Paola Retes

LiveOak Ventures Vice President

Paola Retes is a Vice President at LiveOak Venture Partners, one of Texas’s leading early-stage venture capital firms. Based in Austin, she focuses on sourcing and supporting investments in enterprise software and B2B technology companies, playing an instrumental role in guiding startups through growth and operational scale. At LiveOak, she is deeply engaged in working alongside founders, helping them navigate early traction and long-term value creation.

Prior to joining LiveOak, Paola built a multifaceted investment background with experience across venture capital and private equity. She was part of the founding team at Ironspring Ventures, where she helped launch the fund and led early investments in industrial innovation companies like ICON and Mercado Labs. Her earlier experience includes private equity at Vista Equity Partners, where she focused on enterprise software, and strategic investing roles at Holt Ventures and Matterhorn Capital Management. Paola also brings operational and analytical insight from her time at Deloitte and Becton Dickinson.

Paola earned her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she co-founded Galvanizer, a nonprofit incubator supporting female founders. She holds a B.S. in Finance from St. Mary’s University and is a CFA charterholder. A committed advocate for inclusion in entrepreneurship, she continues to champion underrepresented voices in tech and venture through both investing and community-building efforts.