Munich Startup: Who are you and what does Holo-Light do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Holo Light: Hello, we are Flo, Susi, Alex, Luis, and Michi, and together we form the founding team of Holo-Light. Our startup is based on immersive software and technologies for the enterprise sector We were founded in 2015, at a time when augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) were still new to the industry. A key milestone at the time was the announcement of Microsoft's first AR smart glasses, HoloLens. As friends and fellow students, we saw enormous potential in the technology for industrial use, were able to acquire a device early on, and used this market advantage to create our first solutions.
Stream XR content in real time
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Holo Light: Immersive technologies are changing the way we experience content. However, there are still technological hurdles that hinder the use of augmented and virtual reality, such as the low computing power of mobile devices. We have developed a platform-independent software development kit (SDK) called ISAR , which allows entire AR and VR applications to be streamed in real time via local servers or the cloud. This eliminates the need for computing power on the mobile device itself. Developers can easily integrate the solution into their own applications, and we've also incorporated ISAR into our second product, ARES Pro. This allows engineers to visualize and collaborate on large 3D CAD data regardless of location—leading to shorter development cycles and seamless product designs. (Editor’s note: CAD stands for Computer Aided Design).
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Holo Light: Streaming itself is, of course, not a new approach. However, our XR streaming technology enables AR and VR content to be experienced with unprecedented detail and complexity. 5G, cloud, and edge computing will further advance this technology. In conjunction with XR streaming, new use cases for augmented and virtual reality can be opened up that were previously impossible.
Holo-Light: “We made many mistakes”
Munich Startup: Has there ever been a point where you almost failed?
Holo Light: We made many mistakes, but none of them were fatal. In the beginning, there were simply a lot of things we had no idea about. Time is a limited resource, and you have to invest it wisely. We've definitely become more efficient and focused over the years. Thanks in part to our InvestorsFor example, they have challenged, motivated, and supported us in professionalizing our financial processes. And we now also choose events and partnerships much more carefully.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Holo Light: We have created a very solid technological foundation and are now working harder toward scalability. We are currently strengthening our support structure and distribution channels to deliver our software to customers even faster and provide them with updates. On the product side, we see that our AR software ARES ('Augmented Reality Engineering Space') is being used globally and is becoming the industry standard. And of course, we want to exploit the full potential of augmented and virtual reality with our ISAR SDK. Our vision is to be the global market leader in XR streaming by enabling streaming of all AR and VR applications.
At the same time, we also want to maintain a sense of familiarity and company loyalty. Personal touches and enjoyment of work should remain paramount in five years' time, and not come at the expense of success.
Developing solutions together with companies
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?
Holo Light: As a young technology provider, it's important for us to gain access to industrial companies and also to receive feedback on our solutions. We want to develop together with the companies, not bypass them. Being based in Munich is a huge help in this regard.
Munich Startup: Tea or coffee?
Holo Light: Clearly: tea. A reliable companion in everyday work life, with which you can overcome any challenge. The day really starts with a large cup of freshly brewed tea!
