Melbourne AR startup JigSpace has secured $13 million in funding led by Breakthrough Victoria, coinciding with the release of the $5,999+ Apple Vision Pro in Australia.
The funding round also saw participation from Aura Ventures, Anorak Ventures and follow-on investments from Rampersand, Investible, Vulpes Ventures and angel investor Hugh Bickerstaff. It follows a $6 million Series A in 2021.
JigSpace has now been featured in four Apple keynotes, including when the Vision Pro was announced last year, as well as when it officially launched last week.
The company’s demo app was pre-installed on the Apple Vision Pro and iPads worldwide.
The democratized access to the app is undoubtedly a good thing, given that the Vision Pro starts at $5,999 for the 256GB model, with the 512GB and 1TB models costing $6,349 and $6,699, respectively.
It is also available through MacOS, Windows and Android devices.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently denounced the startup in interviews, saying it was “doing amazing things… something you can’t really do on a flat panel display in 2D.”
The JigSpace platform allows users to transform CAD models into 3D presentations – called “Jigs” – that can be used for training, sales, marketing and product education.
The platform is intended to be user-friendly, allowing people of all technical levels to create and share 3D visualizations.
“The era of spatial computing has arrived and we have spent years positioning JigSpace at the forefront of this technological shift,” said Zac Duff, CEO of JigSpace.
From left to right: JigSpace co-founders Numa Bertron and Zac Duff. Source: Supplied.
“There’s no reason why we can’t build market-leading businesses in Victoria. I’m excited to bring JigSpace here and continue to grow our world-class product and technology.”
According to Duff, part of the new funding will be used to expand the Melbourne team and open the company’s first office in the United States. It will also be used to continue improving the product.
In the future, the company hopes to have 40 employees by 2028 and possibly 80 by 2030.
“JigSpace is often considered the next Canva, and this investment is a testament to its potential to revolutionize the augmented reality industry,” said Grant Dooley, CEO of Breakthrough Victoria.
“We are excited to support their vision and growth, which will not only generate economic benefits, but also solidify Victoria’s position as a hub for technology innovation,” Dooley added.
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