Augmented reality and virtual reality have moved past the labs and into actual use. The numbers back this up: the global AR and VR market was valued at USD 22.12 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 96.32 billion by 2029. Companies are buying in because the technology now solves real problems.

The applications are already here. Surgeons practice complex procedures in virtual operating rooms before touching a real patient. Architects walk clients through buildings that haven’t been built yet. Retailers let you see how a couch looks in your living room or try on glasses without stepping into a store. Pilots train in VR simulators that replicate emergencies, and students dissect virtual frogs or walk through ancient Rome in their classrooms.

The innovation is happening everywhere. Dreamscape Immersive in the US is pushing narrative experiences. Europe has Hologate, MindMaze, and Scandit building everything from arcade systems to brain recovery tools. China and South Korea are churning out new hardware and enterprise platforms. Each region brings something different, and it’s all connecting into one ecosystem.

We used three filters to identify the top AR and VR startups. First, the startup had to be fully focused on augmented or virtual reality. Second, their technology needed to solve real problems for people or businesses. Third, they needed traction: paying customers, major partnerships, or significant funding.

What Is Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality?

AR and VR are two ways technology changes what we see and do. Augmented reality adds digital things to the real world using your phone or special glasses. Think of apps that let you see how a couch would look in your living room. Virtual reality puts you inside a completely digital world using a headset. You can walk through fake places, play games, or practice real skills in a safe space. AR adds to reality. VR replaces it.

Augmented reality adds digital elements to the real world. It uses cameras, screens, or glasses to place images, text, or interactive objects on top of what you see. A common example is a mobile app that lets you preview how furniture looks in your living room or filters that change your appearance in a photo.

Virtual reality creates a fully digital environment that replaces the real world. It requires a headset that surrounds your vision and often includes sound and hand controllers. Inside VR you can explore a simulated space, play immersive games, or take part in training exercises that feel close to real life.

The difference is simple. Augmented reality layers content onto the physical world, while virtual reality places you entirely inside a new one. Both technologies aim to change how we see, learn, and interact, but they do so in different ways.

Treeview

Treeview is a company that builds custom XR applications for businesses and cultural organizations. The company creates immersive training programs, cultural preservation projects, and interactive experiences that are designed to be used in the real world. Their work covers augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality, and their clients range from large enterprises to community groups.

Their portfolio shows clear results. Treeview has built Digital Twin systems that help companies see complex data and make faster decisions. They developed mixed reality storytelling tools to help First Nations communities preserve heritage and history. They also created an augmented reality ski navigation system and produced large entertainment projects including an immersive concert for Ariana Grande.

What makes Treeview stand out is their focus on results and client ownership. Clients keep full rights to the projects, and the studio measures success by how well the technology solves problems rather than how it looks in a demo.

We chose to feature Treeview because they connect storytelling with practical technology and show that XR can deliver both business value and cultural impact.

Scope AR

Scope AR is an AR company that creates tools that bring augmented reality into everyday business operations. Their main product, WorkLink, allows companies to create and share visual work instructions, step by step guidance, and remote support in real time. The company is relatively small and focuses on industries such as aerospace, manufacturing, field services, and healthcare where clear and accurate instructions can save time and reduce mistakes.

In practice, Scope AR has shown measurable results. In one aerospace project, training times were cut by more than half, and technicians could complete complex tasks faster and with fewer errors. Their system lets experts provide live guidance from anywhere in the world, reducing travel costs while still giving frontline teams the support they need. They use augmented reality across phones, tablets, and headsets, creating a flexible solution that fits different work environments.

Scope AR stands out because it focuses on solving real business problems instead of creating technology for its own sake. Their platform integrates with existing enterprise systems, which makes adoption easier and long term use more realistic.

We chose them because they represent what effective augmented reality should be: practical, measurable, and ready to make work easier.

SenseGlove

SenseGlove develops wearable haptic gloves that bring tactile feedback into virtual reality environments. Their gloves let users feel force, resistance, texture, and grip in VR. The company started as a university project (around 2017) and now operates with a focused team, serving industries like training, simulation, healthcare, aerospace, and research. Their clients include firms and institutions that need realistic touch in virtual environments.

They supply these gloves to companies like Volkswagen for VR training in assembly, where trainees report the experience feels more realistic than using controllers. In defense and aerospace, their gloves enable technicians or trainees to handle virtual components with precision, reducing the risk of damaging expensive hardware. Their tech spans VR, mixed reality, and hybrid setups, allowing both pure virtual simulation and overlays on real world settings.

What sets SenseGlove apart is its focus on realistic touch rather than just visual immersion. Many VR systems lack haptics, but SenseGlove adds a sense of presence by letting users “feel” virtual objects.

Their gloves excel in realistic feedback and compatibility with existing VR platforms. We included them because they tackle one of XR’s toughest challenges: making virtual interaction truly physical.

ShapesXR

ShapesXR is a platform for designing and working in 3D and XR. It runs on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality as well as the web, letting teams create true scale models. It feels like a fast moving startup and is aimed at designers, studios, schools, and industries that want to test ideas before full development.

With ShapesXR teams can import designs from Figma, test interactions, make interface mockups, and plan experiences together. It is used for ideation, prototyping, and project alignment, helping avoid mistakes and save time. Users say meetings are more effective because everyone can see the design in context instead of only flat images.

The strength of ShapesXR is how easy it is to use and how well it connects with tools like Unity and Unreal. Teams can collaborate in VR headsets or through the web, with simple no code options and more advanced features when needed. It lowers barriers in spatial design and helps teams create faster and smarter.

PlugXR

PlugXR offers a platform that lets users build AR, VR, and mixed reality experiences without needing to code. Their tools are designed for creators, agencies, brands, and businesses that want fast XR content without heavy development overhead. The company operates globally with a focus on spatial computing and immersive media. Their platform supports web, mobile, and headset deployment.

Their customers have used their platform for interactive marketing campaigns, virtual showrooms, product previews, and educational tools. One campaign for a retail brand let customers see furniture in their own homes through AR, improving buyer confidence and reducing returns. Another use involved digital catalogues where users could spin and inspect 3D products before purchase. Their solution handles AR, VR, and hybrid XR formats, making it versatile across industries.

What sets PlugXR apart is its accessibility. Their no code/low code system democratizes XR creation so nontechnical teams can participate. They emphasize drag and drop interfaces, template systems, and cross platform publishing so creators can reach multiple devices with minimal effort.

We highlight PlugXR because they lower the barrier to entry for immersive tech they make AR and VR usable not just by specialists but by a wider range of companies.

Amaze

AMAZE is a company that produces virtual reality concert experiences. Their core product is fully immersive VR concerts where fans feel as though they are in the same room as the artist. They focus on entertainment and media clients, especially musicians and event promoters.

They have created VR concerts with artists like Megan Thee Stallion, T-Pain, and Zara Larsson, combining live performance with 3D environments to let fans attend from their homes. In some cases, they mix recorded footage with effects to enhance immersion. Their work is firmly in the VR domain rather than AR or MR.

What makes AMAZE stand out is how they treat VR as a performance medium, not just a novelty. They weave storytelling, spatial audio, and design to make the concert itself the attraction.

We featured them because they push VR into cultural expression, showing its potential beyond games.

Polyarc

Polyarc is a game studio dedicated to building virtual reality experiences. Founded in 2015, it´s a small company made up of designers and engineers who focus only on VR. Their audience is gamers and headset users who want narrative driven adventures and interactive virtual worlds.

The studio is best known for Moss, a VR game where players guide a small mouse through a magical landscape. The title was praised by both critics and players and later expanded with Moss: Book II. These projects show that VR can carry strong stories and emotional depth rather than being limited to technical showcases. Polyarc’s work stays firmly in the field of virtual reality.

Polyarc stands out for its clear focus on storytelling and craftsmanship in VR. They create games that feel natural to the medium instead of adapting ideas from traditional platforms.

They’re in our list of best AR and VR startups because they prove that small studios can deliver VR experiences with both artistic value and commercial success.

Basemark

Basemark develops software tools for augmented reality in vehicles. Their offering, Rocksolid AR, is a toolkit that lets automakers build augmented reality features for head up displays (HUDs) and in car systems. This AR company is relatively small compared to major tech giants, and their clients are vehicle manufacturers and automotive suppliers.

In use, Basemark’s technology enables overlaying navigation, safety alerts, and contextual graphics directly on the driver’s view. For example, a carmaker may use Rocksolid AR to develop custom AR HUDs that highlight lanes, hazards, or points of interest. This helps drivers make better, safer decisions. Their work is firmly in the AR domain, especially in the automotive environment.

What makes Basemark stand out is that they don’t deliver AR features as standalone products but provide the building blocks automakers can tailor. This modular and flexible model gives clients control over design and integration.

We featured them because they show how AR can move from concept to tool inside the car, supporting real engineering and safety goals.

AUGmentecture

AUGmentecture is a augmented reality company that helps architects, engineers, and designers bring their 3D models into augmented reality. Founded in 2015 and based in Canada, it operates with a small team focused on practical AR applications for the architecture and construction industry. Their core service is a platform that turns digital models into AR experiences viewable on mobile devices, making it easier for professionals to present and share their designs with clients. Their users are, mostly, design firms, contractors, and clients who want to see projects in real scale before construction begins.

Architects use AUGmentecture to show facades, interiors, and spaces in augmented reality. Clients can walk through a projected building, give feedback on the spot, and avoid costly design mistakes. The platform connects easily with existing 3D software, so firms can adopt it without changing their workflows.

The company stands out for making collaboration simple. It turns abstract designs into something clients can see and understand in real scale. We featured AUGmentecture because it proves how AR can improve communication and decision making in architecture.

Pixotope

What if filmmakers could step onto a set that changes with a few clicks? Pixotope makes that real. The VR and XR company develops virtual production software that blends live action with digital environments for film, TV, and live events. With a focused team and a clear mission, they are reshaping how cinematography is produced.

Directors use Pixotope to create entire sets digitally, cutting down on travel and costly stage builds. Scenes can shift from city skylines to fantasy worlds in real time, all within the studio. Their platform combines AR, XR, and real time rendering to keep shoots flexible and believable.

Pixotope stands out for bringing high end visual effects into everyday production. It gives creators speed, control, and freedom on set.

It’s among the best startups on the list because they show how virtual production is moving from blockbuster budgets to mainstream storytelling.

Varjo

Ornagh XR Studios is a small studio led by the artist Ornagh. The team creates custom immersive content for brands, exhibitions and performances. Their work includes AR, VR, mixed reality visuals, videos, and 2D or 3D assets that capture identity and attention.

They design motion graphics, branded visuals, and VR spaces for marketing and events. Projects often mix digital and real elements, from interactive assets to social content. Each piece carries Ornagh’s artistic style, making the work stand out.

The studio is defined by its mix of art and XR technology. With a flexible approach, they deliver creative visuals without big agency overhead. Their focus on aesthetics and impact makes them distinct in the XR space.

Bigscreen VR

Bigscreen is building a VR platform that lets users watch movies, play PC games, and collaborate in shared virtual rooms. Their hardware arm released the Bigscreen Beyond headset ,ultra-light and fitted to individual faces, to reduce weight and improve comfort. 

Their software supports cross-device experiences, letting people join from different headsets or environments.

Geomagical Labs

Geomagical Labs is a company that focuses on real world space reconstruction and AR visualizations. They build tools to scan rooms via mobile cameras, convert them into 3D models, and overlay furniture or structural modifications in real time. 

Their tech powers virtual staging and interior design tools, especially in retail and home furnishing space.

Groove Jones

Groove Jones is a Dallas based studio that creates AR and VR solutions with clear business applications. With fewer than 200 employees, the company focuses on projects that improve training, marketing, and customer engagement. Their work includes VR safety programs for industrial clients and AR activations for global brands such as Amazon and Samsung. These projects demonstrate how immersive technology can enhance learning efficiency and drive consumer interaction.

The studio uses AR and VR to get clear results. They create tools that help with training, marketing, and customer engagement. Their work shows how this technology can be practical and useful for growing a business.

DEVAR Entertainment LLC

AR company DEVAR Entertainment creates interactive books, toys, and learning tools that come alive through a phone or tablet. With about 200 employees, they focus on education and entertainment, turning printed pages and physical objects into digital experiences. Their products help children and students learn in a more engaging way by combining the real and virtual worlds.

By making everyday items interactive, DEVAR shows how AR can be simple, fun, and effective for both learning and play.

Dreamscape Immersive

Have you ever dreamed of stepping into a game and moving freely as if you were truly inside it? Well… Dreamscape Immersive makes that possible. With a team of around 100 people, the company builds VR experiences where groups can walk, interact, and explore virtual worlds together.

Their venues mix physical sets with VR headsets and motion tracking, creating adventures that feel both real and cinematic. From alien safaris to deep sea explorations, Dreamscape shows how VR can go beyond solo play and become a shared story driven experience that blurs the line between film and reality.

Survios

Survios is a VR company known for creating games that put players at the center of the action. With just over 100 employees, they design titles that combine movement, combat, and storytelling in fully immersive environments. Their catalog includes popular games like Raw Data and Creed: Rise to Glory, which show how VR can deliver both intense gameplay and cinematic depth.

Survios also partners with major entertainment brands to adapt well known franchises into VR, bringing familiar worlds to life in new ways. By focusing on fun and engaging content, the company proves how VR gaming can feel dynamic, physical, and unforgettable.

uSens

uSens develops computer vision and gesture tracking so users can interact with AR and VR without controllers. Their tools detect hand and head movement to create more natural and immersive experiences.

Dispelix

Dispelix designs ultrathin waveguide displays for AR glasses, making them lighter, clearer, and more energy efficient. Their optics push forward the hardware that powers next generation wearable AR.

Niantic Spatial

AR company Niantic Spatial spun off from Niantic to focus on geospatial AI and spatial computing. They build tools and experiences that help machines and people understand and interact with the real world via AR glasses, immersive maps, and spatial models.

Blippar

Blippar is an AR company that creates mobile and web AR campaigns and tools that turn ordinary images or objects into interactive experiences. They’ve built AR content for brands like Porsche, PepsiCo, and L’Oréal, letting users scan packaging or ads to unlock games, product visuals, or storytelling layers. Instead of simply being immersive, their platform lets marketers and creators deploy AR at scale through web browsers or apps.

Their work proves AR can enhance customer engagement in everyday contexts, not just in tech demos.

Conclusion

Augmented and virtual reality are becoming part of everyday life, with startups leading the way in business, training, and entertainment. Among the most notable, Treeview stands out for combining digital twins, cultural projects, and real world applications that deliver both social and commercial value.

Alongside, companies like Scope AR, SenseGlove, and Dreamscape Immersive show how AR and VR are solving real problems, from cutting training times to adding touch to virtual reality or creating shared story driven adventures. These early leaders prove XR is no longer experimental but already making an impact.

To see the full list of standout innovators, visit the article on top XR companies and startups.

FAQs

What is the difference between AR and VR?

Augmented reality adds digital objects to the real world, like trying out furniture in your living room using your phone. On the other hand, virtual reality takes you into a completely digital space with a headset, letting you explore environments or train for tasks as if you were really there.

How are AR and VR being used beyond gaming?

They are used in different industries like healthcare, education, and construction. Doctors rehearse surgeries, students learn through interactive lessons, and architects let clients walk through buildings before they exist. These uses show how augmented and virtual reality can improve learning, safety, and decision making in daily work.

What are some real world examples of AR and VR applications?

Companies use virtual reality simulators to train pilots and factory workers, reducing risks and costs. Retailers let customers preview products at home through augmented reality, improving confidence in purchases. Cultural groups also use mixed reality to preserve heritage stories. These examples prove the technology is already practical today.

Which regions are leading in AR and VR innovation?

The United States is strong in entertainment and narrative experiences with companies like Dreamscape Immersive. South America has Treeview. Europe has leaders such as Hologate, and MindMaze, while Asia focuses on hardware and enterprise solutions. Each region contributes in different ways, making AR and VR a global effort.

What challenges do AR and VR startups face today?

The biggest challenges are cost, accessibility, and adoption. Hardware like headsets and haptic devices can be expensive, and many people are still new to using them. Startups must also prove their technology solves real problems, not just provide novelty, to gain trust and customers.

Origianl Creator: Paulo Palma
Original Link: https://justainews.com/blog/top-ar-and-vr-startups/
Originally Posted: Tue, 07 Oct 2025 14:46:57 +0000