VCs Spending Big! 🤑 – AR & VR startups are coming in Hot! 🔥 Into the Metaverse we Go! 🥽
VCs Spending Big! 🤑 – AR & VR startups are coming in Hot! 🔥 Into the Metaverse we Go! 🥽
A quick primer on 7 startups picking up VC Dollars in the Metaverse!
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THIS WEEK’S DOPE NEW STARTUP IDEA COVERS:
* AR + VR + Metaverse 🔥
WHAT WE KNOW:
* A quick primer on 7 startups picking up VC Dollars in the Metaverse!
>> [ Varjo snags $54M! ]
Varjo raises $54 million to bring VR with ‘human eye’ resolution to more industries
- thanks paul! http://www.twitter.com/psawers
Founded in 2016, Varjo offers a high-resolution VR and XR headset that promises clarity comparable to the human eye, a prerequisite for a range industrial applications — such as flight simulators, which may require the ability to read fine details on screens within the virtual world.
Varjo has already nabbed some high-profile customers, including Boeing, which recently announced that it would use Varjo’s headsets to train astronauts for Starliner space missions, and Volvo (also an investor), Audi, and Siemens, which are using the platform to design cars and develop new products.
Earlier this year, Varjo also inked a deal with MeetinVR for business cases requiring remote collaboration between colleagues, customers, and partners, with support for virtual whiteboards.
>> [ Threekit picks up $20M! ]
Announcing Threekit's $20M Series A Funding
- thanks threekit! https://twitter.com/threekit
Threekit customers can upload product information and design files to instantly and inexpensively create unlimited numbers of interactive, augmented reality and photorealistic 3D visuals for any product’s material, color, and configuration options.
For example, Crate & Barrel uses Threekit to create more than three million photorealistic images of their sofas, all in the name of a more immersive and satisfying shopping experience.
Other customers have increased conversion by as much as 40 percent, decreased product returns by as much as 80 percent, and saved nearly 90 percent on marketing costs compared to traditional photography.
>> [ Tetavi grabs $20M too! ]
Tetavi Closes $20M Funding Round
- thanks finsmes! https://twitter.com/finSMEs
Founded by Dr. Miky Tamir and Micha Birnboim in 2016, and led by CEO Gilad Talmon, Tetavi is working on highly reproducible hologram creation technology for immersive media, games and virtual content with the aim of completing and popularizing ideal volumetric video capture.
The company, which has offices in Tel Aviv, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo, is currently in advanced discussions with major creative artists and production companies for projects anticipated to release in 2022.
>> [ StatusPRO raises a $5.2M seed! ]
StatusPRO Raises $5.2M in Seed Funding
- thanks finsmes! https://twitter.com/finSMEs
Co-founded by Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins and Troy Jones, StatusPRO provides a sports technology and gaming company that combines player data, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to create a suite of training and gaming products.
Its training platform uses real-time player data to power holographic experiences that give players the ability to simulate any practice or game scenario without the physical impact that comes with playing the game.
Players are able to simulate virtual practice sessions while in different locations, to mitigate the effects of having less time on the field.
>> [ BuzzCast follows suit with a $4.35M seed! ]
BuzzCast Raises $4.35M in Seed Funding
- thanks finsmes! https://twitter.com/finSMEs
Led by Ryan Byrne, CEO, BuzzCast provides a virtual events platform that delivers a broadcast-quality experience, can scale to support hundreds of thousands of attendees, and supports complex tracks and formats with advanced networking features.
The system will also allow event hosts and sponsors to gamify the attendee experience in both virtual and hybrid events, enabling them to drive behavior, reward visitors with prizes and incentives, and extend their interaction with guests before, during and after the event, all built on the BSV network, an enterprise-grade public blockchain.
They also want to turn content, rewards and contact information into micro-NFTs that visitors can collect and trade at will.
>> [ Genies scores a big $65M in funding! ]
Avatar startup Genies scores $65 million in funding round led by Mary Meeker’s Bond
- thanks lucas! https://twitter.com/lucasmtny
This funding comes at an inflection point for the four-year-old company, evidenced by the investments from NBA Top Shot-maker Dapper Labs and crypto giant Coinbase.
As announced last week, the company is rolling out an NFT platform on Dapper Labs’ Flow blockchain, partnering closely with the startup, which will be building out the backend for a Genies avatar accessories storefront.
Like Dapper Labs has leveraged its exclusive deals with sports leagues to ship NFTs with official backing, Genies is planning to capitalize on its partnerships with celebrities in its roster, including Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B and others to create a platform for buying and trading avatar accessories en masse.
>> [ Singularity 6 banks another $30M! ]
Singularity 6 raises $30M to fund upcoming fantasy ‘community simulation’ MMO
- thanks lucas! https://twitter.com/lucasmtny
The startup tells TechCrunch they’ve raised $30 million in a Series B bout of funding led by FunPlus Ventures with additional participation from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), LVP, Transcend, Anthos Capital and Mitch Lasky.
The title, Palia, is a community simulation game that seems to be more focused on Animal Crossing-like community mechanics in an MMO environment, rather than endless battles.
Palia looks to be a medieval Zelda-like environment where users can move between towns in an open world environment while farming and collecting resources to build structures in a shared world.
THE DOPE IDEA & THE BRAND EXECUTION:
* Taking the idea and amplifying that into tactical action.
See you next week for the final chapter in our two-part report.
We’ll discuss on how to position ourselves as a new player in the AR + VR + Metaverse 🔥 space — and get into the development of the Brand IP, securing a legit Domain Name, then making it Internet LIVE.