Irish AR start-up Imvizar raises €800,000 in seed funding

Irish augmented reality start-up Imvizar has secured €800,000 in a seed funding round that will help the company further develop its immersive experiences and bring them to a wider audience.

The investment round, which was oversubscribed, will be used to develop the AR technology, while also funding the company’s expansion to more destinations around the world.

Imvizar’s backers include angel investors such as former Meta executive Gareth Lambe and Pigsback.com founder Michael Dwyer, Enterprise Ireland and Halo Business Angels Network, HBAN.

The company creates immersive experiences for tourism and entertainment, bringing characters and environments to life. Imvizar, which was founded by Michael Gudrun in 2021, works with a number of tourist attractions, artists, influencers and universities, blending technology and storytelling.

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It offers its AR experiences in Ireland, the US, Portugal and Australia, including at popular tourist destinations such as Spike Island, Sligo, Dublin, Waterford and the Kerry Way.

“We are thrilled to have received this investment, which will allow us to continue to innovate and create immersive AR experiences for a wider audience,” said Mr Guerin said. “We believe that our AR experiences provide a unique and exciting way for tourists to engage with the history and culture of a destination, and we are excited to bring this experience to even more people.”

Mr Lambe, who previously headed up Facebook in Ireland, said he believed the company has created a unique offering.

“Imvizar’s immersive AR experiences are revolutionising the way tourists engage with the history and culture of a destination, and I have no doubt that the company will continue to thrive and innovate in the years to come,” he said.

Imvizar was recently nominated in The Irish Times Innovation Awards and is the only Irish finalist in this year’s SXSW Pitch competition.