Studio216 pivots to mixed reality startup, raises $1.1M and looks to build off Microsoft partnership

While augmented and virtual reality products have yet to catch on with mainstream consumers, the immersive technology is finding a place inside businesses who are using it to train employees, create marketing materials, visualize designs, help workers in the field, and more. “We’re finding a lot of interest and success where employee actions are influenced by the environment they work under,” said Bharat Ahluwalia, CTO of Altoura who previously co-founded Z-Axon. “Being able to do it digitally lets you scale training really well.” Customers listed on Altoura’s site include Sprint, Alaska Airlines, Skanska, Windermere Real Estate, and others. Microsoft is looking to differentiate itself from many others in virtual and augmented reality, such as Oculus and Magic Leap, by focusing primarily on business and industrial applications, rather than games and consumer apps. The company announced a related partnership with Airbus in June and is reportedly releasing its latest device, HoloLens 2, this month.