VR company Spaces Inc. announced it has raised $3 million in initial funding, led by Comcast Ventures. The company’s co-founders, CEO Shiraz Akmal and CTO Brad Herman played key roles in creating DreamWorks Animation’s VR experiences through 2015.
“Spaces has a compelling and clear vision to be the catalyst for companies looking to create VR and mixed reality (MxR) experiences,” Comcast Ventures Managing Director Michael Yang says. “Spaces is combining remarkable capabilities, tools and creativity to push the boundaries of the VR frontier.”
The VR company reports it is already working with Microsoft, NBCUniversal, Big Blue Bubble and The Hettema Group, among others, to develop and produce projects across VR and MxR platforms and technologies, including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Microsoft HoloLens, Samsung Gear VR, PlayStation VR and Google Cardboard.
A “space” is the base unit of virtual reality and lends the company its name.
Beyond Comcast Ventures, initial funding reportedly included Boost VC; Canyon Creek Capital; Colopl VR Fund; GREE Inc.; Kai Huang; The Venture Reality Fund; the Sinovation Fund; and Youku Global Media Fund and CRCM VC.
“The combination of experience and creativity is rare in this brand-new virtual reality industry, and the work the Spaces team has accomplished sets them apart in an exciting way,” Ryan Cheung, VP of finance for Youku Tudou, observes.