London-based startup Gracia AI has raised $1.7 million in funding to advance its 4D Gaussian Splatting technology. This new investment comes from notable backers, including EWOR and a pioneer behind Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF). The company is quickly establishing itself as a leader in a rapidly evolving industry that barely existed two years ago. With this funding, Gracia is expanding beyond research demos to offer a comprehensive platform for creating and deploying 4D volumetric videos across various media sectors.

From Research to Full Production Tools

Initially, Gracia focused on static Gaussian Splatting and experimental research. Video splats didn’t exist at that time. Over the past year, the team made significant progress. They became the first to bring dynamic 4D Gaussian Splatting to standalone VR headsets, allowing users to experience real-time playback without needing a PC. This breakthrough opens up new possibilities for immersive content. The company also launched a visual effects and graphics pipeline that generates revenue, moving beyond purely experimental tech.

This shift means studios can now incorporate 4D Gaussian Splatting into actual production workflows. It’s no longer just a concept but a practical tool for creating high-quality volumetric videos. Gracia developed a full creative toolkit that includes editing, camera controls, and scene manipulation. The system combines cloud processing with a studio-style environment, enabling artists to adjust scenes on a timeline and refine their work easily. This integrated platform aims to streamline volumetric video production for professionals in XR, film, advertising, and gaming.

Born from Viral Social Media Demos

The company’s origin story is rooted in a viral social media demo. Co-founder and CTO Andrey Volodin shared a technical showcase of 4D Gaussian Splatting, which quickly gained attention. Volodin had previously worked at Prisma, a popular photo editing app with over 150 million downloads. His demo went viral within hours, attracting creators, engineers, and VFX artists eager for similar tools. The response convinced Volodin and co-founder Georgii Vysotskii to start Gracia AI.

The original idea was simple: create a “YouTube for volumetric video.” But working with creators revealed a deeper issue. The real challenge wasn’t distribution but production. No existing tools could efficiently create high-quality 4D Gaussian Splatting content at scale. This insight shifted the company’s focus toward building the infrastructure needed for mass production and deployment.

Today, Gracia offers what it claims is the world’s first scalable system for producing and deploying 4D volumetric videos. Its platform includes plugins for popular game engines like Unity and Unreal, making it accessible to developers. Content can be viewed via WebGPU on browsers or experienced in standalone VR headsets like Quest 3, Quest 3S, and Pico 4 Ultra. The system supports file sizes around one gigabyte, making it suitable for practical use in various applications.

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