Led · Seed · Jul 2020

Mira builds the Prism Pro, a slot-in augmented-reality headset that uses an older iPhone and a head-mounted camera to provide a simple heads-up display and item-scanning capabilities. After initially pitching a consumer-focused “Google Cardboard for AR” experience when it launched publicly in 2017, the company refocused by late 2018 on industrial rollouts. The Prism Pro deliberately eschews spatial tracking and mapping in favor of a lower-complexity, lower-cost form factor that is easier to operate and integrate into enterprise device-management systems. Mira says this approach makes the device cheaper and more resilient for field use compared with more complex headsets. The startup has used recent funding to refine its hardware and concentrate on manufacturing for industrial customers. Operational metrics in the article are limited, but the company reports onboarding customers using the device daily and claims higher active adoption versus larger well-funded competitors. Financially, Mira has raised about $10M in recent top-ups and has now raised just under $13M in total to date. Mira provides a mobile augmented reality platform and tools, including the Prism headset and an SDK powered by the Unity 3D game engine. Its SDK enables creators to develop AR experiences or re-tool existing assets for use on the Prism and its remote, supports multiplayer experiences and a Spectator Mode for real-time viewing from phones or tablets. The Prism is compatible with iPhone 6, 6S, 7, and 8, with additional device support planned. The company announced initial pre-orders for its Developer Edition Prism headset are shipping to developers and the SDK beta is available to download. Mira secured $1M in funding in a round led by Greylock Partners, Founders Fund Angel, and Macro Ventures, bringing total funding to $2.5M to date. It intends to use the funds to provide more resources to the developer community and bolster its content partnership initiatives. Mira builds the Prism, a $99 optical visor that requires no onboard electronics and uses an inserted iPhone and its front-facing camera for limited positional tracking. The company positions Prism as a mid-tier consumer AR device—likened to Gear VR or Google Daydream for augmented reality—offering 360-degree gameplay overlaid on the real world and headset-to-headset multiplayer. Prism uses a small circular tracking marker mat for some experiences and intentionally forgoes SLAM-based environmental awareness, a tradeoff the article flags as a potential limitation. Earlier prototypes were 3D-printed and even made from repurposed goldfish bowls; co-founders are Ben Taft (CEO) and Matt Stern (COO). Mira closed a $1.5 million seed round led by Sequoia to bring the hardware to market and develop companion software, with notable backers including Marc Benioff and will.i.am, and plans a consumer launch before the holidays. The product faces questions about content depth and indoor-only usability due to bulk, and Mira says it is working toward smaller, subtler future generations.

Led · Series A · Jun 2017

Cocoon Cam is a Mountain View, CA-based company that makes a no-wearable baby breathing monitor combining HD video, streaming audio, and computer-vision breathing monitoring with instant alerts and sleep analytics. Its product streams to iOS and Android smartphone apps and launched in February 2017; it is sold online at cocooncam.com, Amazon, and HSN. In July it will expand retail distribution to 300 Target stores and Target.com, as well as 225 Babies "R" Us stores nationwide. The company has completed IRB-approved research validation studies at UC San Diego and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford’s NICU. Led by co-founders Sivakumar Nattamai (CEO) and Pavan Kumar (CTO), Cocoon Cam will use the new funding to scale consumer marketing and sales and to support product development and engineering. Financially, Cocoon Cam closed a $4m Series A and has raised $5.01m in total funding to date.