Sketchfab Receives $7 Million in Series A Funding from FirstMark Capital; Expanding Further into VR/AR

Sketchfab is a world unto itself. Featuring a unique platform for checking out and integrating 3D content into your own social media or files, you can get lost in viewing, sharing, downloading, and 3D printing depending on your specific interests or needs, from gaming to architecture. Saying that Sketchfab is a business with vision has more than one meaning these days as the French company expands their world even further, melding not only with the 3D but also virtual and augmented reality–all in one place on the web.

With a Series A round of funding to the tune of $7 million just announced via FirstMark Capital, there should be a lot to look forward to as the veritable giant of a 3D online library allows their users to expand further into the creative world of 3D. The Sketchfab platform for publishing, embedding, and sharing content is about to become even more dynamic with this infusion of capital, combined with their strong financial foundation based on existing investors, TechStars (with their new venture fund), Balderton, Partech, and Borealis.

FirstMark, headquartered in New York, is an early stage venture capital firm with a growing portfolio–and an eye on those who have a mission to usher us into the future. Their interests lie in sharing their expertise with startups like Sketchfab, which definitely offers a unique variety of services to their users. The venture capitalist firm is also famous for backing companies like Pinterest, gaming company Riot, as well as 3D companies like BioDigital and BodyLabs.

The Sketchfab concept is one that wholly embodies a way to share the joys of 3D design, as well as 3D printing. Offering users many options to be interactive and creative with a wide variety of 3D files, Sketchfab allows the opportunity to share 3D files through multiple venues. Already integrating Facebook and Photoshop–and even Kickstarter–into their platform, now Sketchfab plans to see that users get mighty comfortable with the VR/AR venue. This is a technology that has been strongly connected to 3D printing since its inception, as the two are interchangeable technologies on several levels.

With over 300,000 files for users all around the world to choose from on Sketchfab, you could seriously spend all your time just there exploring, uploading, downloading, sharing, publishing designs, and 3D printing–and they predict that you should soon be able to find a virtual version of nearly anything there.

With this new focus on, dedication to, and support of VR and AR, it means users are going to be able to use Sketchfab for far more.

“We play a key role in those ecosystems, with integrations like Microsoft HoloLens and 3D Hubs, and direct support for Oculus or Cardboard,” states co-founder and CEO Alban Denoyel on his Sketchfab blog.

You will be able to look forward to using Sketchfab in all the ways you are currently used to for embedding and downloading, but also:

• 3D printing
• Virtual reality
• Augmented reality
• Virtually anything that uses 3D online

“We are building Sketchfab because we believe 3D, and virtual and augmented reality are changing the ways we consume content, and becoming a common media format just like video or sound. We were early then, and we’re ready now,” says Denoyel. “The road ahead is still long and challenging, and we are grateful to welcome FirstMark to our team. They have a proven track record of helping companies grow, with deep expertise in creative networks, commerce, and 3D.”

Matt Turck, Managing Director of FirstMark Capital, will be joining the Sketchfab board.

“Besides our shared French roots, Matt has extensive knowledge of the Internet of Things, Big Data, Hardware, and Media, all of which will be invaluable for us on our road towards being a market leader,” states Denoyel.

Sketchfab has a focus on the future, allowing users to further explore other technologies within their platform–as well as reaping the benefits of the strong partnerships they are forming, not only with FirstMark but also other 3D platforms and online companies.