Investors get exclusive preview of future immersive tech

A new investment report profiling disruptors in the UK immersive tech industry has been published today.

The UK Immersive Tech: VC Investment Report, compiled and published by Immerse UK, part of KTN, and HTC VIVE X, features ten companies that are pushing the boundaries of future immersive tech, extended reality (AR/VR) and spatial computing, as well as 21 early-stage ventures that it considers are “ones to watch”.

Tech featured in the report includes training software that will allow office workers to swap bodies with colleagues to improve workplace communication and emotional intelligence, surgery simulation for trainee doctors and interfaces that allow for sci-fi style hand-waving interaction with personal computers.

Asha Easton, Immerse UK Lead at KTN, says, “The ventures highlighted in this report show the huge potential of the XR sector.  They demonstrate some of the various cross-sector applications of this technology ranging from media and entertainment to medicine, manufacturing, education, training, and more.

“This report shows that, as a nation, we are driving this emerging technology and the UK economy is well-positioned to benefit from it.  It’s the perfect time for investors to get involved.”

David Haynes, Director of Developer Ecosystem & VIVE X EMEA, HTC VIVE, says, “Amara’s Law states that we tend to overestimate the impact of new technologies in the short term, but underestimate them in the long term.  Sure enough, in 2016-17 we saw record levels of investment going into the immersive sector, and new start-ups created, as VR and AR first came to market in a serious way. However, the following two years saw the hype dissipate.  Now, though, we’re entering a new era where the tech is being used in genuinely innovative and potentially life-changing ways.  The time is right for future immersive tech!”

Article by KTN. To read the full report, visit www.immerseuk.org.