LiveOak Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Austin, Texas, has appointed David Stewart as Venture Partner.
Stewart will focus on sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, as well as providing strategic guidance to LiveOak’s portfolio companies. He is the sixth member of the firm’s investment team, working closely with the firm’s three Founding Partners, Principal, and Senior Associate.
Stewart has been an investor and advisor to over 30 software companies, both independently and in conjunction with other firms, most recently Trinity Ventures, and has over a decade of operating experience in Silicon Valley. Prior to working with Trinity Ventures, David was Chief Business Officer at Turo, which he joined when it acquired SocialStudio, a software company he founded. He brings deep domain expertise in product management, stemming from his experience as VP Product at Yammer; Senior Director of Growth at Playdom; and in product marketing and management roles at YouTube and Google. He began his career at the Boston Consulting Group and holds an MBA and BA with distinction from Yale University.
“As I’ve gotten to know the Texas tech scene, I was immediately drawn to LiveOak’s reputation as the leading early-stage investor in the market,” says Stewart. “After working together on several deals, I was impressed with the rigour and passion LiveOak brings to its work. I’m excited to join the team and support the Texas entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
“Having collaborated with David over the last year on several local seed and early-stage deals, we recognised that he would bring a dynamic, new perspective to our investment team,” says Krishna Srinivasan, Founding Partner at LiveOak. “His expertise as an entrepreneur, operator and investor with leading companies from the Bay Area ideally complements our strategy to build world-class, category leaders out of Texas. We are excited to bring him on board as a key asset for our firm.”
