The trade-off for the convenience of online shopping is the uncertainty that the item physically looks like the image on the screen, therefore, providing a perfect use case for 3D technology and augmented reality.  By leveraging these technologies, merchants are able to increase conversions, reduce returns, and leave customers more satisfied with brands and the online shopping experience.  London Dynamics allows merchants to provide lightweight and mobile-optimised 3D and AR assets to help businesses of any size create a variety of immersive experiences. Implementations can power simple customizations (color, materials and finishes) for physical goods and things like try before you buy for apparel as well as in-room contextual placement for items like furnishings. London Dynamic’s 3D visualiser can be integrated into any technology stack seamlessly and can be used on any browser, device, or CMS.  The company is currently working with brands like AutoTrader, Crate&Barrel, and Salvatore Ferragamo to serve 3D content on their platforms, offering access to the platform on an annual licence basis.

London TechWatch caught up with London Dynamics CEO Michael Valdsgaard to learn more about the business, the company’s strategic plans, recent round of funding, and much, much more…

Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
The investors for the round are anonymous at this stage but it was a Seed funding round of £1M.

Tell us about your product or service.
London Dynamics was set up to help businesses introduce an advanced, realistic, and functional 3D and AR experience from existing websites. The service and platform are designed to capture the advantage of increasingly universal 3D and AR functionality across browsers and devices.

It helps brands design life-like 3D models which respond to the user’s environment and lighting conditions, and provide truly useful ‘try-before-you-buy’ experiences. All of this is offered without the need to leave the retailer’s own website, and without changing a single layer in their current technology stack.

What inspired the start of London Dynamics?
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the most innovative emerging technologies in the market. Augmented reality really stood out as being something that could genuinely impact society on an incredible level. Alongside artificial intelligence and robotics, AR is facilitating the digital overlay of non-physical products in real-world settings.

There is a fundamental belief that the internet is going 3D, bringing it out of computers and into the physical world. This is the core reason why London Dynamics was established.

How is it different?
The London Dynamics platform has an extremely efficient tech stack. The entire system is browser based, meaning customers do not have to download a separate app or additional hardware. Anyone with a smart phone can therefore get access from anywhere in the world.

We also give back control to the companies. For a business to implement product visualisation through augmented reality, they would need: a 3D artist, resource to make it efficient (to be real-time rendering), someone to publish it on the website or even build a separate app. But we provide all of this through one platform, with an interface for clients to manage this whole process themselves. Every member of the London Dynamics team is committed to delivering the market-leading quality that is guaranteed with our solution.

What market you are targeting and how big is it?
Right now, the movement into 3D is most apparent in product visualisation and e-commerce. This is therefore our target market. However, in the long term, every business will need to expand into this form of content. As an industry, we’re currently still in the very early stages of this technology, but there are miles of unchartered territory yet to be explored.

What’s your business model?
The London Dynamics platform is a software-as-a-service solution, so customers purchase a yearly licence. Everything that is required for clients to enter the 3D digital world is included in the product offering.

How are you preparing for a potential economic slowdown?
In short, we’re already prepared. The company is very close to being cashflow positive, and the seed funding will be allocated strategically to help continue business growth, while also preparing for wider economic uncertainty that lies ahead.

What was the funding process like?
As is often the way, securing funding was a lengthy and challenging process. As an entrepreneur, you’re essentially being ruthlessly interviewed by investors five times a week. It is incredibly stressful being under that level of scrutiny when trying to convince people that what you’re doing is really important. But ultimately, it’s worth it.

What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
The process took place right in the midst of high investment demand, with capital being harder to secure in the face of global recessions, tech firm layoffs, and low valuation rates (which are down 25% this year).

What factors about your business led your investors to write the cheque?
What helped us stand out was our ambition for the future, with strong evidence of existing client success and how much value we already add to the market. Our quality level is what engages people – no one can compete with us in this area.

What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
Our number one milestone is becoming cash flow positive whilst maintaining steady business growth. It would be fairly straightforward for us to achieve the former in a shorter time period, but our objective is to ensure our business grows alongside.

What advice can you offer companies in London that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
Obvious may it be, but companies should be gearing up for a rainy period. It’s vital to save costs today – right now even – as it’s going to become very expensive to save in the near future.

Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
We foresee London Dynamics becoming a household name in the product visualisation and e-commerce space.

What is your favourite restaurant in London?
The Ivy Asia in Mayfair.

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This content was originally published here.