LiveKit, a developer of real-time AI voice and video infrastructure, announced it has raised $100 million in funding at a $1 billion valuation. The round was led by Index Ventures and included participation from existing investors such as Altimeter Capital Management, Hanabi Capital, and Redpoint Ventures.
Founded in 2021 by Russ d’Sa and David Zhao, LiveKit began as an open-source platform for building applications that transmit real-time audio and video. The platform was initially free for developers, but enterprise demand for managed cloud services drove its business expansion amid the growth of AI voice technology.
LiveKit powers OpenAI’s ChatGPT voice mode and serves clients including xAI, Salesforce, Tesla, as well as emergency services and mental health providers. The company enables applications to deliver uninterrupted real-time communication, supporting the growing use of voice AI across productivity, healthcare, and customer service.
The funding follows other recent AI voice developments, including Google DeepMind’s acquisition of Hume AI’s CEO and top engineers to enhance Gemini’s voice capabilities, and VoiceRun’s $5.5 million seed raise to develop next-generation AI voice agents for enterprises. LiveKit’s investment and valuation highlight the competitive growth of AI voice infrastructure and its role in powering chatbots, assistants, and real-time communication applications across industries.
