The startup born of an Ottawa entrepreneur’s vision to bring e-commerce into three dimensions has landed a major funding round.
Threekit, which helps major brands such as Crate and Barrel render their online product listings in 3D, announced Wednesday it has raised US$20 million in a series-A round.
Though Threekit’s headquarters are based out of Chicago, a significant portion of the company’s staff work out of Ottawa. The company’s founder, former Hollywood visual effects engineer Ben Houston, is also based in the National Capital Region.
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Threekit’s series-A round was led by Shasta Ventures, with participation from notable names such as Salesforce Ventures and NFL hall of famer Steve Young, a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Also contributing to the round was Godard Abel, a wealthy Silicon Valley venture capitalist who invested US$10 million into Threekit earlier this year.
Threekit was founded in Ottawa back in 2014 when Houston opted to leave the glamour of Hollywood behind and put his 3D-imaging skills to work in retail. The startup’s software can quickly render customized furniture and other products online, giving shoppers a clear picture of what they’re ordering before adding it to their carts.
“If you can show an image of the product that results from all of the options, it’s a 20 to 40 per cent higher conversion rate, because they don’t have to guess,” Houston told Techopia earlier this year.
In September, Threekit announced it was opening up offices in Paris and London to bring its 3D-commerce solution to overseas markets.
