Spatial Systems Inc., a holographic collaboration platform that uses augmented and virtual reality to turn any room into a 3D workspace, today announced $14 million in new funding.

The Series A funding was led by WhiteStar Capital, iNovia and Kakao Ventures and was joined by existing investors including Instagram Co-Founder Mike Krieger, and Zynga Founder Mark Pincus. It brings Spatial’s total up to $22 million.

Although remote work can be extremely useful, and even efficient given the wide expanse of the internet and advanced wireless networks, many workers still discover that the lack of face time with coworkers can make working feel distant. And collaboration tools that use webcams such as Skype and Zoom don’t quite create the same sensation as working or meeting in the same room with colleagues.

To fill that void, Spatial has created a device-agnostic platform that can turn any room into a 3D meeting space that uses AR and VR technology to add immersion. In order to reach as many customers as possible, Spatial works with Microsoft HoloLens, Oculus, Magic Leap Qualcomm XR2, Android and iPhone mobile devices and desktop computers.

“Last year we saw a strong demand to collaborate in AR/VR from more than 25% of the Fortune 1,000, and we announced our first wave of customers such as Mattel, Purina/Nestle and BNP Paribas,” said Anand Agarawala, co-founder and chief executive of Spatial.

“Spatial’s mixed-reality solution will be a key part of the future of work,” said investor Krieger. “They’re taking us beyond everyday tools like Zoom and Slack and pointing the way towards what conferencing and collaboration can be like if they were invented today.”

Augmented reality, which places virtual objects into the vision of users, can easily put representations of coworkers into the same room for a meeting. The use of this technology has been explored by many companies in the industry, including Object Theory LLC, which uses Microsoft HoloLens, and Scope AR, which connects field workers to experts using AR.

Virtual reality completely replaces what people see with an entirely virtual space and that can change a kitchen into a boardroom or into the floor of a factory under construction – or perhaps under the sea or atop a mountain. Companies such as IrisVR and Visual Vocal have been working on providing virtual environments for meetings and collaboration.

Spatial’s platform, however, tries to expand the playing field as much as possible by doing both and doing it on whatever hardware is available to the users.

That means that a company can approach virtual collaboration without worrying about compatibility. It also allows some workers to wear expensive HoloLens headsets in the office to join with colleagues who only have access to Android phones in the field and still get the benefit of immersive meetings.

Image: Spatial