Recently, Avatour, makers of a remote collaboration platform for site meetings, raised $2.9 million in a seed round led by Ulu Ventures, along with Merus Capital, NTT Docomo Ventures, Plug & Play Ventures, and 500 Startups, to scale its category-defining technology and expand into new markets internationally.
Designed for many different industries, including Construction, Facilities Management, Manufacturing, and Real Estate, Avatour’s technology allows remote users to be on site, from anywhere, through a combination of real-world 360-degree capture, and real-time communication. With this, Avatour enables collaboration between remote users and on-site personnel, with the goal of saving money while increasing productivity.
As a cloud service that requires only off-the-shelf hardware and a standard WiFi or LTE connection, setting up an Avatour session is straightforward. Using a low-cost 360° camera, along with a selfie stick, and, optionally, an audio headset, customers can use the Avatour Host app on a smartphone or tablet to schedule a time for clients and participants to meet. At the meeting time, up to 20 guests from anywhere in the world can join the meeting virtually, using either a mobile device or desktop, or VR/AR technology to immerse remote users in a location as if actually present.
Launched during the pandemic in March 2020, Avatour has already enabled thousands of remote site meetings, and companies are using its technology in different ways. For example, the platform makes it easier to perform audits and inspections by allowing users to meet with remote suppliers on-site, conduct facility walkthroughs, site inspections, or check quality of new product lines. Also, users can show customers a product before they buy it through live immersive 360°. Avatour’s technology also helps to provide on-site expertise, by getting the experts on-site instantly to supervise critical operations, answer questions, and solve problems, or train new and current employees on distant or dangerous sites before they arrive.
Avatour has helped customers, including the FAA, Thermo Fisher, Kellogg’s, and Black & Veatch, to save up to 80 percent on travel costs, increasing productivity while reducing their carbon footprint.
“Businesses conducted over 2 billion site meetings in 2019, from inspections to facility tours to site-specific training. While travel has always been expensive and inconvenient, the pandemic has emphasized the need for a more efficient option. Our unique and easy-to-deploy solution makes effective remote site meetings possible for the first time,” stated Avatour CEO and co-founder Devon Copley.
“With the increased demand for virtual solutions over the past year, we’ve proven our business model and technology. This latest infusion of support enables us to double down on a platform that’s already making a huge impact for our customers worldwide.”
More information on Avatour's platform can be found at avatour.co
