Zappar, a developer of augmented reality (AR) experiences and creative tools, has raised a US$3.75 million Series A round. The round has been led by London investment house Hargreave Hale, with participation from trade investors You & Mr Jones and Chinese independent app developer, iDreamSky.
“This funding round is another great milestone for the business,” said Caspar Thykier, CEO of Zappar. “Zappar’s mission is to democratise augmented reality. AR represents an exciting future for consumer engagement connecting devices to the world around us.
With this round our established institutional and trade investors lend further credence to this future as we continue towards AR delivering a digital discovery channel through mobile devices and head-mounted displays. This investment will help us further develop ZapWorks: our market leading AR, VR and now Mixed Reality content creation service that will power the future of consumer interaction and engagement for the next generation of digital developers.”
Zappar will use the funding to accelerate the development of several new products along with its international expansion. In particular, it will increase development, global marketing and support for its recently launched, flagship product, ZapWorks—an AR/VR/MR creative suite that makes the whole process of creating amazing, interactive short-form content simple yet expressive.
Zappar will also be expanding its team and adding new roles at the company, including additions to its SaaS Sales team, User Success specialists, R&D and Marketing divisions (inquire here). Working with iDreamsky also opens up opportunities for Zappar in the China market.
“We’re at a unique moment in time as AR, VR and MR content and technology moves into the mainstream,” said Oliver Bedford, Fund manager at Hargreave Hale. “There are a number of players entering this space. Zappar are a clear front runner, grounded in an established, effective, robust, and highly scalable content creation technology that caters to all markets and developer needs.”
To date, Zappar has worked with more than 200 partners from the retail, television, film and packaged goods industries to create interactive, snackable AR campaigns. A firm believer in the democratisation of AR, it has thousands of users in 199 countries on the ZapWorks platform.
“Zappar is a best-in-class business that empowers businesses and creatives to build best-in-class augmented reality experiences,” said George Prest, partner at You & Mr Jones, an investor in Niantic, creators of Pokémon Go. “Since launching ZapWorks earlier this year, the platform’s ease of use, breadth of tools and affordable cost structure have resonated very strongly with the market, resulting in clear belief from us in their business potential. Zappar has what it takes to truly democratise AR creation, and we’re looking forward to the company’s successes.”
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