Israeli augmented reality startup nabs $5M funding led by Japanese Pachinko company

Israeli augmented reality startup InfinityAR announced today it has completed a US$5 million series B funding round led by Japan’s SUN Corporation, followed by New Zealand’s Singulariteam and US-based Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage Fund.

InfinityAR makes a software-based augmented reality (AR) engine that will let people interact with augmented content in their physical surroundings. It’s less Google Glass and more Microsoft Hololens. InfinityAR says it "can turn any device with two simple cameras into a powerful content augmentation platform."

InfinityAR’s technology maps the 3D environment, in real time, and enables projecting augmented reality 3D scenes as if they were part of the real world. Furthermore, it enables the user to control augmented reality content using natural hand movements.

The technology works indoors and outdoors and requires less computation and energy resources than competitors, says the company in a statement.

The latest funding will go toward further development of the product and expanding into the Japanese market. SUN Corporation is a major player in Japan’s Pachinko industry. Pachinko is a mechanical arcade game popular with gamblers, sort of like slot machines in the West.

"For us, SUN Corporation is the perfect gateway into the Japanese market and will help us further establish InfinityAR as a leading developer in the augmented reality space," says CEO Motti Kusnir. "Sun Corporation’s experience, tech, know-how, and organizational culture fit perfectly with what our company has to offer, and I believe both sides will benefit greatly from this deal."