High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) invests in augmented reality technology from RWTH Aachen

September 15, 2014

bitstars GmbH has developed a SaaS platform technology that enables customers to set up their own augmented reality (AR) applications. By focussing on very intuitive usability the platform enables users to create applications meeting their specific requirements with little effort. These applications can be managed and used in multiple end user devices, such as smartphones, tablets and smart glasses.

Through the extension of reality with virtual text and objects (augmented reality) or the creation of entirely new virtual worlds (virtual reality), many processes can be simplified in business and everyday life. Moreover, the market penetration of smartphones and tablets as well as the upcoming smart glasses and wearables drastically increases the potential of such applications.

Through their platform, bitstars offers a user friendly tool to create 3D content for web, virtual and augmented reality applications. Generated 3D content can easily be included in websites or in augmented & virtual reality apps for Google Glass, on the smartphone or in Google Cardboard for example. Up until now this was only possible through costly custom-made software.

Simon Heinen and Mostafa Akbari, CTO and CEO of bitstars on the benefits of the new platform: „Entry barriers to create 3D web, augmented or virtual reality content through software are currently very high. Systems are too complex and mostly only suited to create one of the usage types mentioned above. Users therefore have to use multiple tools if they want to create a variety of different contents. Through our software they now have the opportunity to access an easy to use full-service package to create 3D web, as well as augmented and virtual reality applications in one tool by themselves”.

The customer spectrum for bitstars software is very broad. Firms in e-commerce as well as production, logistics, navigation and all different kinds of service provider can benefit from this technology. Broad applicability combined with high customer interest underline the potential of this technology, which therefore provides large opportunities to generate growth.

Dr. Guillem Sague, Investment Manager at HTGF, believes in the growth strategy of the bitstars team: „We want to free customers from technological complexity of AR technology and scale the business quickly. The high usability of the platform thereby plays a vital role. The customer must be able to easily create and use AR applications with just a few steps.”

Contact bitstars GmbH:
Mostafa Akbari
Hanbrucher Straße 40
52064 Aachen

akbari@bitstars.com
www.bitstars.com
Tel.: +49 (0) 241 97908049
Mobile: +49 (0) 163 3676763
@bitstars

About High-Tech Gruenderfonds
High-Tech Gruenderfonds invests in young, high potential high-tech start-ups. The seed financing provided is designed to enable start-ups to take an idea through prototyping and to market launch. Typically, High-Tech Gruenderfonds invests EUR 500,000 in the seed stage, with the potential for up to a total of EUR 2 million per portfolio company in follow-on financing. Investors in this public/private partnership include the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy, the KfW Banking Group, as well as strategic corporate investors including ALTANA, BASF, Bayer, B. Braun, Robert Bosch, CEWE, Daimler, Deutsche Post DHL, Deutsche Telekom, Evonik, Lanxess, media + more venture Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, METRO, Qiagen, RWE Innogy, SAP, Tengelmann and Carl Zeiss. High-Tech Gruenderfonds has about EUR 576 million under management in two funds (EUR 272 million HTGF I, EUR 304 million HTGF II).

Contact:
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Dr. Guillem Sagué
Schlegelstraße 2
53113 Bonn
Phone: + 49 228 / 82 30 01-00
Fax: + 49 228 / 82 30 00-5
g.sague@htgf.de
www.high-tech-gruenderfonds.de