Participated · Seed · Jun 2022

Metaphysiks develops neuro-haptic technologies that combine neuroscience and robotics to create multisensory experiences. Its core technology, MetaTouch, connects the nervous system via the surface of the skin using neuroscience-based thermo-variant and haptic-tactile products. The company’s first product, STiLL, delivers rich bodily touch sensations that mimic physiological signals and are delivered in an integrated methodology to prompt conscious experiences. Metaphysiks aims to humanize the metaverse by bringing physical and emotional engagement into digital worlds. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate transformation and commercialization of its intellectual property into a neuro-haptic skin. It is co-founded by Prof. Olaf Blanke, MD; Giulio Rognini, PhD (Head of Partnerships); and Simon Gallo, PhD (Head of Technology).

Participated · Series A · Jun 2022

Imverse has developed a proprietary voxel graphics engine capable of live capture, rendering and streaming of multiple holograms in real time for telepresence and volumetric content. Its technology creates full‑body volumetric humans at a fraction of the cost, without industrial cameras or powerful computing equipment, and with low latency, enabling delivery at rates comparable to mainstream video conferencing. Imverse Holo lets creators and businesses set up multi‑camera systems for live volumetric video capture with no green screens or cloud services, and enables producers and consumers to edit, interact and manipulate content in real time. The platform targets use cases including virtual teleconferencing, immersive education, healthcare, gaming and the Metaverse. Over the past year the company has secured partnerships with several large technology companies and expanded operations to France. Imverse is currently focusing on enterprise solutions and has raised funding to accelerate software development, team growth and global product rollout. Imverse is a Swiss VR start-up whose graphics software makes the creation of photorealistic 3D content 10 times faster and cheaper than current solutions. Its product lineup includes IMVERSE LiveMaker, which creates 3D universes from a single 360° picture, and a real-time hologram solution called “Elastic Time” that captures visitors and renders life-size photorealistic bodies in VR immediately. The company showcased these technologies at SIGGRAPH, holding the first-ever VR workshop in VR. Proceeds from its recent CHF1.5 million financing will be used to double the team and expand engineering, sales and business development, and to produce VR content for marketing. Imverse also plans to open an office in Los Angeles to be closer to customers, partners and investors. CEO and co-founder Javier Bello Ruiz said there is a clear market fit for both the holograms and the reconstruction software and that users are enthusiastic. Imverse builds a real-time mixed-reality engine that composites users’ actual bodies and other real-world objects into VR, aiming to increase presence and ease headset adoption. The team spent five years developing the technology at EPFL and debuted public demos at Sundance Film Festival, including the Elastic Time experience. Imverse is also developing LiveMaker, described as a “Photoshop for VR,” to let creators edit and build VR experiences from inside a headset. The company has a four-person core team; CTO Robin Mange brings roughly 12 years of specialization in volumetric rendering. Imverse has worked with content studios such as Emblematic Group and is planning a Los Angeles presence to accelerate commercial partnerships. Financially, the startup has raised $400,000 to date and is pursuing a multi-million-dollar Series A to fund expansion. Observers in the article suggested VR platform companies would likely be interested in acquiring the technology if commercialization falters.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2020

Led by CEO Jeri Ellsworth, Tilt Five develops a proprietary augmented reality entertainment system that combines lightweight AR glasses, a game board and a wand controller to deliver 3D holographic tabletop and video-game experiences. The platform supports genres including simulation, RPG adventures, puzzle, esports, arcade, strategy, classic tabletop, action video and party games. Third-party developers announced for the platform include Tabletopia, HappyGiant, Niffler, PlayStack, Beatshapers, Playito, Monocle Society, Deck13, GFX47 and Battle Map Studio. Tilt Five has begun ramping up production and will ship XE kits to Kickstarter backers and pre-order customers over the coming two quarters. XE kits include a pair of AR glasses, a game board and a wand and are available to pre-order at $359; Social Kits (three glasses, three wands and a game board) are planned later in 2021. The company raised $7.5M in a Series A and intends to use the funds to hire employees, build partnerships and expand available content.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2014

Zuli develops the Zuli Smartplug and Presence technology that use smartphone location to automate lights, temperature, and other devices in each room. The Smartplug lets users plug in lights, appliances, or smart windows and control them from an app, set schedules, dim lights, adjust window tint, and monitor power consumption. Zuli demonstrated integration with Research Frontiers' SPD-SmartGlass at Research Frontiers' annual meeting, showing automated window tint control alongside lighting and thermostat adjustments. The company ran a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 and subsequently raised a seed round led by investors including Menlo Ventures, Logitech, and Winklevoss Capital. Zuli has announced partnerships with Nest, Logitech (Harmony), and Research Frontiers to integrate those products with the Zuli app and Presence technology. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Zuli produces the Zuli Smartplug, a Bluetooth LE outlet adapter that provides in‑home control and energy monitoring for lights and appliances. When three or more plugs are installed they form a Bluetooth mesh that detects a user’s room‑level location and triggers automated behaviors, such as turning on the TV or stereo when entering a living room and turning off lights when leaving. The smartplug supports dimming for dimmable bulbs and monitors energy consumption. The company launched a Kickstarter that raised $175,000 and is now taking a second batch of pre-orders via its website. Zuli has delayed shipping to backers from an initial June 2014 target to November, with an early‑2015 ship target for new pre-orders. The startup recently closed a $1.65M seed round to help fund its initial shipping run and further product rollout.

Led · Series B · Aug 2012

Discovery Bay Games began as a board game company and transitioned last year into the iOS “appcessory” market with the launch of its Duo line, including an Atari-branded Duo product for the iPad. The company develops digital+physical gaming experiences and branded peripherals — examples include an Atari Arcade and a Dora the Explorer peripheral. DBG has struck partnerships with household gaming companies such as Atari and Gameloft to build content that works with its accessories. The company plans to release three more partner-themed accessories this fall and a new Atari Arcade will be in stores this year to mark Atari’s 40th anniversary; Gameloft also plans a branded accessory in October. Discovery Bay’s recent financing provides capital to develop and launch a range of Duo-branded app-supported accessories for iPad and iPhone. The move targets a growing mobile accessory market that the article cites as projected to generate $20 billion this year and $38 billion by 2017. Discovery Bay Games began as a traditional board game maker in 2006 and has shifted toward building hardware accessories designed to enhance gameplay on iPad and other iOS devices. Its first title in this new category is Yoomi, which pairs with the company’s Duo device; three additional Duo devices with companion game titles are planned to launch this year. The firm continues to sell traditional board games such as Saturday Night Live: The Game, Guesstimation, Two Bridges and Call-It! while developing tablet-first content. Because Discovery Bay is building physical devices rather than pure software, the business requires more capital than many software-focused game companies. The company employs about 35 people and is positioning the Duo line as a new class of iPad game accessories. CEO Craig Olson led the fundraising and has said the team saw the iPad as a revelation for delivering traditional board game experiences on tablets.