Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem are you solving?
Albert Brenner, CEO & Co-Founder: With Obsphera, we make 3D spatial computing as simple as uploading a photo. E-commerce companies want to display products in their web shop as interactive 3D models, insurance companies need clearer documentation of damage claims, and industrial companies need visual digital twins. Until now, creating high-quality 3D models was expensive, complicated, and took weeks. Our solution Obsphera.ai automatically creates interactive 3D models from photos or videos and brings them directly to the web – without special hardware, simply via browser.
Munich Startup: But that already exists, doesn’t it?
Albert Brenner: Of course, there were already methods for creating 3D models. But they all required specialized knowledge, took a lot of time, and were expensive. Like scanning and the necessary post-modeling, for example. Alternatively, you can manually develop 3D models with the same cost and time disadvantages. Some companies also have 3D models from a CAD system, but can’t use them for web applications. Until now, creating 3D content was the central hurdle for immersive web experiences and applications. Our software solves this and saves over 90 percent in costs and time compared to previous 3D methods. And before you ask: AI systems (LLMs) can also develop 3D models. That works well where it doesn’t matter to depict a very specific object, a specific space, or building. When it comes to authenticity, LLMs are not suitable for 3D creation.
From web agency duo to deeptech startup
Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?
Albert Brenner: My co-founder Florian and I have known each other since our studies in 1994. In 1997, we founded the first web agency and developed websites for companies. Since then, we’ve been friends and our professional paths have crossed repeatedly. Florian was Head of IT Continental Europe at Computershare, CPO at various startups, and has been developing software systems and products for over 25 years. I was co-founder and manager of various agencies such as Pepper, thaltegos, and diva-e, was responsible for marketing and sales at an American tech corporation for some years, and have been doing business strategy, marketing, and sales for over 25 years. We came to Obsphera through our customers. We did many spatial computing projects and the biggest hurdle was always 3D creation. Companies like BMW ultimately had the requirement that we develop digital twins faster and more cheaply than was possible with conventional methods. After one and a half years of R&D, we’re now in a position to offer our customers this possibility with Obsphera.
Technically complex, but easy to use
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Albert Brenner: The biggest challenge was balancing high-end quality of 3D models on one hand and a fully automated and easy-to-use SaaS solution on the other. 3D can’t be complicated, otherwise companies or, in the case of insurance, their customers can’t use it themselves. With our Release 1, we’ve achieved 90 percent of that. In autumn, we’ll be able to provide a recording app and then we’ll have the 100 percent solution.
Pilot customers, pipeline, perspective
Munich Startup: How is business going and where do you want to be in one and five years?
Albert Brenner: We’re now live with our Release 1, have generated over 600,000 euros in revenue with our six employees, gained renowned pilot customers, and are seeing a growing pipeline. And all of this without funding or external capital so far. In that sense, we’re quite satisfied with the current status. Within the next year, with the help of external capital, we want to significantly scale within the DACH region and our focus industries of insurance, e-commerce, and industry. For the coming years, our ambition is to be the leading European B2B computer vision SaaS solution. With a market of 1.2 billion euros annually in the DACH region alone, we see enormous potential for our business.
A heart for Munich
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup hub so far?
Albert Brenner: Munich is a perfect location for us. With BayStartUP and the Munich Business Plan Competition, we found a very helpful platform to refine our business model and strengthen our contact network. The collaboration with universities, especially with TUM’s world-leading computer vision experts, is also of great importance to us. And not least, Munich is our home base, where we’ve built our private and professional network over the years. In that sense, a perfect package for us.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long-term commitment?
Albert Brenner: Our goal is clear: We want to make 3D experiences accessible to everyone and make Obsphera big. An exit is only an option if it accelerates our vision. Until then, we think long-term and scale consistently.
