPU virtualization to stream full Windows PC environments for cloud gaming and remote computing. The company served consumer gamers and enterprise clients including Verizon, Samsung, and Walmart before being acquired by Walmart in 2018.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LiquidSky Software industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cloud Gaming
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cloud Gaming Platform Operators (Subscription/On-Demand) (MPAFAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cloud Gaming Infrastructure & GPU Cloud Providers (IaaS/PaaS for gaming) (MPAFAHAC), AI Compute Cloud & GPU-as-a-Service (HDAAAAAK), AI Compute Virtualization & Scheduling (GPU virtualization, cluster schedulers) (HDAAAAAG)
Keywords
Where LiquidSky Software is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
LiquidSky Software business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
LiquidSky Software product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LiquidSky Software operated a GPU VM Cloud service that streamed a full Windows Cloud PC environment to any device using proprietary multi-tenant GPU virtualization. The platform allowed individual users to install and run any PC program or game remotely, rather than being limited to a curated catalog of titles like competing cloud gaming containers.
Product overview
LiquidSky Software originally offered a single unified product: LiquidSky, a GPU VM Cloud service that was the only multi-tenant virtualization solution for GPUs in 2015, providing a full Cloud PC experience (allowing users to install and run any program or game) rather than the game console-style limited catalog approach used by competitors like Xcloud, Geforce Now, and PlayStation Plus. The company was acquired by Walmart in 2018 due to competitive pressure from larger players offering free services. Some of LiquidSky's technology now exists on platforms such as Xcloud, Geforce Now, V-GPU, MX-GPU, and GPU container services. A successor platform called Stim (Stim.io) was started by some former LiquidSky team members and runs on AWS and Azure without the hardware-based scaling limitations of the original LiquidSky.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- LiquidSky A GPU VM Cloud service that provided multi-tenant virtualization for gaming, offering a Cloud PC experience where users could install and run any program or game (as opposed to game console-style limited catalog services).
- Stim A new cloud gaming platform developed by former LiquidSky team members. Unlike LiquidSky which was hardware-based, Stim runs on top of cloud providers such as AWS and Azure, with plans for hybrid cloud expansion including custom datacenters.
Quantifiable outcome
- Millions of users utilizing the service before acquisition
Companies that use LiquidSky Software
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
LiquidSky Software technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
LiquidSky Software partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
LiquidSky Software competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NVIDIA GeForce Now: NVIDIA's consumer cloud-gaming service is the closest direct peer — it streams GPU-rendered games to user devices, competing head-to-head with LiquidSky's Cloud PC for the cloud-gaming end user.
- Xbox Cloud Gaming (Microsoft xCloud): Microsoft's cloud-gaming service streams console/PC games to any device, operating at the same consumer-facing cloud-gaming layer as LiquidSky's GPU cloud and noted by the company as a direct walled-garden catalog competitor.
- Amazon Luna: Amazon's Luna is a direct cloud-gaming subscription service streaming games from AWS to consumer devices, placing it in the same consumer cloud-gaming platform category that LiquidSky targeted.
- PlayStation Plus (Sony PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming): Sony's cloud-streaming tier inside PlayStation Plus streams PlayStation games to consoles, PCs, and mobile — a direct walled-garden rival to LiquidSky as explicitly identified in the company's competitive comparison.
- Shadow (Blade): Shadow offers a full Windows cloud PC in the browser — almost identical positioning to LiquidSky's "Cloud PC vs game console" model — making it the closest product analogue for any-any-application streaming.
Emerging players
- Parsec (Unity): Parsec provides low-latency remote desktop and game-streaming technology (now owned by Unity), overlapping with LiquidSky's remote GPU-accelerated cloud-computing use case for both consumers and developers.
- Stim.io: Stim is the direct successor platform created by former LiquidSky team members, offering a cloud-gaming service on top of AWS and Azure — essentially the same vision refined to avoid the original hardware-scaling constraint.
Broad incumbents
- CoreWeave: CoreWeave operates large-scale GPU cloud infrastructure serving AI and rendering workloads, broadly comparable to LiquidSky's GPU VM Cloud but oriented to enterprise/AI rather than consumer gaming.
- Paperspace (now part of DigitalOcean): Paperspace offers GPU-accelerated virtual machines and cloud workstations, addressing the same developer/prosumer GPU-cloud need that LiquidSky's multi-tenant virtualization pioneered.
- AWS EC2 GPU Instances: AWS provides GPU compute instances and, per the company's commentary, now offers multi-tenant GPU virtualization that LiquidSky pioneered — same underlying capability at hyperscaler scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LiquidSky Software social profiles
Digital presenceLiquidSky Software financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LiquidSky Software leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
LiquidSky Software funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LiquidSky Software M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LiquidSky Software
What does LiquidSky Software do?
LiquidSky Software operated a GPU VM Cloud service that streamed a full Windows Cloud PC environment to any device using proprietary multi-tenant GPU virtualization. The platform allowed individual users to install and run any PC program or game remotely, rather than being limited to a curated catalog of titles like competing cloud gaming containers.
Is LiquidSky Software a public or private company?
LiquidSky Software is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently acquired.
When was LiquidSky Software founded?
LiquidSky Software was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is LiquidSky Software based?
LiquidSky Software is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are LiquidSky Software's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NVIDIA GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming (Microsoft xCloud), Amazon Luna, PlayStation Plus (Sony PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming) and Shadow (Blade). Emerging players are Parsec (Unity) and Stim.io. Broad incumbents are CoreWeave, Paperspace (now part of DigitalOcean) and AWS EC2 GPU Instances.
Does LiquidSky Software have an API?
No public API is recorded for LiquidSky Software.
What industry is LiquidSky Software in?
LiquidSky Software's product category is Cloud Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAHAA, Cloud Gaming Platform Operators (Subscription/On-Demand), with a secondary code of MPAFAHAC, Cloud Gaming Infrastructure & GPU Cloud Providers (IaaS/PaaS for gaming). Its NAICS code is 51621 and its SIC code is 7370.