Startup Program Lead at LiveKit

About LiveKit

LiveKit is at the forefront of building the essential infrastructure for the voice-driven computing era. Our robust platform empowers developers with all the tools needed to build, test, deploy, scale, and monitor AI agents effectively in a production environment. Established in 2021, LiveKit proudly supports voice AI applications for industry leaders like OpenAI, xAI, Salesforce, Coursera, and Spotify, alongside thousands of other innovators, facilitating billions of calls annually.

About This Role

LiveKit is seeking a dedicated Startup Program Lead to take full ownership of LiveKit Startups, a unique program designed to provide early-stage teams in voice AI with critical credits and the necessary technological stack. This program aims to help them achieve a functional product through a simplified application process. Developing a voice agent involves numerous complex components, and frequently, much of this integration occurs during the initial weeks when startups have limited budget and vendor leverage. The LiveKit Startups program is specifically designed to alleviate this burden for founders at their most critical juncture.

As the Startup Program Lead, you will oversee the program comprehensively: defining the offering, strategizing how founders discover the program, cultivating partnerships that enable its success, and managing the experience of participating teams.

You'll Thrive in This Role If You:

• Possess direct experience working with early-stage founders and understand what truly contributes to their success.
• Excel in collaborative team environments, while also demonstrating strong independent work capabilities.
• Exhibit both strategic, big-picture thinking and the ability to meticulously handle tactical details.
• Are highly organized, communicate with exceptional clarity, and have a proven track record of cross-functional collaboration both internally and with external companies.

What You'll Do

• End-to-End Program Ownership: Manage the LiveKit Startups Program from inception to completion, including defining the offer, optimizing founder discovery, ensuring prompt responses, and overseeing the overall participant experience.
• Expand Program Reach: Establish and nurture relationships with key accelerators and funds (e.g., YC, Founders Inc, Boost VC, HF0, South Park Commons, a16z) to serve as primary channels for founders to learn about the program.
• Enhance Program Offerings: Collaborate with speech and voice model providers to integrate more of the AI stack into the program, allowing founders to gain benefits beyond LiveKit through a single application. This involves building and negotiating new partnerships.
• Ensure Operational Excellence: Manage all program operations to maintain reliability, including application review and approval, provisioning resources, partner reporting, and executing accurate monthly cycles.
• Monitor Program Health: Track key metrics such as team enrollment, success rates for getting an agent working in the first week, and overall program satisfaction to ensure a consistently positive experience.
• Advocate for Founders: Serve as the internal voice for founders, channeling their feedback to the product, documentation, and pricing teams within LiveKit.

Who You Are

• You have 5+ years of experience in startup programs, ecosystem or platform partnerships, developer growth, or Go-to-Market (GTM) roles at a developer infrastructure company. Founder experience is also highly valued.
• You have a track record of building new programs from scratch rather than inheriting existing ones, having defined criteria, terms, landing pages, and follow up communications.
• You are comfortable with commercial aspects, capable of structuring partner agreements and managing external relationships effectively.
• You are technically credible when engaging with developers, able to discuss architecture with founders confidently, even without an engineer present.
• You are operationally rigorous, ensuring the smooth and timely execution of the repeating monthly program cycle.

Bonus Points

• Previous experience within an accelerator or on a Venture Capital (VC) platform team.
• Hands-on experience building or shipping products utilizing voice AI, Large Language Model (LLM) agents, or real time infrastructure.
• Familiarity with usage-based pricing models or credit systems.
• An established network within the early-stage AI ecosystem, including founders, scouts, and platform leads.

Our Commitment to You

• An unparalleled opportunity to contribute to building something truly impactful on a global scale.
• Collaborate with world-class engineers on open source projects.
• A competitive salary and equity package.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits.
• A flexible vacation policy that supports work life balance.

LiveKit is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact [email protected].