Tonchidot develops augmented-reality products centered on Sekai Camera, an app available on iPhone, Android, iPad and the web. The company introduced an OpenAir API to allow third parties to deliver content within Sekai Camera and has built a Sekai Apps platform for third-party social, location-based and AR games. Its SoLAR initiative (Social, Location, Augmented Reality) hosts titles such as third-party action game Kaboom and the Twitter/AR hybrid CooKoo. Tonchidot says it will add more SoLAR titles and roll out mobile payment solutions, Facebook and Twitter connectivity and other features. The company was presented at TechCrunch50 and uses its platform strategy to expand third-party game distribution and engagement. Tonchidot operates Sekai Camera, an augmented-reality service that overlays virtual items and tags on the real world using the device as a viewfinder. The app adds a social layer, allowing users to add virtual items and see tags as they hold the device up to their face. Sekai Camera launched in Japan a few months before the article and quickly became the top app on the Japanese iPhone App Store. The company says that within four days 10% of all iPhones in Japan had the app installed. Major companies have formed partnerships to insert sponsored tags into Sekai Camera's virtual world. Tonchidot closed a $4 million Series A led by DCM, with existing investor ITOCHU Technology Ventures participating.

Total raised

$16M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Sep 2010