Anima, the protocol for dynamic and ownable augmented reality has announced it has raised a further $3 million in funding. Investors include HashKey, Not Boring Capital, Polygon Studios, and NGC Ventures.
Augmented reality has an interesting place in bridging the gap between the real world, and our virtual ones. AR can be used in a practical sense in the workplace, with the likes of AR learning, and for fun such as in gaming titles such as Pokémon Go.
Anima’s early projects have seen over a million dollars in art sales being generated through record-breaking AR auctions by partnering with notable artists. This was to demonstrate the potential that augmented reality has and its capabilities for creators. With the help of AR, new ideas and audiences can be explored which meld both real and virtual world experiences.
Co-founder of Anima, Alex Herrity commented that “Web3 has brought digital assets under our control, but they still fail to connect back to our lives in meaningful and non-speculative ways. Augmented reality brings that relevance and connection. We believe creative minds should be shaping this new medium. Anima’s protocol and toolset makes reality a canvas for creators, linking the context of the physical world with real digital ownership”.
The merging of worlds
Anima recently introduced Onlybots, a collection of AR creatures that serve as a collectible brand. The release saw high demand and sold out within an hour of launch on trading marketplaces. Earlier in the year, Anima’s location-based AR functionality was used to trigger 3D digital evolutions of sculptures which saw collectors travelling across countries to visit these virtual landmarks.
Not Boring investor, Packy McCormick commented on the capabilities of Anima saying “Anima lets creators expand their toolkits and carry their creativity from the screen to the physical world. They’re building towards a future in which the whole world becomes a canvas”.
Projects being built on the Anima protocol range from on-chain virtual pets to video games and immersive fine art sculpture. The goal is to provide creators with the means to create, release and tokenise dynamic creations that interact with the real world. Anima also hopes to empower these creators by allowing them to set the terms of their sales and obtain true ownership.
The Anima protocol and toolset are currently in private beta with a public launch intended for launch in early 2023.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
