I am thrilled to announce that Transcend has led the $4.8 million Seed funding round in Live Aware Labs, an innovative AI-powered platform that is transforming game development. We couldn’t be more excited to support Live Aware’s mission of enhancing game quality by capturing real-time player experiences and insights. Other investors in this round include Lifelike Capital, A16Z, Firestreak Ventures, and an impressive group of strategic angel investors.
Empowering Game Developers with Real-Time Insights
Live Aware Labs is revolutionizing how game developers capture, analyze, and act on player experiences. Their platform provides game studios with AI-driven insights that help streamline the feedback process across the entire development cycle—from early builds to post-launch updates. By bridging the gap between player expectations and development processes, Live Aware enables teams to make data-driven decisions that result in higher-quality games.
Founded by industry veterans Sean Vesce, David Berger, and Nathan Wheeler, Live Aware Labs combines decades of expertise in game development, engineering, and user experience design. Sean and David's extensive experience at Activision, Crystal Dynamics, and Microsoft's 343 Industries positions them to lead this transformation in how studios interact with their player communities.
A Vote of Confidence from Leading Developers
Leading game studios such as Krafton, Bonfire, and Roboto Games are already using Live Aware's platform to improve their development efficiency and player engagement. The company’s AI-powered feedback technology gives developers actionable insights that enable faster iteration cycles and reduce the risks associated with traditional playtesting bottlenecks.
"Live Aware is committed to empowering teams to become deeply attuned to their audience’s expectations well before launch. This Seed round represents confidence from top-tier investors in our platform’s potential to redefine the game development landscape," said Sean Vesce, co-founder and CEO of Live Aware Labs.
Why We Invested
At Transcend, we believe that Live Aware Labs represents the future of interactive entertainment, empowering game developers to build better games with real-time feedback. Their customer-first approach aligns perfectly with our audience-first investment thesis, and we see tremendous potential not just in gaming but in how these insights can apply to other industries using game engines like Unreal and Unity.
"Live Aware Labs aligns perfectly with our belief that innovation in game development will increasingly depend on how well developers can harness real-time user insights," said Andrew Sheppard, General Partner at Transcend. "Sean and his team are creating a platform that not only revolutionizes game development today but has the potential to transform multiple industries down the line."
Looking Ahead
As Live Aware Labs continues to grow its platform and expand into new industries, we are excited to support their journey in building the next generation of game development technology. For studios looking to optimize their development cycles and engage with players like never before, Live Aware is leading the way.
To learn more about how Live Aware Labs is shaping the future of game development, visit liveaware.io.
About Transcend
Transcend is a top performing early stage venture capital firm that partners with the boldest founders in the industry to collaboratively build the future of interactive entertainment.
Founded in San Francisco by gaming veterans, the Transcend portfolio features a preeminent group of high growth digital entertainment companies around the world.
More information about Transcend can be found on our website. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news from around the Transcend ecosystem.
About Andrew Sheppard
Andrew Sheppard is a seasoned strategist and gaming executive who currently serves as an investor, advisor, and board member for leading teams in media and entertainment.
With over 20 years of operational experience, Andrew has built, grown, and managed multi-billion-dollar consumer businesses. He is the Managing Director at Transcend and serves on the boards of GDEV, Ruckus Games, Fun Country, and Eggscape Entertainment. Previously, Andrew was the CEO of GREE International, President of Studios at Kabam, and Head of Strategy at Electronic Arts' Maxis Studio. He has led initiatives generating over $5 billion in revenue across various sectors, including online media, social media games, subscriptions, free-to-play, console games, online/PC games, mobile games, and apps.
Andrew is excited to put capital to work in service of companies that are passionate about reinventing the game.
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