Liverpool-based 3D audio company Kinicho has been selected to take part in Augmentor, a new European programme to support virtual, augmented and mixed reality start-ups.
Supported by the Digital Catapult Centre and SeedCamp, the London-based programme will run for ten weeks with the six selected businesses receiving intensive support, mentorship and masterclasses to help them get to the next stage of their business.
To support the six businesses, the programme has established a panel of respected industry figures in VR and AR, including HTC Vive Europe’s product head Graham Breen, Blippar’s EMEA commercial director Mikela Eskenazi and Digital Catapult’s new immersive fellow, Mel Slater.
Other companies supplying mentors include HTC, Microsoft, Samsung, Nexus and PWC with further research support from leading UK academics in the field of immersive technology.
“This is great opportunity for our company, and a welcome validation of the ingenuity and imagination that the team has put in to making our innovation a reality,” said Garry Haywood, CEO of Kinicho.
“It would normally be expected that a technology like ours would emerge from research department of world class brand leader like Dolby or Google, so for us to receive this recognition feels like a major achievement.”
Haywood discussed immersive technologies with BusinessCloud recently at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Virtual and Augmented Reality Conference.
Kinicho is developing a new approach to delivering 3D Audio for headphone use in VR and other immersive applications.
Stefan Kazassoglou, Kinicho’s CTO, said: “Our goal is to make virtual audio in headphones as genuine as sound in the real world, so joining Augmentor connects us right into the heart of the European immersive tech industry.
“It’s such a great opportunity.”
The other companies selected for the programme are Gravity Sketch, Immersive Rehab, Koski, Reality Zero One and VRTU.
Gravity Sketch is an intuitive multi-platform 3D creation tool allowing users to create 3D models, scenes, and artwork in a fun and intuitive way.
Immersive Rehab is an interactive physical and neuro-rehabilitation virtual environment enhancing the effectiveness of patient recovery.
Koski is a mixed reality gaming platform, augmenting a physical board game with new worlds of play.
Reality Zero One is platform that makes it easy for users to replicate real things and stream them into virtual, augmented or mixed reality.
And VRTU is looking to create virtual reality content specifically tailored to provide care givers and patients therapeutic resources to combat symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Aurelien Simon, head of immersive at Digital Catapult, said: “We have been impressed by the quality and number of applications which clearly reflects that the UK is at the forefront of Immersive Technologies.
“The six companies selected represent a brilliant range of capabilities in the virtual, augmented and mixed realities space. Their products and solutions will have a strong impact on our Industry globally.
“We are looking forward to working with them all to help progress their ideas in the areas of digital manufacturing, healthcare and the wider creative industries.”
Dave Haynes, from Seedcamp’s investment team, said: “Over 70 AR/VR startups expressed interest in Augmentor and it’s great to see such a strong pipeline of UK talent in the sector.
“The six companies selected are out to solve a diverse set of real world problems; from healthcare and industrial design to audio tools and retail.
“We can’t wait to see them develop and work closely with them throughout the course of Augmentor.”