Top streaming investors funding live video and content tech in 2025
The live streaming and video infrastructure space raised over $1 billion in 2024. Most of that went to AI-powered tools, multistreaming platforms, and creator tech. If you're building in streaming, you need investors who understand both the tech stack and creator economics.
Finding the right investors isn't about brand names. It's about finding firms that have backed similar companies and can help you navigate platform dependency, bandwidth costs, and monetization challenges that are unique to streaming.
Quick list
Sapphire Ventures: Led Restream's $50 million Series A in August 2020, backing multiplatform streaming infrastructure.
Insight Partners: Co-led Restream's Series A, focuses on growth-stage video and streaming SaaS companies.
Andreessen Horowitz: Active in AI-powered video tools and backs companies building creator infrastructure.
Lightspeed Venture Partners: Invested in streaming platforms and creator tools with focus on early-stage deals.
Accel: Backs video infrastructure and streaming startups from seed through Series C.
Sequoia Capital: Invests in video platforms and AI-powered content creation tools.
General Catalyst: Led early rounds for streaming companies, focuses on platform infrastructure.
Tiger Global: Historically active in video and streaming deals, though deal pace has slowed recently.
Thrive Capital: Backed Vimeo with $86.5 million post-IPO round in August 2023.
Khosla Ventures: Co-led Vimeo's post-IPO funding, focuses on video platforms and infrastructure.
What to look for in streaming investors
Experience: Find investors who've backed companies through bandwidth cost spikes and platform policy changes. Ask their portfolio companies about actual help during AWS pricing changes or CDN migrations. B2C video experience rarely translates to understanding streaming infrastructure costs.
Network: Check if they can intro you to CDN providers or platform partnership teams at Twitch, YouTube, or TikTok. That matters more than brand names. Generic advice about scaling doesn't help when your burn rate depends on video delivery costs.
Alignment: Streaming companies have different unit economics than typical SaaS. If they're pushing for revenue milestones without understanding bandwidth costs, that's a red flag. Seed investors often don't understand growth-stage infrastructure spend.
Track record: Look at whether their portfolio companies raised Series B. Dead streaming startups are common. Follow-on rounds show investors who actually understand the business model.
Communication: Share your deck with trackable links. You'll see who actually opens your infrastructure cost breakdown vs. just skimming the intro. If they don't engage with your materials properly, they won't engage properly as investors.
Value-add: Ask what operational support they provide during scaling challenges or platform pivots. Generic "we have a great network" answers are useless. You need specific help with CDN negotiations and platform partnerships.
Getting in front of streaming investors
Identify potential investors: Check recent deals on Crunchbase or PitchBook. Seed funds won't lead your Series B, no matter how good your deck is. Look at who backed similar companies at your stage.
Craft a compelling pitch: Focus on unit economics and user retention. Most investors are tired of MAU projections without proven monetization paths. Show actual streaming hours and bandwidth costs if you have them.
Share your pitch deck: Use secure file sharing with view analytics. Monitor which pages investors spend time on. If they skip your infrastructure cost slide, that's useful information.
Utilize your network: Message portfolio founders on LinkedIn. Ask about response times and actual value-add. Most will be honest if they're not raising right now.
Attend networking events: Web Summit, TechCrunch Disrupt, and Collision matter. Skip the small local events. These are where streaming deals actually happen.
Engage on online platforms: Connect after you've been introduced. Cold DMs rarely work for Series A and beyond.
Organize due diligence: Set up a data room with your financial model, cap table, and AWS/CDN contracts before they ask. It speeds up the process when they're ready to move. Add password protection for sensitive infrastructure agreements.
Set up introductory meetings: Lead with your streaming metrics and unit economics. Don't waste 20 minutes on market size slides they've seen 100 times. Show them why your platform retention is better than competitors.
Why this timing matters
The streaming market hit $500 billion in 2024 and investors deployed over $1 billion into video infrastructure startups. But funding patterns shifted from consumer platforms to B2B infrastructure and creator tools.
AI-powered video tools dominated 2024 funding, with companies like Captions and Runway raising large rounds. Live streaming platforms saw consolidation, with Bending Spoons acquiring Vimeo for $1.38 billion in September 2025 and StreamYard getting acquired in April 2024. Investors now focus on proven business models with clear paths to profitability over speculative consumer platforms.
10 top streaming investors
1. Sapphire Ventures
Growth-stage investor with deep experience in video SaaS and streaming infrastructure companies.
- Recent Deals: Restream ($50M Series A, August 2020), beehiiv ($33M Series B, April 2024)
- LinkedIn: Sapphire Ventures
- Sector Focus: Video infrastructure, streaming platforms, creator tools, SaaS
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Growth
- Location: Austin, Texas, USA
- Website: sapphireventures.com
2. Insight Partners
One of the largest growth investors with $90 billion under management, active in video and streaming deals.
- Recent Deals: Restream ($50M Series A co-lead, August 2020), extensive SaaS portfolio
- LinkedIn: Insight Partners
- Sector Focus: Video platforms, streaming SaaS, enterprise software, cloud infrastructure
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: New York, New York, USA
- Website: insightpartners.com
3. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Most active post-seed investor with 100 deals in 2024, backs AI-powered video and creator tools.
- Recent Deals: AI video tools, creator platforms, extensive media and entertainment portfolio
- LinkedIn: Andreessen Horowitz
- Sector Focus: AI video tools, streaming platforms, creator economy, consumer software
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, California, USA
- Website: a16z.com
4. Lightspeed Venture Partners
Active early-stage investor with 79 deals in 2024, focuses on consumer and creator platforms.
- Recent Deals: Safe Superintelligence ($3B, April 2025), Supabase ($396M Series D), creator tools
- LinkedIn: Lightspeed Venture Partners
- Sector Focus: Streaming platforms, creator tools, consumer software, infrastructure
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Location: Menlo Park, California, USA
- Website: lsvp.com
5. Accel
Participated in 84 post-seed rounds in 2024, backs video infrastructure and streaming startups.
- Recent Deals: Supabase ($396M Series D), video infrastructure, developer tools
- LinkedIn: Accel
- Sector Focus: Video platforms, developer tools, infrastructure, streaming SaaS
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
- Location: Palo Alto, California, USA
- Website: accel.com
6. Sequoia Capital
One of the largest VCs with $85 billion AUM, backs AI video and streaming platforms.
- Recent Deals: Safe Superintelligence ($3B, April 2025), AI video tools, streaming infrastructure
- LinkedIn: Sequoia Capital
- Sector Focus: AI video tools, streaming platforms, infrastructure, enterprise software
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth
- Location: Menlo Park, California, USA
- Website: sequoiacap.com
7. General Catalyst
Backed 97 deals in 2024, active in early-stage streaming and video platform investments.
- Recent Deals: Kick Streaming ($9M Seed with OpenAI Startup Fund, 2024), platform infrastructure
- LinkedIn: General Catalyst
- Sector Focus: Platform infrastructure, streaming services, developer tools, enterprise software
- Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Website: generalcatalyst.com
8. Tiger Global
Historically one of the most active investors with focus on high-growth video and consumer platforms.
- Recent Deals: Recent focus on AI and infrastructure, closed $2.2B 16th fund in April 2024
- LinkedIn: Tiger Global Management
- Sector Focus: Video platforms, consumer software, streaming infrastructure, high-growth tech
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
- Location: New York, New York, USA
- Website: tigerglobal.com
9. Thrive Capital
Growth-stage investor focused on consumer platforms and video infrastructure.
- Recent Deals: Vimeo ($86.5M post-IPO, August 2023), consumer and enterprise software
- LinkedIn: Thrive Capital
- Sector Focus: Video platforms, consumer software, streaming services, infrastructure
- Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth, Late-stage
- Location: New York, New York, USA
- Website: thrivecap.com
10. Khosla Ventures
Co-led Vimeo's post-IPO round, focuses on video platforms and infrastructure investments.
- Recent Deals: Vimeo ($86.5M co-lead, August 2023), infrastructure and platform companies
- LinkedIn: Khosla Ventures
- Sector Focus: Video platforms, streaming infrastructure, enterprise software, AI tools
- Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Late-stage
- Location: Menlo Park, California, USA
- Website: khoslaventures.com
How to track investor engagement properly
These 10 investors closed streaming deals from 2020 to November 2025. Before you start reaching out, set up proper tracking.
Upload your deck and create a unique link for each investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your infrastructure costs.
When investors ask for more materials, share a secure data room instead of messy email threads. Your cap table, financial model, and CDN contracts in one place with view analytics. Add screenshot protection for sensitive infrastructure agreements.
Common questions
How do I know if an investor is still active in streaming?
Check their last three deals on Crunchbase. If they haven't invested in video or streaming companies in 18 months, they've likely moved to other sectors. Don't waste time on inactive investors.
Should I cold email investors or get introductions?
Warm intros work better for Series A and beyond. For seed rounds, a strong cold email with traction can work if you're solving a real infrastructure problem they care about.
What's the difference between seed and Series A streaming investors?
Seed investors back technical teams and early product. Series A investors want proven streaming metrics, unit economics, and at least $500K ARR or significant streaming hours. Don't pitch Series A investors with just a prototype.
How many investors should I reach out to?
Target 20-30 relevant investors for your stage. Quality over quantity. Research their streaming portfolio and investment thesis before reaching out. Generic mass emails don't work.
When should I set up a data room?
Set it up before you start fundraising. Streaming deals move fast when investors are interested, and you don't want to scramble putting CDN contracts and infrastructure details together. Having it ready shows you're organized.
Do investors actually care about pitch deck analytics?
Yes. If they're not engaging with your infrastructure cost slides or streaming metrics, they're not serious. Tracking which pages they view tells you what they care about and helps you follow up strategically.
