‘VR broadcast platform’ provider Vreal secures funding

US-based virtual reality startup Vreal has secured US$11.7 million (€9.5 million) in funding to launch what it describes as the “first virtual reality broadcast platform”.

The Series A round will bring Vreal’s total funding to US$15 million. The company plans to use the cash to launch its VR broadcast platform targeted at gamers.

Lead investor Axioma Ventures and new investors Intel Capital and Akatsuki Entertainment Technology Fund are participating in Vreal’s funding round, along with existing funding partners Upfront Ventures Vulcan Capital and CRCM Ventures.

Axioma Ventures’ Chet Faliszek and Chris Williams, found and CEO of kids media company pocket.watch, and the former chief audience officer of Maker Studios, the MCN acquired by Disney in 2014, will join the Vreal board.

“VR is an immersive medium, and Vreal is the only way for viewers to step inside someone else’s VR gameplay and enjoy VR content the way it’s meant to be experienced. Immersive virtual worlds are the future of gaming, and we’re building the highway that will take viewers to curated gameplay experiences, all alongside their friends and favourite gaming personalities.” said Todd Hooper, founder and CEO of Vreal.

“Digital content creators are entertainers, and they are hungry for new kinds of unique programming formats to bring to their audiences. Vreal has been delivering exactly that to its first group of creator partners and I’m confident many, many more will find it valuable,” said Williams.

Vreal is focusing on the creation of tools to enable online content creators to record, stream, and share VR experiences with their fans, either via a VR headset or on a 2D screen. The platform is currently in a closed Alpha testing phase.