Founded in 2016, LIV was created as mixed reality (MR) capture tool for both developers and other creators to film themselves in virtual reality (VR). The company has come a long way since then and is currently on the cusp of leaving Early Access. Today, LIV Inc. has announced a successful $1 million USD funding round, with some major investors supporting the company.
Based in Prague, LIV Inc. has been backed by investors including Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey; Jaroslav Beck, CEO and Co-Founder of Beat Games (Beat Saber); early-stage VC’s Seedcamp, TechStars, and Credo Ventures; plus HTC Vive and its accelerator, Vive X; and MR production specialist Splitverse.
LIV Inc. will use the investment to grow its core engineering team, further developing its solution towards videogame developers, content creators and streamers. The company has been integrated into over 150 experiences, with Beat Saber becoming its most high profile viewing experience. Additionally, upcoming support for Oculus Native SDK is on its way.
“We think that VR is the final computing platform, and in a world where VR is mainstay we need tools for creators and developers to share their experiences in real-time. In VR, your whole body is your controller, and we had to include that human nuance into the spectator experience. We’ve taken VR from a “must try to believe” experience, to something you can watch on a 2D screen whilst still really understanding the magic of 6 degrees of freedom that VR offers,” said LIV’s CEO and Founder AJ Shewki in a statement.
“I created the Oculus Rift because I wanted the ability to transport myself into virtual worlds. AJ and his team have taken the next step towards that goal, empowering creators and developers to present themselves and their avatars however they want during live gaming and broadcast. I love what they have already done, and I am an investor because I am so excited about what they will do next,” said Palmer Luckey, Oculus Rift’s Creator and Oculus’ Founder.
Completely free through Steam, LIV 1.0 is available via the public beta branch on Steam, offering its latest feature, LIV Avatars.
“We have some pioneers within our field on the team and are now backed by the people and companies that created VR as we know it,” Shewki adds. “Together we are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of the industry. Our kit is being pushed further and further afield, and all our partners, creators, and audience are as excited as us to see what comes next.”
VRFocus will continue its coverage of LIV, reporting back with the latest updates.