Andy Liu
Andy Liu is a Partner at Unlock Venture Partners and an Angel Investor. He previously founded BuddyTV and NetConversions, both of which were acquired. His professional expertise includes early-stage technology investing and entrepreneurship.
Seattle Tech Week Kickoff Spotlights Founders Building an AI WhatsApp Agent for Seattle Orcas Logistics and Other Startup Tools
At the Seattle Tech Week kickoff, founders and leaders described diverse projects including an AI agent that manages a professional cricket team's logistics via WhatsApp, and other startups building B2B tools and voice AI for bar inventory. The event drew over 29,000 registrations and included panels showcasing regional entrepreneurs and investors.
Possible Finance Reaches $125 Million Revenue Run Rate and First Profit, Expands Seattle Office as Founders Reunite
Seattle fintech Possible Finance achieved a $125 million revenue run rate and its first annual profit after pandemic challenges, including layoffs. The company is expanding its Seattle office and reuniting its founding team, with co-founder Prasad Mahendra returning to lead AI initiatives.
Seattle Startup Picnic Shuts Down, Sells $50M Pizza Robot Assets to Undisclosed Buyer in May 2024
Seattle-based food automation startup Picnic, which raised about $50 million to develop pizza-making robots, has shut down and liquidated its assets after becoming insolvent. Its assets and intellectual property were sold to an undisclosed buyer in May 2024 through a liquidation process overseen by CMBG Advisors.
Growth, Grit, and Perspective with Andy Liu
Join host Aaron Burnett as he sits down with Andy Liu to explore the lessons behind his entrepreneurial journey—from launching a tech startup during the dot-com boom to navigating failure, finding product-market fit, and exiting through a multibillion-dollar acquisition.Andy shares how early missteps, cash burn, and building a product no one wanted led to a powerful realization: sales and customer conversations are the true unlock for growth. He reflects on the anxiety that often underlies entrepreneurship, the myth that success lies “on the other side” of an exit, and how maturity, focus, and ba...
Unlock Venture Partners Q3 2025: Possible Finance tops 1M customers and $750M saved; Fund III targets $150M
Unlock Venture Partners’ Q3 2025 newsletter highlights portfolio wins, sector insights, and a new fund — Possible Finance reached record ARR with over 1M customers saving $750M from predatory lending, while SpaceTech raised $5.8B in Q3 and portfolio companies Auriga Space and Sophia Space achieved notable funding and validation. The firm announced Fund III targeting $150M, celebrated community events like a Singapore F1 founders’ gathering, and reiterated focus on AI, SpaceTech, and Robotics.
Seattle Startup Hyphen AI Raises $5M Seed to Automate Cloud Deployments Using Generative AI
Seattle startup Hyphen AI raised $5 million in a seed round led by Unlock Venture Partners to develop Hyphen Deploy, a generative AI platform that automates cloud infrastructure setup using natural language. The platform supports multiple cloud providers and aims to reduce infrastructure setup from weeks to minutes.
Co-founder Steps Down After 11 Years Leading Dolly, Now Part of Taskrabbit
After 11 years co-founding and leading Dolly, the author is stepping away from the company now part of Taskrabbit, expressing deep gratitude to teammates, investors, mentors, customers, and helpers. They reflect on the meaningful journey and look forward to Dolly's bright future while personally taking time to recharge and explore new directions.
Picnic Raises $5M Led by Cercano Management with Investor Andy Liu Joining Board to Scale Pizza-Making Robot
Picnic, a food automation startup known for its pizza-making robots, raised $5 million in a new funding round led by Cercano Management, with investor Andy Liu joining the board. The funds will support scaling operations and meeting growing demand for Picnic's pizza-making technology used in high-volume venues.
Ascend Launches Seattle-Focused Co-Founder Matching Program at Annual Founders Bash
Ascend, an early stage venture firm, launched a Seattle-focused co-founder matching program at its annual Founders Bash, emphasizing the importance of selecting co-founders with complementary skills and past working experience. Entrepreneurs highlight trust and proven partnerships as key factors for startup success.
Unlock Venture Partners raises $60M second fund to back Seattle and L.A. startups, bringing total raised to $85M
Unlock Venture Partners, a seed-stage firm focused on Seattle and Los Angeles startups, raised a $60 million second fund and has now raised more than $85 million total to back early-stage companies including gaming, Web3 and metaverse plays.
UN PRI Report Calls for More ESG in Venture Capital as Unlock Venture Partners Launches $60M Fund for LA and Seattle Startups
Venture capital lags behind other asset classes in integrating ESG metrics, according to a new UN PRI report urging the industry to do more. Unlock Venture Partners announced a $60 million fund targeting startups in Los Angeles and Seattle, while a supply chain tech startup highlights growing market interest.
Unlock Venture Partners Raises $60 Million for Second Fund Focused on LA and Seattle Startups
Unlock Venture Partners, founded by Sanjay Reddy, Andy Liu, and Raazi Imam, has raised $60 million for its second fund targeting early-stage startups in Los Angeles and Seattle, bringing its total capital to $85 million. The fund focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage investments to support entrepreneurial talent in these cities, which lack sufficient early-stage venture capital despite their strong startup communities.
GeekWire surveys Seattle-area VCs to name Pacific Northwest startups they predict will become unicorns in 2022
GeekWire surveyed more than a dozen Seattle-area venture capitalists for their picks of Pacific Northwest startups likely to reach unicorn status this year, compiling a list of candidate companies with reasons for each selection. The piece notes rising valuations nationwide and excludes VCs' own portfolio companies to reduce bias.
Concreit launches app enabling $1 real-estate investments after $6M seed round led by Matrix Partners
Seattle-based Concreit launched a mobile app this week that lets users invest in its real estate fund from as little as $1, backed by a $6 million seed funding round. The fund, co-founded by CEO Sean Hsieh, has an annualized return of 5.47% (July 1, 2020–July 1, 2021) and offers weekly payouts or on-demand withdrawals.
Seattle startup Plunk raises $6.5M seed from Unlock Ventures to recommend remodels that boost home value
Seattle startup Plunk raised a $6.5 million seed round led by Unlock Ventures to expand its app that uses image processing, AI and machine learning to recommend remodels that raise home value. The free app has analyzed over 1 million homes in Seattle, identifying about $400 billion in combined potential "Plunk Value," while the company focuses on establishing credible analytics before announcing monetization plans.
Seattle startup Plunk raises $2M+ to power AI-driven home valuation and renovation recommendations
Seattle startup Plunk, founded by Brian Lent and David Bluhm, has developed an app that uses image processing, AI and machine learning to evaluate home condition, estimate renovation-driven value increases (a "Plunk Value") and recommend specific projects; the company has 15 employees and has raised over $2 million to date, including an initial $1M reported in 2019.
Andy Liu
Andy Liu, Partner at Unlock Venture Partners, knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur from a young age. Andy started two companies with his Co-Founder David Niu, who he met while getting his MBA at Wharton. Always intrigued by angel investing, Andy decided to dip his toes in after both NetConversions and BuddyTV.com had successful exits. Today, Andy is an investor in nearly 100 companies. He started his current venture capital firm, Unlock Venture Partners, in late 2017, which focuses on early-stage technology investments in Seattle and Los Angeles. Andy shares helpful tips for entrepreneurs including what to consider when…
GeekWire reveals winners of fourth annual Seattle 2.0 Startup Awards, naming 14 category champions including Investor Chris DeVore
GeekWire announced winners of the fourth annual Seattle 2.0 Startup Awards at the EMP in Seattle, naming champions across 14 categories who received custom framed records. Notable winners highlighted include Chris DeVore (Investor of the Year) and Shauna Causey (Schmoozer of the Year).
Seattle 2.0 Names Finalists From Nearly 7,000 Nominations; Public Voting Open Through May 11 — Winners Revealed May 19
Seattle 2.0 announced finalists for its annual Seattle tech startup awards after nearly 7,000 nominations across 11 categories, opening public voting through May 11 and scheduling the awards event for May 19 with keynote Jonathan Sposato.
Organizations
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Self Angel Investor 2008–present · current
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Unlock Venture Partners Partner · current
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Dolly Director 2019 · past
Education
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The Wharton School MBA · 1999–2002
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Seattle Pacific University B.S., Electrical Engineering · 1994–1998
