ARwall, the XR technology company whose work on Disney’s Muppets Haunted Mansion resulted in an Emmy win, has announced a new round of funding to expand their business and launch new products in SaaS, mobile, cloud, and AI.
The expansion follows a slate of successful patent wins for the team covering virtual production. The announcement follows the signing of a strategic partnership between ARwall and DoubleVision, an SF-based mobile app developer.
The investors
New investors include Tech Coast Angels Los Angeles’ Fund III; investor, philanthropist, and former President at Digital Domain, Debra Fine; investor and partner at Radar Pictures (Jumanji, The Wheel of Time) and Edge Case Capital Partners, Jason Moskowitz; former executive at TubiTV (acquired by Fox) and Xumo (acquired by Comcast), Fred Doan; investor and a former executive at the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, Ken Borkan; as well as Alla Aizenberg of RealTech Investments, Dev Chanchani of XIP, and Anthony Gellert and Bob Baumann Jr. of Livingston Ventures, an NYC and Palo Alto-based angel investment fund.
With this funding, the company plans to continue its leadership in expanding XR filmmaking technology into key markets, including education and corporate micro studios, in 2023.
Board Directors & Advisors
New key appointments of advisors supporting the company’s plans for further growth and development include Fred Doan (Marketing and Sales); and CEO of DoubleVision Cole Ratias (Mobile and Growth), who will join industry veterans Allison Dollar and John Canning on the advisory board. Ken Borkan and Debra Fine will also join ARwall’s board of directors.
Product line expansion
ARwall most famously developed ARFX, the original software for in-camera effects (ICVFX) and virtual production, and has since become a leader in virtual production solutions, providing technology and support for hundreds of deployments. Its diverse multi-disciplinary team comes from TV, VFX, design, mobile, games, and advertising. In addition to consulting for TV/film and LED soundstages, ARwall pioneered the development of in-camera effects solutions for home and prosumer use – it remains one of the only independent full-service virtual production providers in the industry.
ARwall will be expanding its product line to include new standalone virtual production tools and features for content creators. This includes branching out to new markets with mobile, SaaS, cloud, and AI products, with details to be announced soon.
“I had the privilege of being President of Digital Domain before joining Tech Coast Angels. When we met the team at ARwall, I knew we’d found the next trailblazer in special effects and virtual production,” says Debra Fine, LP of Springboard Capital Growth Partners, who brings decades of effects industry experience to ARwall’s board.
As part of its strategic partnership with ARwall, DoubleVision licensed its extensive portfolio of mobile, real-time data synchronisation, and AI patents to ARwall and is partnering on mobile, cloud, and AI solutions to be announced in 2023.
“DoubleVision is thrilled to join forces with the ARwall team to advance the development of our mobile and real-time augmented reality solutions. By combining our expertise in mobile and cloud-based technologies with ARwall’s patented XR solutions, we will be able to offer our customers the next generation of AI innovation” said Cole Ratias, founder and CEO of DoubleVision.
On his decision to invest, Fred Doan, advisor commented: “Virtual Production is no doubt trending among studios as a means to produce better content efficiently. The tools of the trade were largely siloed by the few VP companies that existed. This gives way to an opportunity to democratise the process and enable smaller studios and content creators on social platforms.”
“We are excited to announce that ARwall has won the partnerships needed to expand our pioneering work,” said Rene Amador, CEO of ARwall. “What goes unseen at a company like ours is the thousands of conversations had with filmmakers passionately discussing the future of filmmaking they want to see. Now it’s time to build that future we envision, with the help of XR, AI, and more.”
