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Zappar raises $3.75M to make AR and VR content creation easy
The success of “Pokemon Go” last year proved that augmented reality can be big business, but few companies can afford to build their own AR or virtual reality apps from scratch. Zappar Ltd. hopes to solve this problem by offering an AR/VR publishing platform that does most of the hard work.
Today, Zappar announced that it has closed a $3.75 million funding round that will allow it to develop its platform further and expand into new territory. London-based investment firm Hargreave Hale led the investment round. Other investors included iDreamSky, China’s largest mobile game publishing platform, and media tech firm You & Mr Jones Inc., which had previously invested in “Pokemon Go” developer Niantic inc.
Zappar offers a few different products, but its flagship is ZapWorks, a development tool that makes it easy to create AR and VR content that can be viewed on mobile devices. Zappar boasts on its website that ZapWorks allows anyone to create content “from small children in the classroom to professional 3D artists.” That content can then be shared using ZapCodes, which are essentially a fancy cousin to QR codes that are designed to work the Zappar’s app.
ZapWorks also allows content creators track AR experiences off of their an image choose. This option uses Zappar’s own computer vision algorithms to keep track of where and how the content should be displayed.
A number of major brands have already used Zappar’s tools to create their AR experiences, including Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., The Coca Cola Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and others.
According to Zappar Chief Executive Caspar Thykier, the new funding will allow Zappar to expand its content creation platform and add new forms of content, particularly mixed reality.
“Zappar’s mission is to democratize augmented reality,” Thykier said in a statement. “AR represents an exciting future for consumer engagement, connecting devices to the world around us.”
Thykier said he envisions delivering a “a digital discovery channel” through mobile devices and head-mounted displays.
Photo: OyundariZorigtbaatar (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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