HL

Holly Liu

North America, California, United States, San Francisco

Description

Holly Liu is a distinguished entrepreneur turned venture capitalist, widely recognized for her pivotal role as a co-founder of Kabam, a leading mobile gaming company. After successfully building and scaling Kabam, which was notably acquired for approximately $700 million, Liu transitioned her expertise and capital into the investment landscape. She is currently the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of PKO Investments, an early-stage venture firm based in San Francisco. Her academic background includes studies at the University of California, Berkeley, which provided a strong foundation for her subsequent entrepreneurial and investment endeavors.

At PKO Investments, Liu focuses on identifying and nurturing promising pre-seed and seed-stage startups. The firm's investment thesis is broad yet strategic, often targeting companies within the consumer technology, gaming, marketplace, and SaaS sectors. PKO is known for its founder-first approach, seeking out entrepreneurs with unique insights and diverse backgrounds who are building innovative solutions. Liu leverages her deep operational experience from Kabam to provide invaluable strategic guidance and mentorship to her portfolio companies, helping them navigate the challenges of early-stage growth and market penetration.

PKO Investments typically deploys capital in the range of $100,000 to $1,000,000 for its initial checks, participating in rounds that help nascent companies solidify their product-market fit and scale their operations. This strategic investment size allows PKO to be a meaningful early partner for founders. Beyond capital, Liu is also an active angel investor and advisor, frequently sharing her insights on product development, team building, and fundraising strategies. Her commitment to fostering the next generation of tech leaders underscores her significant impact on the startup ecosystem.

Investor Profile

Holly Liu has backed more than 26 startups, with 1 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 0 rounds, about 0% of its total and boasts 2 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Pre Seed, Series A rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Vietnam, Taiwan.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, Gaming, Blockchain.
  • Typical check size: $100K – $1M.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (69%)
  • Pre Seed (19%)
  • Series A (12%)

Country Focus

  • United States (81%)
  • Vietnam (4%)
  • Taiwan (4%)
  • Singapore (4%)
  • Philippines (4%)
  • Canada (4%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Gaming
  • Blockchain
  • Information Technology
  • Financial Services
  • Enterprise Software
  • Saas
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Govtech
  • Internet
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Holly Liu frequently co-invest with?

Hashed
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3
PKO Investments
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3
Hustle Fund
North America, California, United States, San Carlos
Co-Investments: 4
ACTAI Ventures
North America, Minnesota, United States, Wayzata
Co-Investments: 2
Y Combinator
North America, California, United States, Mountain View
Co-Investments: 5
Animoca Brands
Asia, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, Cyberport
Co-Investments: 3
XRM Media
North America, California, United States, Burbank
Co-Investments: 7
Flybridge
North America, Massachusetts, United States, Boston
Co-Investments: 2
Precursor Ventures
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 2
Sound Ventures
North America, California, United States, Beverly Hills
Co-Investments: 2

Which angels does Holly Liu often collaborate with?

Gabby Dizon
Asia, Rizal, Philippines, Pasig
Shared Deals: 3
PL
North America, California, United States, Millbrae
Shared Deals: 7
Dennis Fong
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
JP
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
KL
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 10
KG
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 9
JL
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
RH
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
EW
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
SB
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 3

What are some of recent deals done by Holly Liu?

Moku

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Moku is a web3 gaming platform that enables players connects to gaming guilds, NFT casting pages, game strategy communities, and more.

BlockchainGamingWeb3
SeedSep 9, 2024
Amount Raised: $5,350,000
Blaze

Los Angeles, California, United States

The smarter no-code platform to build internal tools.

Enterprise ApplicationsEnterprise SoftwareInformation TechnologySaaSSoftware
Pre SeedJan 11, 2023
Amount Raised: $3,500,000
Chaos Genius

Palo Alto, California, United States

Chaos Genius is a provider of a DataOps observability platform for improving data infrastructure efficiency.

Application Performance ManagementBig DataCloud Data ServicesCloud Infrastructure
SeedJan 3, 2023
Amount Raised: $3,300,000
Metagood

Seattle, Washington, United States

Metagood is a for-profit company that empowers communities to be catalysts for positive collective action.

CryptocurrencyInformation Technology
Pre SeedDec 8, 2022
Amount Raised: $5,000,000
Trend

Austin, Texas, United States

Trend is a marketing platform that connects content creators brands to create exclusive content.

Advertising PlatformsContent CreatorsContent Delivery NetworkContent MarketingSocial Media Marketing
Pre SeedJul 14, 2022
Amount Raised: $3,000,000
LOVO

Berkeley, California, United States

LOVO is an AI and machine learning text-to-speech voiceover speech software platform.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Machine LearningSoftware
SeedApr 7, 2022
Toonsutra

Beverly Hills, California, United States

Toonsutra is a developer of a webtoon comics application.

ComicsMedia and EntertainmentWeb Apps
Pre SeedMar 16, 2022
Amount Raised: $1,100,000
Lightforge Games

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

Lightforge Games is a new, all-remote studio of industry veterans on a quest to change how the world plays RPGs.

ComputerPC Games
Series AMar 8, 2022
Amount Raised: $15,000,000
Block Tackle

San Francisco, California, United States

Block Tackle is a San-Francisco-based studio dedicated to creating the first generation of fun-first blockchain games.

BlockchainGaming
SeedMar 4, 2022
Amount Raised: $5,000,000
Legends of Learning

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Legends of Learning is an e-learning platform focused on game-based learning to advance education.

E-LearningEdTechEducation
SeedMar 2, 2022
Amount Raised: $5,000,000