Plexal member Massless is developing the Massless Pen: an intuitive, precise and flexible tool for 3D designers and engineers. And in a major vote of confidence, it’s secured $2m in a seed funding round led by Founders Fund Pathfinder, with participation from Entrepreneur First, venture capitalist Vivi Nevo, Shrug Capital and Wendy Tan-White, a technology investor and entrepreneur.
Founders Jack Cohen and Dominic Hosler come from engineering and programming backgrounds, and have spotted a need for a tool that allows designers or engineers to create VR, AR and mixed reality content in a more fluid and intuitive way. The tool integrates functions like surface sensing, haptic feedback and a tracked 6DoF VR controller. With each swish of the high-tech pen, creators can sketch, edit and manipulate designs for virtual worlds and user iterfaces. The company sees its pens being applied in business settings, particularly in the media, entertainment, civil engineering and automotive sectors where the pens are currently being tested.
Commenting on Massless’ funding success, Cyan Banister, partner at Founders Fund said:
“Massless has recruited exceptional talent, including industry experts, to execute on a very ambitious vision. The team understands how to combine hardware, software and human-enhancing UX to create an intuitive and powerful XR tool for design and engineering professionals.”
Massless plans to use the cash injection to grow its team and develop its signature pen (along with other tools the startup’s working on). “We’re really excited about the Massless Pen and the other products in our roadmap, they are all part of our vision to build tools that make interacting with the digital workplace more human, intuitive, fluid and limitless, Cohen added. “We want to help unlock creativity and problem-solving in the workplace.”
Congrats to Massless, and watch this space as we’ll be sharing more about the inside story of the startup’s funding success soon.
