£2.5m growth capital raised for 3D data software for remote working

A London-headquartered private infrastructure investment manager has announced a £2.5m growth capital investment into 3D data software supporting field service workers in remote locations.

The investment for Kognitiv Spark, was funded by the Foresight Williams Technology Fund, a joint venture between Foresight and Williams Advanced Engineering (“WAE”).

The company’s product offers three significant advantages over the competition: it is the only commercially available solution that allows the real-time sharing of 3D data sets, it is able to maintain a stable video connection even in low bandwidth environments; and it offers defence-grade security.

Currently, installing or maintaining assets in the field requires expert teams to travel, sometimes thousands of miles, all of which increases time, cost and greenhouse gas emissions. Existing remote assistance software does not have the robustness or functionality required to empower local workers to carry out complex tasks.

KS’s product, RemoteSpark, is an augmented reality (“AR”) software package, which enables the sharing of complex and critical data between a desk-based expert and a field-based worker. RemoteSpark consists of a desktop application and an application that runs on an AR device.

When a call is made between the two devices, it provides the desk-based expert with a live stream of the workers’ point of view. The expert can then share PDF documents, 3D images and animations in real-time.

Both the worker and expert can annotate images during the call and the platform enables hands-free, voice-controlled operation making it easier for the worker to complete tasks.

The growth capital will enable the company to expand into new industries and geographies via new sales and marketing teams in the US and UK and support the ongoing development of further products.

Yan Simard, CEO at Kognitiv Spark, added: “We are incredibly pleased to be partnering with Foresight as Kognitiv Spark continues to expand strategically on a global scale.

“The investment level by Foresight signifies not only to us, but the mixed reality sector as a whole, that the time is now to focus on growth and solidifying our place in the market.”