He Bet His Entire Net Worth on Life360 — It Paid $8B Later
At Life360, Itamar Novick faced every founder’s nightmare: the company was out of cash, investor trust was thin, and the future was uncertain. Instead of walking away, he went all-in, personally funding the company when no one else would. That gamble turned into an $8B success story spanning two IPOs (Australia and NASDAQ) and over 50M global users.
In this episode, Itamar breaks down the mechanics of scaling a consumer app into a global platform, how to raise $200M without losing control, the art of integrating acquisitions under pressure, and what founders often misunderstand about IPOs. His advice to founders? “If you’re going to bet on something, bet on yourself.”
Here’s what you’re in for:
- 01:41 From employee to co-founder and the leap that changed everything
- 05:37 Raising capital when everyone says no
- 06:21 Why big risky swings are the only way to win
- 08:21 Scaling Life360 from idea to household name
- 22:17 Acquiring startups and merging top talent
- 37:48 Behind the IPO curtain and the tough calls nobody talks about
- 40:41 Taking the leap to go public
- 43:06 Why they chose Australia for the IPO
- 44:47 Making the move to NASDAQ
- 48:18 Founding Recursive Ventures and the next chapter
- 52:02 Investing in the future with AI and founder-first thinking
- 59:52 Hard-earned wisdom every founder should hear
- 01:01:15 Getting funded with Recursive Ventures
- 01:07:14 Final reflections and where to connect
ABOUT Itamar Novick
Itamar Novick is the Managing Partner at Recursive Ventures, an early-stage VC fund backing AI, data, and SaaS founders. Before joining venture capital, he served as Chief Product Officer and General Manager at Life360, where he helped lead the company from early chaos to an $8 billion public company listed on both the ASX and NASDAQ.
Itamar’s investment portfolio includes Deel, Honeybook, and Orca Security. His operator background gives him a rare edge in backing founders through scale and turbulence.
Get in touch with Shay:
- Learn more: itamarnovick.com
- Connect with Itamar on LinkedIn
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