UK’s tech ecosystem and immersive start-up trends

In 2022 the UK’s tech sector was considered the most attractive for venture capitalists in Europe, with £24 billion funding raised. This total was higher than France (£11.8 billion) and Germany (£9.1 billion) combined. One attribution to the UK’s leading success is down to their commitment in regulating innovation with standards early. AI ethics can be a concerning topic and being at the forefront of technological advancement, safety measures will also be a part of the responsibility. 

As a result, the UK has responded quickly to the changing tech ecosystem and has already established an overview of the UK’s emerging approach to AI regulation. Reassurance that there will be a governing body that builds on top of the foundations to core principles such as safety, transparency and equality provides greater confidence to domestic and foreign investors alike.

Creative technology hotspots

Immersive economy in London remains the most prominent with 38% of immersive companies are situated here, showing a similar pattern alongside digital and creative industries. Across the UK there are many different hotspots showcasing substantial growth in immersive companies incorporated including Brighton, Bristol, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Cambridge, Oxford and Edinburgh.

South West England has become very attractive for research funding and is gradually consolidating its position as the most exciting region for creative technology. Technological hubs like Bristol are challenging to take over this new immersive sector, with a robust reputation for award-winning creative media, film and television production, the city has grown in popularity for its diverse creative network. Tech companies in Bristol reported to have contributed to 36% of the city’s high-growth businesses, with 208 tech startups and scale-ups employing more than 13,000 people and resulted in a combined turnover of £4.69 billion.

Immersive start-up trends

A collaborative report released by Immerse UK and HTC VIVE X, back in June 2021, highlighted the scale of immersive ventures developing within the UK. It featured some of the fastest growing immersive ventures, demonstrating the substantial fundraising that has been happening in the background for immersive R&D projects. Here are a few of the selected immersive companies mentioned from the report:

Anything World : A platform for creating endless 3D worlds in real time, bringing voice controls and AI animated behaviours to 3D assets.

Gravity Sketch : A 3D design platform for diverse teams connected in real time, using VR technology to streamline creative workflows and supporting collaborative design work.

Ultraleap : Allows users to interact with computers without controllers, wearables or touchscreens using hand-tracking and haptics to replicate the sensation of touch. The technology uses sound waves projected through the air directly onto hands to vibrate the skin’s surface so that users can feel feedback from what they are doing. 

VividQ : A deep tech company with a wide range of commercial applications for its patented holographic display technology. The company is developing software and IP for holographic displays that project digital data in 3D by mimicking the light patterns humans perceive when they look at physical objects

FundamentalVR : Offers remote collaborative virtual training, transforming wet labs and cadaveric training for medical professionals. An alternative for surgeons to prepare, practice and refine their skills using a proprietary haptic VR platform.

This was just a small selection into the latest trending research into 3D immersive technology that has been growing tremendously over the years. Productivity, collaboration and education seem to be the most promising areas for immersive to have the greatest impact. Although applications for immersive use cases are still in the exploratory phase, nevertheless for companies who have managed to secure funding seems to have a bright future ahead.