Augmentor has been launched by Digital Catapult, a programme designed to support early stage tech businesses developing applications in virtual, mixed and augmented reality technologies.
The equity free initiative, launched in partnership with Seedcamp, is a ten-week programme offering technical and business mentorship from industry experts.
Successful Augmentor applicants will get the chance to work at Digital Catapult’s centre in London where they will have full access to a state-of-the-art Immersive Lab.
Dr Jeremy Silver, CEO Digital Catapult said: “Immersive technologies are fast becoming a central part of the digital economy and there is a real demand for access to expertise and equipment in this space. Our new lab will help to provide businesses with access to state-of-the-art immersive technologies under one roof, providing a vital opportunity for them to refine their ideas and test products across the range of equipment on the market today.
“The UK has a real opportunity to develop a world-leading industry around immersive technologies, building on our successes in the gaming and creative industries, but to do so we need to support the next wave of businesses that will lead the way in this field. Our Augmentor programme is designed to do just that. The potential for immersive technologies, particularly their application across industries such as digital manufacturing, digital health and care and the wider creative industries, is huge, and we plan to play a vital role in helping the UK realise this potential.”
Augmentor participants will get the chance to use the Immersive Lab as a space to demonstrate new immersive technologies like augmented reality, as well as view and develop content and conduct user-testing. The programme will close with an investor showcase due to be held in May.
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Dave Haynes, from Seedcamp’s investment team, said: “Having invested in several immersive companies including Splash and TheWaveVR, we’re excited to be launching this initiative to develop a new wave of entrepreneurs solving problems with emerging technologies.
“We’re still on the frontier of what immersive tech can do and what founders need. And European founders will need an investment of both time, expertise and money to succeed. That’s how Seedcamp has been helping startups for years now. Augmentor is the first program in London looking to bridge that gap for companies working with VR and AR.”
