Recently, Zappar, a provider of XR end-to-end solutions and affordable MR headsets, completed a $45 million acquisition led by Infinite Reality. This acquisition aims to enhance Zappar’s XR content creation platform and hardware for global clients.
With this $45 million investment from Infinite Reality, Zappar plans to scale its product portfolio, potentially increasing the availability of its affordable MR headset. This move follows similar announcements from companies like Meta, which are also working to expand the global availability of affordable XR devices from various vendors.
XR Today had an exclusive conversation with Caspar Thykier, Co-Founder and CEO of Zappar, and Karina Kogan, Chief Marketing Officer of Infinite Reality. They discussed the implications of the $45 million acquisition and how it aligns with their goals for improving AI and XR accessibility.
Expanding the Zappar Portfolio
Kogan stated that Infinite Reality considers itself “an innovation company working in immersive experiences, so spatial computing, AI, and XR, which is obviously what led us to Zappar.”
Trickier also noted that following the $45 million acquisition, he is now “transitioning into being the President of the Infinite Reality Immersive,” helping to boost that side of the firm’s portfolio.
Trickier added:
Zappar’s mission over the last 13 years has been all about how we can use computer vision technology to enhance the human experience. Whether that’s about how we use immersive technologies to get closer to consumers or, indeed, have other benefits within the enterprise in terms of how it’s used for learning, training, and development. Within the Zappar suite of products and services, we do have an internal creative studio that creates content for the brands and businesses we work for. We have a SaaS platform that creates XR tools to create these immersive experiences that could be 3D web experiences but very much also enhanced AR/MR/VR experiences.
With a multi-million dollar investment from Infinite Reality, Zappar is set to reshape its commercial ambitions and expand its new media experiences. The affordable headset, Zapbox, connects to iPhone 11 and later models, providing quick and easy access to immersive experiences.
Zappar offers a suite of streamlined XR software frameworks for businesses looking to enter the XR space, including Zapworks, Mattercraft, and Designer. These tools enable clients to create and distribute 3D web content, immersive applications, and augmented reality/virtual reality experiences across various devices, including smartphones and desktops. Additionally, they support emerging headsets such as the Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest 3, and Magic Leap 2.
Achieving a Mission of Democratisation
Trickier noted that when Zappar started in the XR marketplace, it was “evident” that the broad adoption of XR “was going to take a number of years and that it was always going to be a marathon rather than a sprint because there were so many different things that needed to come together.”
Trickier explained:
It’s that transition where you go from something that starts as almost like a toy but turns into a tool, going from that point of inspiration into something that can be instructional and a real utility in people’s lives.
To achieve a “mission of democratisation” globally, Trickier noted that an XR firm needs a partner “that has scale, you need someone that really sees the world, and that potential vision as you do, but has a bigger footprint, has a greater ambition in order to turbocharge that.” In Zappar’s case, the partner was Infinite Reality.
Kogan added:
We are focused on scaling, and there are lots of ways to scale: You can build, you can buy, or you can partner. In this instance, it made a ton of sense for us to acquire Zapper because of all of their amazing accomplishments on the product side. They have incredible relationships with major brands, from Nestle to Unilever to NBC Universal.
Kogan named Zappar a “wonderful IP that adds a tremendous amount of value to our portfolio.”
“Infinite Reality is very well positioned and well capitalized to take all of these assets, bundle them together, and build a market with a much bigger and more compelling bag of tricks,” said Kogan.
According to Kogan, the Zappar portfolio appeals to “the middle market consumer who wants to dabble in technology and build experiences that don’t have an agency budget.”
Kogan also added:
One of the things we’re both very eager to do is democratize access to this technology so that it’s not only available to the Fortune 500 but it’s available to any brand that dares to imagine or reimagine what their digital experiences could look like.
The Role of AI in XR Adoption, Scaling, and Accessibility
“I think accessibility and scale are essentially flip sides of the same coin,” Kogan noted, “the more accessible products are, the easier they scale.”
Kogan named AI “the great equalizer” for many industries because “it’s taking what used to be complex tasks and making them much easier. “
“We’re leveraging AI on every side”, such as how the technology affects XR accessibility, “I think it lowers the barrier to entry,” Kogan stated.
There are many technologies in the future of enterprise XR; however, audiences should not be blindsided by the wealth of solutions available today, from XR-powered AI to accessible, immersive services.
Casper added:
The thing that always worries me is that, in always thinking about what’s the next big thing we never focus on what is available now. I would spend so much more time focusing on what can be done right now to help businesses better connect with their audiences.
The road ahead for Zappar appears fruitful; recently, at AWE EU, Zappar introduced a new partnership with Immersal, supporting the latter’s VPS technology, which removes the need for third-party data capture when developing location-based AR experiences.