ArborXR Lands $12 Million in Funding to Enhance Its AR and VR Device Management Platform

ArborXR, an emerging startup focused on facilitating remote management of AR and VR devices for companies, has identified enterprise clients as its main market—a strategy that is now proving fruitful. The firm recently unveiled that it has garnered $12 million in a Series A funding round, resources earmarked for further developing and expanding its platform.

The investment round was spearheaded by Mercury Fund and Cortado Ventures, with additional contributions from Impact Venture Capital and Lewis & Clark Ventures. ArborXR’s fundraising efforts have now surpassed $25 million in total.

Despite consumer skepticism towards XR (extended reality), encompassing both AR and VR, its adoption in the business sector is accelerating. Notable corporations like Adidas, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Dell, Pfizer, Nike, and Walmart are deploying VR training to educate their workforce in a blend of remote and onsite environments.

However, the challenge for businesses comes in managing the myriad of VR devices utilized by their staff. Here, ArborXR provides a solution.

ArborXR offers a solution that enables businesses to remotely oversee AR and VR devices, manage installations of apps and content, and oversee user permissions directly from the headset. Through ArborXR’s web app compatible with both Windows and Mac platforms, managers can monitor training advancements live, navigate employees through virtual scenarios, customize user configurations, restrict access, initiate software updates, and check on device statuses like battery levels and storage capacity, among other features.

Furthermore, the platform hosts a directory containing over 600 app developers, presenting apps specifically designed for business requirements.

In addition to its corporate offerings, ArborXR also caters to the educational sector with a product line benefiting over 420 educational bodies, permitting the administration of an unlimited number of devices.

In a dialogue with TechCrunch, Brad Scoggin, CEO and co-founder of ArborXR, emphasized the silent yet significant adoption of XR technologies across enterprise, healthcare, and education sectors. He remarked, “This shift isn’t dominated by the heavyweights such as Meta, Apple, Qualcomm, or Google, though their commitment to XR plays a contributory role. Rather, it’s about how VR is revolutionizing the way we learn.”

Since its inception in 2020, ArborXR’s hypothesis that enterprises would be the principal adopters of VR technology has been validated, with over 3,000 renowned companies now relying on its device management services, including Bank of America, Delta, Pfizer, Qualcomm, UPS, and Walmart. The company highlights that its client base has tripled in the previous year, demonstrating a robust demand for its services.

The trio behind ArborXR — Scoggin, Will Stackable (CMO), and Jordan Williams (CRO) — embarked on their entrepreneurial journey in 2017 with UpwardVR, a VR arcade enterprise. This evolved into SpringboardVR, a device management software platform, later acquired by Vertigo Games in 2021. The experience and success harvested from SpringboardVR were pivotal in the launch of ArborXR.

“Our grand vision involves XR technology reshaping education and work,” shared Stackable. He envisions scenarios where pilots, surgeons, and students engage in simulations and learning experiences from the safety and convenience of their homes, transcending geographical limitations and mitigating risks. “At its core, we see XR as an empowering tool, designed to enhance learning, streamline work processes, and then allowing users to disconnect and relish in real-world experiences. It’s about harnessing XR as a beneficial tool, rather than a form of digital escapism.”

While there are limited players in the VR device management space, including ManageXR and Omnissa’s Workspace One UEM, and Apple’s enterprise management capabilities for the Apple Vision Pro, ArborXR aims to distinguish itself through competitive pricing and an intuitive interface. The company boasts three subscription tiers: “Starter” at $7 per device per month for small enterprises, “Essential” at $10, and “Enterprise” at $13 per device per month for larger organizations, also offering a 30-day trial.

Supporting an extensive range of VR devices such as Apple Vision Pro, DPVR headsets, HTC Vive, Lenovo VRX, Meta Quest, Pico devices, as well as AR glasses like Digilens, Magic Leap 2, Vuzix, and RealWear, ArborXR is poised to cater to diverse business needs.