ShapesXR draws $8.6m in bid to become XR prototyping industry standard

ShapesXR has secured an $8.6m seed round to expand onto new platforms, support more companies, and make 3D content creation, collaboration and storytelling mainstream.

Recently singled out by Mark Zuckerberg as an example of virtual reality’s (VR’s) “unrivalled capacity” for creativity, the VR platform is designed to allow enterprises, among others, to build fully immersive content with 3D objects, environments, mock-ups and experience labs.

The product’s designers believe ShapesXR is actively democratising 3D content creation and spatial design by enabling non-technical users to create 3D designs, prototype immersive apps such as VR and augmented reality (AR), training, and real-world design.

ShapesXR’s goal is to become the de facto industry standard for UI/UX design, achieving for spatial computing what Figma did for the mobile computing era. Current clients and use cases include Logitech and ByteDance, who deploy the platform for ideation and collaboration, while others, such as Qualcomm Technologies, produce immersive journeys like the XR music experience in collaboration with Trigger XR and Duran Duran.

More than 300,000 projects have already been created in ShapesXR, and it has been downloaded more than 350,000 times on the Meta Quest app store. It has also been licensed to 70 educational institutions and scores of enterprises, and described by Anand Dass, director of VR/AR content at Meta, as “one of the most promising VR applications I have come across”, as well as the “future of collaborative design”.

ShapesXR is already available on Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro and the upcoming Quest 3, and will use part of the funding to expand its platform to new devices including Pico, Magic Leap and Apple Vision Pro.

Indeed, the developer claims its platform is becoming the prototyping tool of choice for Vision OS (Apple Vision Pro) developers, as designers can prototype eye gaze and hand pinch interactions, and its capabilities enable designers to show interactive content coming to life in the real world. ShapesXR is also built to be accessible for whole teams – not just designers – with product owners, producers and stakeholders all able to contribute to the product being developed.

The funding round was led by Supernode Global. Triptyq VC, Boost VC, Hartmann Capital, and Geek Ventures. Other contributors to ShapesXR’s seed round include The WXR Fund, StratMinds VC, Ludus Ventures, The Venture Reality Fund, HTC Vive, Leta Capital and Remote First Capital.

Commenting on the new funding and what it means for the company, ShapesXR CEO and founder Inga Petryaevskaya said: “VR has such huge potential to transform how we all collaborate on projects and design new products, however, one of the main barriers to entry is the level of technical skill required to get started. ShapesXR has been built to remove these hurdles – it’s as easy to learn as PowerPoint. This truly democratises 3D content creation and enables anyone to become a VR, AR and mixed reality storyteller.”

Supernode Global managing partner Michael Sackler said: “ShapesXR is leading the way in shaping the future of immersive collaboration and spatial design. As we anticipate the widespread adoption of XR applications and 3D content, the need for XR-native UI/UX tools becomes clearer each day.

“With its user-centric approach and exceptional leadership, ShapesXR is poised to meet this demand and become the industry standard in this space. This investment underscores our belief that ShapesXR will prove transformative for developers looking to create the most compelling XR content possible.”

Bertrand Nepveu, CEO and founder of Vrvana – an augmented reality headset startup acquired by Apple, and now managing partner of Triptyq Capita – said: “I firmly believe ShapesXR is uniquely positioned to disrupt the XR landscape and revolutionise the way people work, create and collaborate.

“With its exceptional leadership team, cutting-edge technology, and unwavering commitment to user-centric design, Inga and her team have all the ingredients for success. We are glad to be part of this journey, and on a personal note, as an avid believer of immersive technology, I look forward to witnessing the transformative impact the platform will have on industries worldwide.”