Prime Highlight:
- LiveKit secured $100 million in new funding, signaling strong investor confidence in the rapidly expanding real-time voice AI market.
- The company is positioning itself as a critical infrastructure for AI voice and video, powering major platforms, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT voice mode.
Key Facts:
- The funding round was led by Index Ventures with participation from Altimeter Capital Management, Hanabi Capital, and Redpoint Ventures, valuing LiveKit at $1 billion.
- Founded in 2021 as an open-source project, LiveKit now serves major clients such as OpenAI, xAI, Salesforce, Tesla, 911 emergency services, and mental health providers.
Background:
LiveKit, a company that builds infrastructure software for real-time AI voice and video applications, has raised $100 million in a new funding round, pushing its valuation to $1 billion. The round was led by Index Ventures, with participation from existing investors Altimeter Capital Management, Hanabi Capital and Redpoint Ventures.
LiveKit raised new funding just 10 months after its last round, showing that investors strongly believe in the fast-growing voice AI market. LiveKit is best known for powering OpenAI’s ChatGPT voice mode, which lets people talk to the AI in natural, real-time conversations. The company also works with major clients such as xAI, Salesforce, Tesla, 911 emergency service operators, and mental health providers.
Founded in 2021 by Russ d’Sa and David Zhao, LiveKit began as an open-source software project. The idea took shape during the pandemic, when demand for smooth and reliable audio and video communication surged as people relied heavily on online meetings. The founders built tools that allowed apps to transmit real-time audio and video with minimal delay and no interruptions.
LiveKit initially offered its product as a free tool for developers. However, the business grew rapidly when the founders noticed that large companies wanted a fully managed cloud version of the software. In response, LiveKit began offering enterprise-grade services, which helped the company scale as interest in voice-based AI applications increased.
With the new funding, LiveKit plans to grow its cloud services, improve its platform, and support more large AI apps. As people use voice and video more to interact with AI, LiveKit is positioning itself as a key player in global AI infrastructure.
