In Augmented reality news
November 23, 2022 – incitea New York-based company that brings future physical developments to life through augmented reality (AR), this week announced US$1 million in financial support from Schmidt Futures, the philanthropic initiative of Eric and Wendy Schmidt, plus another US$1 million from other notable investors and initial customer traction.
The company enables informative, public-facing AR visualizations of proposed and upcoming development projects, with clients across the United States including cities, real estate developers, technology companies and other stakeholders in the future of the Urban development.
“Urban planning is too slow, murky and expensive for the pace of development required in cities today,” said Dana Chermesh-Reshef, Founder and CEO of inCitu. “In the face of climate change, severe housing shortages, public health threats, massive urbanization and major geopolitical shifts, cities around the world must adapt quickly and efficiently, but outdated systems are preventing the fairness in the design and decision-making process resulting in a lack of trust, collaboration and inclusivity between residents and industry professionals.
inCitu allows everyone to see and explore how the built environment evolves around them, on a real scale, in situ. The company’s platform turns data into informative and accurate visualizations of future skylines and buildings, and makes that data available to technology companies and anyone interested in visualizations.
In an effort to reduce friction for city dwellers in accessing city planning information, all of inCitu’s content – from individual buildings, affordable housing, mixed-use developments, to parks and bridges and to complement neighborhood rezoning and regional infrastructure – is available via mobile-AR, with no headset or special device required.
In 2020, the inCitu Founder and CEO was one of six impact entrepreneurs selected to join Schmidt Futures’ Entrepreneur-In-Residence program. This fall, after concluding the two-year program, Schmidt Futures provided the $1 million in funding to inCitu, in addition to the company’s pre-seed funding from at.inc/, CityBldr, Global Futures Group, H/L Ventures, the WXR Fund, among other strategic investors in the world of real estate and smart cities. In 2022, inCitu signed two key partnerships with Snap Inc. and Esri, amplifying data and business impact across platforms.
The company recently reached a milestone in which one of its AR visualizations of a real Midtown Manhattan development proposal under consideration reached over 100,000 residents, making it the highest planning proposal ever. visible in the history of town planning, according to society.
Another project recently launched by inCitu was created in partnership with Snap and the Annenberg Foundation and was aimed at the largest wildlife crossing in the world, which will end in 2025 in California. The project is now accessible in AR to all residents and visitors throughout its construction, thanks to the inCitu platform.
“With the support of global leaders in technology and real estate, inCitu is poised to help democratize and revolutionize the way citizens visualize the future of their own neighborhoods and cities,” added Chermesh- Reshef. “We are restoring trust and transparency in how cities, developers, communities and technology companies interact to enable urban development.”
The company noted that by building momentum, strategic funding, and partnerships, it is constantly integrating more cities and development projects, hoping to drive inclusive and highly accessible urban change.
For more information on inCitu and its augmented reality visualization solutions for real estate developments, visit the company’s website website.
Image/video credit: inCitu / YouTube
Sam Sprigg
Sam is the founder and editor-in-chief of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for five years.
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