L8 Llc
L8 LLC is a Kyiv-based software company developing the L8 real-time 3D lighting visualization and DMX512 show-control platform for professional lighting designers, concert and theater production teams, and broadcast stages, sold through perpetual licenses and annual feature packs globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersKyiv, Ukraine
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What L8 Llc does
L8 LLC is a privately held Ukrainian software company headquartered in Kyiv that develops and distributes L8, a real-time 3D lighting visualization and DMX512 show-control platform used by professional lighting designers for stage, concert, theater, broadcast, and live-event production. The product combines a proprietary photorealistic rendering engine with a built-in onboard lighting sequencer (scenes, tracks, groups, shows) that can be triggered from keyboard or external MIDI consoles, supporting DMX-controlled objects, lasers, pyrotechnics, and other stage effects. The technology stack supports major lighting-control protocols (Art-Net, sACN, Hog 3/4, MA-Net 2/3), integrates with CAD/3D tools (Vectorworks, AutoCAD, 3DS Max, Maya, SketchUp, Blender) via MVR and standard 3D file formats, and exports to broadcast (NDI), VR (Oculus/Meta), and HDR (BT.2020) outputs.
The product portfolio spans eight pricing tiers: four no-dongle Community Editions (CE/CE2/CE3/CE4 at €150-€650) for entry-level users, and four USB-dongle professional licenses (Media €1,800, Trace €2,800, Trace2 €4,000, Unlimited €7,500) scaled by fixture count up to 4,000 fixtures per project. Annual Feature Packs (FP19-FP25 from 2019-2025) introduce incremental capabilities — including multi-GPU rendering, indirect illumination, VR360, and universe expansion to 1,024 — and are sold separately for €400 to dongle license holders, creating an upgrade-cadence revenue stream alongside new license sales. The embedded content library of 3,000+ fixture profiles and an active user forum ecosystem reinforce platform stickiness.
The company sells direct via its own e-commerce storefront at l8.ltd/m in 9 languages and 3 currencies (EUR/GBP/USD), complemented by seven regional sales representatives covering Japan, South Korea, China, Belgium, Australia, Israel, and Brazil. Physical USB dongles are shipped globally for professional tiers. The firm is founder-led (Dmytro Giventar identified as L8 product founder), operates with a team of 1-10, and holds no disclosed outside funding or institutional investors based on available data.
L8 Llc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- L8 Llc
- Legal name
- L8 LLC
- Website
- https://l8.ltd
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- L8 LLC is a Kyiv-based software company developing the L8 real-time 3D lighting visualization and DMX512 show-control platform for professional lighting designers, concert and theater production teams, and broadcast stages, sold through perpetual licenses and annual feature packs globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
L8 Llc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Lighting Visualization Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Performance & DJ Software (Playback, Mixing, Lighting Control) (MPAIAIAI)
Keywords
Where L8 Llc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kyiv
- HQ country
- Ukraine
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices8 records
Markets served
L8 Llc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Perpetual Software Licenses: L8 sells perpetual software licenses with one-time purchase pricing. Licenses include Community Edition (CE/CE2/CE3/CE4) for entry-level users without dongle requirement, and dongle-based licenses (Media, Trace, Trace2, Unlim) for professional users. New licenses include latest Feature Packs.
- Feature Pack Upgrades: Annual Feature Packs (FP19-FP25) are released separately as optional upgrades for dongle license users. Feature Packs include new technologies and features developed during each year. Existing users can purchase upgrades to unlock new functionality.
- License Upgrades: Users can upgrade between license tiers (CE to CE2/CE3/CE4, Media to Trace, Trace to Trace2, Trace2 to Unlim) with incremental pricing. Upgrades provide access to higher fixture counts and additional features.
- Annual Support and Updates: After first year of included support and updates, users can continue using software 'as is' without additional cost. Support renewal and continued library updates may be available for extended periods.
- USB Dongle Hardware: Physical USB dongle hardware sold with dongle-based licenses (Media, Trace, Trace2, Unlim). Dongles enable hardware-locked license activation and portable license usage.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | CE (Community Edition) - Entry-level license at €150 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | CE2 - 128 fixtures, €300 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | CE3 - 256 fixtures, €500 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | CE4 - 256 fixtures, €650 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Media - 512 fixtures, €1,800 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Trace - 1000 fixtures, €2,800 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Trace2 - 2000 fixtures, €4,000 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Unlim - 4000 fixtures, €7,500 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Feature Pack 2025 - €400 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
L8 Llc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
L8 develops and sells professional lighting visualization software for real-time photorealistic 3D rendering of DMX-controlled lighting, lasers, pyrotechnics, and other stage effects used in live show and stage design. The platform includes a built-in DMX control sequencer (Scenes, Tracks, Groups, Shows) that lets users design, program, and run shows in one integrated environment. Software is sold as tiered perpetual licenses (Community Editions CE/CE2/CE3/CE4 and dongle-based Media, Trace, Trace2, Unlimited) priced from €150 to €7,500, with annual Feature Packs (FP19 through FP25) sold separately at €400 each to existing dongle license holders.
Product overview
L8 LLC offers a professional lighting visualization software platform for live show and stage design. The product portfolio spans from entry-level Community Edition licenses (CE through CE4 at €150-€650) to professional dongle licenses (Media at €1,800, Trace at €2,800, Trace2 at €4,000, Unlimited at €7,500), each tier adding fixture capacity and advanced features. The core L8 platform provides real-time photorealistic visualization of DMX-controlled lighting with built-in onboard show control (scenes, tracks, groups, shows) and supports multiple lighting protocols (Art-Net, sACN, Hog, MA-Net). Annual Feature Packs (FP19 through FP25 for 2019-2025) deliver incremental capabilities including Multi-GPU rendering, VR support, HDR output, particles simulation, and expanded 3D format import support. The software integrates with major CAD and 3D tools (Vectorworks, AutoCAD, 3DS Max, Maya, SketchUp, Blender) via standard file formats and connects to industry consoles and laser systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- L8 CE (Community Edition): Entry-level license tier with no USB dongle required, limited support period and fixture counts. Includes CE, CE2, CE3, and CE4 variants.
- L8 Media
- L8 Trace
- L8 Trace2
- L8 UNLIM (Unlimited)
- L8 Feature Packs
Products and services
- L8 Software Platform Professional lighting visualization software platform for real-time photorealistic 3D rendering of DMX-controlled lighting, lasers, pyrotechnics, and stage effects. Sold in tiered perpetual licenses from €150 (Community Edition, 64 fixtures, 2 universes) to €7,500 (Unlimited, 4,000 fixtures, collision detection, full feature set). Includes built-in DMX control sequencer (Scenes, Tracks, Groups, Shows), integration with major CAD/3D tools, multi-protocol lighting console support, multi-GPU rendering, HDR output, VR support, and NDI video integration. Target users are professional lighting designers and production companies.
- L8 Feature Packs (Annual Upgrades) Annual upgrade packs (FP19 through FP25) sold at €400 each to existing dongle license holders. Each Feature Pack adds new technologies and capabilities developed during the year, including new file format support, rendering features, and protocol integrations. New licenses include the latest Feature Pack; existing users purchase upgrades separately. Available exclusively for USB dongle license users (Media, Trace, Trace2, Unlimited).
Quantifiable outcome
- Supports up to 4000 fixtures per project in Unlim license
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use L8 Llc
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
L8 Llc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
Feature14 records
L8 Llc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered regional and core.
- Technical Supply Japan Co., Ltd.regionalRegional sales representative for Japan, providing localized sales support and customer service for L8 software in the Japanese market. Located at 1-21-16 Shinmachi, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo, Japan.
- Live-Lab Co., Ltd.regionalRegional sales representative for South Korea, providing localized sales support and customer service for L8 software. Located at B1,2 18, Seongmisan-ro 22gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 03988.
- Tianmen Mingheng Software Technology Co., Ltd.regionalRegional sales representative for China, providing localized sales support for L8 software in the Chinese market. Located in Hubei Tianmen, China.
- Genco GroupregionalRegional sales representative for Belgium, providing localized sales support for L8 software. Located at Leopoldstraat 20, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium.
- LX HuesregionalRegional sales representative for Australia, providing localized sales support for L8 software. Located at 37 Chelmsford Street, Williamstown North, Melbourne, Australia. Contact: [email protected].
- Danix Systems Ltd.regionalRegional sales representative for Israel, providing localized sales support for L8 software. Located in Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Electra Light Ltda.regionalRegional sales representative for Brazil, providing localized sales support for L8 software. Located in Santo André/SP, Brazil.
- VectorworkscoreL8 integrates with Vectorworks via MVR/3DS/FBX/DXF/OBJ/DAE/GLTF/GLB file formats for bidirectional data exchange. Users can import Vectorworks designs into L8 for lighting visualization.
- AutoCADcoreL8 integrates with AutoCAD via 3DS/DXF file format support for importing CAD drawings into the lighting visualization environment.
- 3DSMax, Maya, Sketchup, BlendercoreL8 integrates with major 3D modeling software (3DSMax, Maya, Sketchup, Blender) via various 3D file formats including 3DS, FBX, OBJ, DAE, GLTF, GLB for importing scene elements.
- ETC (High-End Systems)coreL8 supports Hog 3/4 protocol for integration with ETC Hog lighting consoles. Supports bidirectional communication and Hog 4 universes up to 255 each.
- MA Lighting (grandMA)coreL8 supports MA-Net 2/3 protocols for integration with grandMA lighting consoles. Includes grandMA3 viz-key support for visualization.
- PangolincoreL8 includes laser visualization support for Pangolin laser control systems, enabling realistic laser effect preview.
- LasergraphcoreL8 includes laser visualization support for Lasergraph laser control systems, enabling realistic laser effect preview.
- NewTek NDIcoreL8 supports NDI (Network Device Interface) for video input textures and render-to-NDI output, enabling broadcast of up to 8 virtual camera feeds at up to 2K resolution.
- Oculus/Meta VRcoreL8 supports Oculus (Meta) VR headsets for immersive lighting visualization, available in Media and higher license tiers.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
L8 Llc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Depence (Synthe FX): Depence is a real-time 3D lighting visualization platform targeting concerts, tours, and architectural installations. It is a direct competitor to L8 in the photorealistic pre-vis space with similar DMX integration and rendering focus.
- CAST Group (WYSIWYG): CAST Group's WYSIWYG is the most established commercial lighting design and pre-visualization suite for live entertainment, serving the same lighting designer and production company customers as L8 with photorealistic 3D visualization and DMX show control. It is the closest direct competitor in the same product category.
- Capture Visualisation AB: Capture Visualisation offers real-time lighting pre-visualization software used by lighting designers worldwide for concerts, theater, and events. Competes head-to-head with L8 across the same customer base (lighting designers and live production companies) with similar DMX-driven 3D visualization workflows.
Emerging players
- Unreal Engine (Epic Games): Unreal Engine is increasingly used as a real-time rendering backbone for virtual production and lighting pre-visualization, intersecting with L8 in LED volume workflows. It is not a direct lighting design tool but a foundational technology some studios are using to bypass specialist visualizers.
- disguise: disguise is a real-time visual production platform widely used for virtual production, LED volumes, and live events. It overlaps with L8 in the VP/ICVFX workflow (where L8 has added camera crane and NDI support) but addresses a higher-end, integrated-renderer segment.
- Realizzer (Visual Productions): Visualizzer / Realizzer is an emerging real-time lighting visualization tool with similar DMX-driven 3D pre-visualization workflows. It targets a comparable lighting designer audience but with a smaller feature footprint than L8.
Broad incumbents
- MA Lighting (grandMA): MA Lighting is the dominant lighting console manufacturer (grandMA2/grandMA3) and integrates its own viz-key visualization tooling as part of its console ecosystem. It is a broader incumbent in lighting control that L8 interoperates with via MA-Net protocols and represents both a partner and adjacent competitor.
- ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls): ETC is a major lighting controls and fixtures company whose Hog 4 console family (acquired from High End Systems) interoperates with L8. As a broad incumbent in entertainment lighting, ETC represents both a key protocol partner and an adjacent solution provider.
Others
- Vectorworks: Vectorworks Spotlight is the dominant CAD platform for entertainment lighting design. L8 integrates with it via MVR file exchange, making Vectorworks a key complementary (rather than competitive) workflow partner for L8's lighting designer customers.
- Pangolin Laser Systems: Pangolin is the leading laser show control software/hardware vendor. L8 integrates with Pangolin for laser visualization, making it a complementary enabling partner in the laser + lighting show workflow.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
L8 Llc social profiles
Digital presenceL8 Llc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
L8 Llc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
L8 Llc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
L8 Llc 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 L8 Llc
What does L8 Llc do?
L8 develops and sells professional lighting visualization software for real-time photorealistic 3D rendering of DMX-controlled lighting, lasers, pyrotechnics, and other stage effects used in live show and stage design. The platform includes a built-in DMX control sequencer (Scenes, Tracks, Groups, Shows) that lets users design, program, and run shows in one integrated environment. Software is sold as tiered perpetual licenses (Community Editions CE/CE2/CE3/CE4 and dongle-based Media, Trace, Trace2, Unlimited) priced from €150 to €7,500, with annual Feature Packs (FP19 through FP25) sold separately at €400 each to existing dongle license holders.
Is L8 Llc a public or private company?
L8 Llc is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was L8 Llc founded?
L8 Llc was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is L8 Llc based?
L8 Llc is headquartered in Kyiv, Ukraine, in the Europe region.
How does L8 Llc make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Perpetual Software Licenses are the primary driver. The others are feature Pack Upgrades, license Upgrades, annual Support and Updates and USB Dongle Hardware.
Who are L8 Llc's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Depence (Synthe FX), CAST Group (WYSIWYG) and Capture Visualisation AB. Emerging players are Unreal Engine (Epic Games), disguise and Realizzer (Visual Productions). Broad incumbents are MA Lighting (grandMA) and ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls). Others are Vectorworks and Pangolin Laser Systems.
Does L8 Llc have an API?
No public API is recorded for L8 Llc.
What industry is L8 Llc in?
L8 Llc's product category is Lighting Visualization Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAIAI, Live Performance & DJ Software (Playback, Mixing, Lighting Control). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7371.