Six selected early stage tech companies will apply immersive technologies to healthcare, manufacturing and creative industries.
Digital Catapult and Seedcamp have today announced the organisations selected to take part in Augmentor, focused on supporting early stage UK tech businesses developing applications for immersive technologies.
Gravity Sketch, Immersive Rehab, Kinicho, Koski, Reality Zero One and VRTU are the first group of organisations selected to be part of the ten-week programme supporting next generation virtual, augmented and mixed reality tech companies. Augmentor will provide a range of exclusive benefits; including technical and business mentorship from world-leading experts in the immersive space. Mentors on the programme include: Graham Breen, Product Head at Vive Europe, Peter Daukintis Tech Evangelist at Microsoft Hololens, Mikela Eskenazi Commercial Director EMEA at Blippar and Mel Slater, Professor at ICREA University of Barcelona and Immersive Fellow at Digital Catapult.
Over the course of ten weeks the selected companies will have full access to the state-of-the-art Immersive Lab and collaborative workspace at the Digital Catapult Centre London, as well the opportunity to collaborate with research experts in immersive technologies from University College London, University of Bath and Bournemouth University.
At the end of the ten-week programme of workshops, masterclasses, mentorship and access to facilities and research, the selected companies will take to the stage where they will pitch and showcase their innovations to an audience of experts and investors on 23rd May at Digital Catapult.
The early stage tech companies all have areas of focus spanning across digital manufacturing, digital health & care and the wider creative industries. The six selected businesses are:
• Gravity Sketch – An intuitive multi-platform 3D creation tool allowing users to create 3D models, scenes, and artwork in a fun and intuitive way
• Immersive Rehab – An interactive physical and neuro-rehabilitation virtual environment enhancing the effectiveness of patient recovery
• Kinicho – 3D audio tools for producers that seek a richer, fuller and more authentic listener experience
• Koski – A mixed reality gaming platform, augmenting a physical board game with new worlds of play
• Reality Zero One – A platform that makes it easy for users to replicate real things and stream them into virtual, augmented or mixed reality
• VRTU – Creating virtual reality content specifically tailored to provide care givers and patients therapeutic resources to combat symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer’s
Aurelien Simon, Head of Immersive, Digital Catapult, said: “We have reached a tipping point for immersive technologies, and it is vital that the UK stays at the cutting edge of innovations. The six companies represent a brilliant range of capabilities in the virtual, augmented and mixed realities space. We are looking forward to working with them all to help progress their ideas in the areas of digital manufacturing, healthcare and the wider creative industries.”
Dave Haynes, from Seedcamp’s investment team, said: “Over 70 AR/VR startups expressed interest in Augmentor and it’s great to see such a strong pipeline of UK talent in the sector. The six companies selected are out to solve a diverse set of real world problems; from healthcare and industrial design to audio tools and retail. We can’t wait to see them develop and work closely with them throughout the course of Augmentor.”
Augmentor Partners are: HTC Vive, Microsoft HoloLens, University College London, CAMERA at University of Bath, Bournemouth University, Realities Centre and Immerse UK. To find out more about the programme, please visit: www.augmentor.co.uk.