Bestgamingpro

Product reviews, deals and the latest tech news

For its augmented reality protocol, Anima raises $3 million

For its augmented reality protocol used in applications like the Onlybots AR digital pets, Anima said it received an extra $3 million in financing from new investors.

HashKey, Not Boring Capital, Polygon Studios, and NGC Ventures all contributed to Anima’s fundraising. They join earlier investors Coinbase Ventures, Flamingo, and Divergence Ventures in backing the startup.

While Web3 has given us greater control over digital assets, these assets have yet to materialise in ways that are both substantial and non-speculative. Alex Herrity, co-founder of Anima, said in a statement, “Augmented reality gives that relevancy and connection.” We feel that innovative thinkers should be responsible for developing this form of expression. By connecting the context of the physical world with actual digital ownership, Anima’s protocol and toolset transforms reality into a canvas for creators.

Anima’s earliest efforts, in collaboration with artists like Michael Kagan and Lyle Owerko, proved the viability of AR as a platform for creators to explore new areas, breaking records at AR auctions and generating over a million dollars in art sales.

Onlybots, a new line of augmented reality (AR) animals released last week by Anima, is an example of a high-concept collector brand made just for AR.

Within the first hour of its release, the project had already reached the pinnacle of the trade markets’ most popular projects list. This year’s Mirror project with street artist Demsky used Anima’s location-based augmented reality technology to activate the persistent growth of 3D digital sculptures, leading collectors to travel hundreds of kilometres across nations in their quest to achieve virtual landmarks.

“With Anima, artists may broaden their repertoires and bring their work from the screen into the real world. Not Boring investor Packy McCormick remarked, “They’re building towards a future in which the whole world becomes a canvas.”

As of now, the Anima protocol and toolset remain in private beta, but they will be made available to the public at the beginning of 2023. This will allow developers to release and tokenize dynamic creations that interact with the actual world. With Anima, artists may determine their own pricing and collectors can acquire legal title to their purchases.

On-chain virtual pets, video games, and immersive works of fine art are just some of the projects being developed on the Anima protocol.

Co-founders Neil Voss and Herrity, who had previously worked on projects for Nintendo, Epic Games, HBO, Tumblr, and Flipboard, established Anima in 2021. Ten people work for the firm. Anima announced last year a preliminary seed funding round from tech and Web3 industry heavyweights including Coinbase and Flamingo.