Lightstream raises $8 million to expand its livestreaming tools

Chicago-based Lightstream, which offers web-based tools to enhance livestreams and air them on several popular platforms, today raised $8 million in a series A round. The startup has raised $9.8 million, to date, and told VentureBeat it will use the fresh capital to invest in adding more features to its cloud-based Studio, one of its two marquee consumer-facing products. Studio enables users to stream to several popular platforms (Microsoft’s Mixer, YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook) without downloading any software or installing a dedicated capture card on the desktop computer. Last year, the company entered into a partnership with Microsoft, which integrated the Lightstream feature into its native broadcast experience for Xbox and Windows. Lightstream cofounder and CEO Stu Grubbs told VentureBeat that the company is now building tools that will allow Studio users and creators to better understand their viewers and monetize their content.