PROTO
Proto Hologram Inc. builds a vertically integrated holographic communications platform — patented display hardware (Proto Luma, M2, ProtoPlayer), proprietary ProtoOS, and AI avatar/spatial-computing software — serving 120+ enterprises across healthcare, retail, sports, airports, banking, and live events globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What PROTO does
Proto Hologram Inc. (formerly PORTL Inc.) is a Los Angeles-based privately held company that builds a vertically integrated holographic communications platform combining patented volumetric display hardware, a proprietary operating system (ProtoOS), conversational AI avatars, and a spatial-computing layer. The hardware portfolio spans the Proto Luma (life-size 86-inch 4K enterprise device, ~$65,000), the Proto M2 (tabletop 21.5-inch portable unit, $7,700 bundle), the legacy Proto M line ($8,500-$80,000 by size), and the ProtoPlayer edge-computing appliance launched in March 2026 that converts existing 2D HDMI displays into AI-enabled avatar interfaces. ProtoOS provides cloud-managed content, device, and audience analytics across global device fleets; the AI Persona Suite adds photorealistic multilingual avatars supporting 300+ languages/dialects, integrated with third-party LLMs (Anthropic Claude via Amazon Bedrock), voice (ElevenLabs), and avatar engines (HeyGen, Hyperreal Digital DNA, Stability AI Stable Video Diffusion).
The company serves a diversified enterprise customer base of 120+ organizations, including dozens of Fortune 500 companies, across verticals such as healthcare (West Cancer Center telehealth, Idaho State University clinical simulation), retail (Ralph Lauren, Matin Kim, Skechers, Simon Malls' Hologram Media Network), live events and sports (UFC at Sphere, WWE, Chicago Bulls, ESPN, JBJ's Nashville), airports (LaGuardia, Jacksonville International), banking (IDFC FIRST Bank, Yamagata Bank), art and luxury (Christie's), and entertainment (Lionsgate, CBS, Hallmark). Revenue is generated through a mix of one-time hardware sales, mandatory recurring cloud subscriptions ($100-$500 per device per month, contributing ~35% of ARR), managed services via certified regional partners, custom professional services and avatar development, advertising revenue share through the Hologram Media Network, and developer platform licensing.
Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales through 25+ global offices (HQ Los Angeles + Las Vegas, Nashville, New York, Boston, London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Dubai, Toronto, Sydney, Johannesburg, and others), an inbound e-commerce storefront at shop.protohologram.com, a certified channel-partner network (Geminai, Creative Mut, Ikonz Studios, AnuVision, Joe Zeff Design, Groupe Hervé, NDN Group), OEM/embedded integrations (Holomedia, Cisco Unified Edge), and heavyweight co-marketing alliances with AWS, HPE, NVIDIA, Verizon, Snap, and PwC. The company has raised approximately $37M+ across rounds from 2020-2025 (including a $12M Series A in 2021 under the PORTL name led by TRUE Capital Management and a $25M Series A reported in 2025), is led by CEO Todd Bouman (appointed February 2025, ex-NEC/Samsung/HP) with founder David Nussbaum as Chairman, holds SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA-aligned compliance, and holds a granted USPTO holographic technology patent and federal 'Beam There' trademark.
PROTO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PROTO
- Legal name
- Proto Hologram Inc.
- Website
- https://protohologram.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Proto Hologram Inc. builds a vertically integrated holographic communications platform — patented display hardware (Proto Luma, M2, ProtoPlayer), proprietary ProtoOS, and AI avatar/spatial-computing software — serving 120+ enterprises across healthcare, retail, sports, airports, banking, and live events globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PROTO industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Holographic Display Hardware and AI Spatial Computing Platform
- NAICS
- Electronic Computer Manufacturing (334111)
- SIC
- Electronic Computers (3571)
- akta.pro primary industry
- XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains (MPAFAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF)
Keywords
Where PROTO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices23 records
Markets served
PROTO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales — Proto Luma, Proto M2, Proto M, ProtoPlayer: Direct one-time sale of patented holographic devices via shop.protohologram.com and through enterprise sales. Flagship Proto Epic/Luma priced at ~$65,000 and Proto M2 bundle at $7,700 USD; the M series ranges $8,500–$80,000 across sizes. Deployed via Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) bundled with mandatory cloud subscriptions.
- Cloud Subscription (Proto Cloud / ProtoOS SaaS): Mandatory recurring cloud subscription tiered $100–$500/month per device bundled with hardware purchases; provides content management, AI persona hosting, fleet management, and analytics. Generates approximately 35% of annual recurring revenue (ARR).
- Managed Services & Installation: Certified local partners handle installation, maintenance, and managed services for enterprise deployments (Hardware-as-a-Service model).
- Holographic Advertising Network Revenue: Revenue share with Hologram Media Network (HMN) operating a 3D ad network across Simon Malls and other retail venues featuring Proto Luma units, monetized via brand advertisers (Sony Pictures, Paramount, Warner Bros., Minecraft, Conjuring).
- Professional Services & Custom Deployments: Bespoke content creation, avatar development, and custom activations delivered by Proto and partners (Geminai, Creative Mut, Ikonz, Joe Zeff Design) for events, celebrities, and enterprise rollouts.
- Developer Platform & Licensing: Developer portal, SDKs, APIs, and #ProtoAppChallenge global competition cultivate a third-party developer ecosystem building on ProtoOS, with non-exclusive promotional licensing rights to submitted apps.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Proto Epic/Luma (life-size enterprise unit) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Proto M (compact/desktop holographic device) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Proto M2 Bundle (tabletop enterprise device) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Proto Cloud / ProtoOS SaaS Subscription |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise / Bespoke Deployments |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels10 records
PROTO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Proto sells patented volumetric holographic display hardware (Proto Luma, Proto M2, ProtoPlayer) bundled with a mandatory Proto Cloud/ProtoOS subscription, sold alongside its AI Persona Suite and Spatial Computing platform to enterprises for holographic telepresence, AI-driven multilingual avatars, retail advertising, and live event activations. The full-stack offering combines proprietary hardware, an embedded operating system, conversational AI, and developer APIs to deploy wearable-free AI holograms across physical spaces.
Product overview
Proto Inc. operates a full-stack human-AI communications platform powered by its own patented holographic device hardware, proprietary ProtoOS operating system, conversational AI, spatial computing, AI avatar deployment system, and app ecosystem. The hardware portfolio centers on three flagship devices: the Proto Luma (life-sized enterprise holographic device), the Proto M2 (portable tabletop holographic device), and the ProtoPlayer (industrial-grade edge computing appliance that upgrades existing 2D displays into AI interfaces). These are unified by ProtoOS and complemented by the Proto AI Persona Suite (AI Conversational Persona, AI Text-to-Persona, AI Persona Translator), the Proto Studio App, and the HoloStudio Pro capture/transmission kit, together enabling wearable-free AI holograms, real-time remote beaming, multilingual translation, and avatar deployment across healthcare, education, retail, live events, and enterprise use cases.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Proto Luma: Life-size, life-like holographic device designed for enterprise use, featuring an 86-inch multi-touch volumetric display with 4K resolution and integrated AI capabilities.
- Proto M2
- ProtoPlayer
- Proto Epic
- Proto OS
Products and services
- Proto Luma Premier life-sized 86-inch multi-touch volumetric holographic display with 4K resolution, integrated AI, live beaming, and AI avatars targeted at enterprise deployments in retail, healthcare, education, and live events. Priced at approximately $65,000 USD with mandatory cloud subscription.
- Proto M2 Tabletop portable holographic communication device with a 21.5-inch volumetric multi-touch display, 4K camera, AI-powered software, and content management capabilities for enterprise and prosumer use; priced at $7,700 USD bundle.
- ProtoPlayer Industrial-grade edge-computing appliance that turns any traditional 2D display or digital signage screen into an AI-enabled holographic/avatar interface via HDMI, enabling deployment of intelligent AI agents across existing retail and enterprise screens without replacing hardware.
- ProtoOS Proto's proprietary full-stack operating system providing content management, device control, audience analytics, fleet management across hundreds or thousands of devices globally, and AI-driven holographic interaction management from a single cloud interface.
- Proto AI Persona Suite Suite of AI-driven holographic twin tools including AI Conversational Persona, AI Text-to-Persona, and AI Persona Translator that enable photorealistic, multilingual holographic communication across enterprise use cases.
- HoloStudio Pro Flagship professional capture and transmission kit including a high-end 4K digital camera, HDMI-to-iPad interface, 200w LED light, light stands, custom backdrop, travel case, mic, and mic stand for producing and beaming holographic content in real time.
- Proto Conversational AI Platform Proto's advanced conversational AI technology that uses holographic avatars for in-person interactions, integrating spatial computing, live vision, real-time translation across 300+ languages/dialects, and custom avatar creation.
- Proto Spatial Computing Platform Spatial computing platform that merges conversational AI avatars, holograms, traditional displays, and environmental awareness (computer vision/perception) to create experiences that see, sense, analyze, and respond to the real world, wearable-free.
Quantifiable outcome
- Hologram doctor-patient program scaled from 1 to 11 clinics at West Cancer Center; first of its kind nationwide
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use PROTO
Customer profileNamed customers36 records
Segments11 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
PROTO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
AI capability6 records
Feature9 records
PROTO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
29 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- HyperrealcoreCo-develops AI-powered digital avatars (Ozzy Osbourne, Stan Lee) using Hyperreal's patented 'Digital DNA' technology displayed on Proto Luma units.
- Meta (referenced as industry signal, not formal partner)minorReferenced as an industry signal: future of wearable AR/VR devices may include Meta-style metaverse experiences, contextualizing Proto's wearable-free spatial computing approach.
- Joe Zeff DesignminorCreative studio producing large-scale holographic activations, including Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performances in downtown Pittsburgh timed with the 2026 NFL Draft.
- Groupe HervéminorFrench implementation partner that installed Proto's first permanent French deployment at La Maison Le Dix, featured on Netflix's 'The Parisian Agency: Exclusive Properties.'
- Netflix ('The Parisian Agency: Exclusive Properties')minorFeatured Proto's first permanent French installation on a Netflix show, demonstrating AI translation capabilities in luxury real estate.
- CiscocoreDemos of AI-powered holographic retail assistant 'Kaleigh'/'Kailey' using Cisco Unified Edge hardware and Arcee AI small language model at NRF Big Show; designed for store-floor edge inference.
- Isha FoundationcoreFirst spiritual leader AI hologram — Sadhguru — at Mahashivratri festival in Coimbatore, India; reached ~140M global viewers, enabled personalized multilingual conversations with attendees.
- LionsgatecoreFilm studio promotional partnership — 'Now You See Me: Now You Don't' holograms of Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Justice Smith, and Ariana Greenblatt in 15 US theaters for interactive selfies via QR codes.
- Kartoon StudiosminorCo-developed the AI hologram of Stan Lee deployed at L.A. Comic Con September 26-28, 2025; Kartoon owns Stan Lee IP rights.
- Hologram Media Network (Mall Network)coreOperates interactive holographic ad network across multiple US malls for Warner Bros.' 'The Conjuring: Last Rites' film, integrated with Snapchat AR technology.
- Creative MutcoreKorea-based premier partner deploying Proto experiences for Matin Kim, Ralph Lauren/POLO, and other fashion and retail clients across South Korea.
- GeminaicorePremier Boston-based partner implementing Proto experiences across New England — Lexington 250th anniversary reenactment, Boy Scout language translation, MIT AI-Powered Women Summit, New England Patriots Hall of Fame, breast cancer education in Ghana with Peace and Love Hospitals.
- HeyGencoreIntegration with HeyGen's real-time Interactive Avatar platform showcased at March 2025 LA event with Proto Holobox; multi-language avatar demo.
- Hologram Media Network (HMN)flagshipLaunched the world's first holographic 3D ad network with Simon Malls — 30 Proto Luma devices at launch, expanding to 50 by Q2 and 150 by year-end. Brands like Sony Pictures, Paramount, Warner Bros. (Minecraft, Conjuring) advertise through the network.
- Simon Property Group (Simon Malls)coreHosted world's first holographic 3D ad network across 30+ Simon Malls via HMN/Proto Luma partnership.
- Ikonz StudioscoreIndia-based partner powering AI avatars of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan and cricket legend Sourav Ganguly across IDFC FIRST Bank branches in 5+ cities.
- NDN GroupminorHong Kong-based partner that launched a holographic panda exhibit at Ocean Park in collaboration with Maxim's.
- HolomediaminorEmbedded AI Concierge 'Wayfinder' platform powering Hotel X Toronto's 24/7 holographic concierge 'Alexis' on Proto Epic hardware, and LaGuardia Airport's 'Bridget'.
- Snap Inc.coreJoint holographic + Snapchat AR activations — 'The Conjuring: Last Rites' mall tour and the Minecraft Movie campaign. Snap's Head of Entertainment Creative Strategy Adam Katzenback publicly endorsed the combination as unlocking new storytelling capabilities.
- AARP / AgeTech CollaborativecoreIntegrated Proto throughout the AARP AgeTech Collaborative booth at CES 2025 as multilingual holographic tour guides for seniors; combating loneliness, supporting family communication across languages.
- AnuVision TechnologiesminorFlorida-based implementation partner that built and operates the Jacksonville International Airport AI persona hologram of Mayor Donna Deegan.
- ElevenLabscoreVoice synthesis technology integrated with Proto's autonomous AI-hologram conversational agents, supported alongside Amazon Bedrock and HeyGen.
- Amazon (Bedrock / Anthropic Claude)coreProto's autonomous AI-hologram conversations at AWS re:Invent 2024 were powered by Amazon Bedrock with Anthropic Claude. Stargate/foundation-model integration for AI Persona reasoning.
- PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)flagshipEnterprise customer and co-marketing partner exploring photorealistic AI avatars across interior design, retail, astronomy, and GenAI innovation; featured at PwC EmTech Exchange. Matt Wood (Global Commercial Technology & Innovation Officer) is public proponent.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)flagshipCo-developed Proto Spatial Compute Platform within HPE Private Cloud AI (NVIDIA H100 GPUs, TitanML RAG). Created 'Antonio Nearly' AI persona of HPE CEO Antonio Neri; featured at HPE Discover Las Vegas, Barcelona, and GITEX 2024.
- NVIDIAflagshipProvides the AI computing infrastructure (NVIDIA H100 GPUs and networking) underpinning Proto's holographic AI platform via HPE Private Cloud AI. Featured together at HPE Discover 2024, NVIDIA GTC, and at re:Invent.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)flagshipDeep technology and go-to-market partnership. Jointly developed text-to-hologram generative AI pipeline using Stability AI Stable Video Diffusion on AWS serverless architecture (S3, Lambda). Powering HIRK (Holographic Intelligent Retail Kiosk) at NRF and autonomous AI-hologram agent conversations at AWS re:Invent 2024.
- VerizonflagshipMulti-year strategic partnership to develop and implement holographic technology for communication, retail, and entertainment. Verizon's Innovation Lab exploring healthcare applications; Robin Goldsmith (Global Lead Innovation & Strategy at Verizon Business) co-hosted 'Beaming the Future' podcast with Proto founder.
- Christie'sflagshipLong-standing art-and-tech partnership showcasing holographic displays of high-value artworks (Edgar Degas' 'Petite danseuse de quatorze ans' sold for $41.6M; Giacometti sculptures; AI artist Claire Silver 'Augmented Intelligence' auction). Christie's hosts the Art + Tech Summit featuring Proto; CEO Bonnie Brennan is public proponent.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
PROTO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Looking Glass Factory: Manufactures volumetric holographic displays (light field displays) for enterprise and consumer use. Competes most directly with Proto Luma and M2 in the plug-and-play holographic display category, though focused more on 3D visualization than on AI avatars and spatial computing.
- HYPERVSN: Produces holographic LED-fan displays for retail, advertising, and live events. Direct competitor in the holographic retail advertising and live activation segments that overlap with Proto's Hologram Media Network and enterprise deployments.
- ARHT Media (HoloPresence): HoloPresence stage holograms for live events, conferences, and retail. Competes with Proto on the holographic telepresence and live-event activation use cases that have driven several of Proto's marquee deployments.
- Leia Inc: Developer of light field 3D display technology for tablets, monitors, and automotive dashboards. Overlaps with Proto's volumetric display hardware stack and embedded AI/spatial computing ambitions.
Broad incumbents
- Google (Project Starline / Beam): Google's Project Starline / Google Beam is a large-incumbent play on AI-enabled holographic video conferencing for enterprise. While currently a room-sized system rather than Proto's deployable units, it represents a major competitor in the spatial communications category.
- Apple (Vision Pro / spatial): Apple's Vision Pro and broader spatial computing strategy is a competing modality for embodied AI presence. While headset-based, Apple's platform investments and developer ecosystem set the broader competitive context for Proto's wearable-free approach.
- Meta (Reality Labs, Quest): Meta's Quest VR headsets and Reality Labs investments target embodied AI and presence. Meta is referenced in Proto's industry analysis as a contextual competitive force shaping the wearable vs. wearable-free debate in spatial computing.
- Microsoft (HoloLens / Mesh): Microsoft HoloLens and Mesh platform target enterprise mixed-reality collaboration. While headset-based, Microsoft's enterprise distribution and Teams integration make it a broad incumbent competitor in workplace holographic presence.
- Magic Leap: Augmented reality headsets targeted at enterprise and healthcare use cases. Overlaps with Proto's healthcare and enterprise vertical strategy from a different (wearable) modality.
Emerging players
- 8i / Unity (Volumetric Video): Volumetric video capture and rendering technologies (now part of Unity) overlap with Proto's content capture pipeline (HoloStudio Pro) and AI avatar rendering stack, particularly for photorealistic digital humans.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PROTO social profiles
Digital presencePROTO compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
PROTO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PROTO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
PROTO subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
PROTO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PROTO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PROTO
What does PROTO do?
Proto sells patented volumetric holographic display hardware (Proto Luma, Proto M2, ProtoPlayer) bundled with a mandatory Proto Cloud/ProtoOS subscription, sold alongside its AI Persona Suite and Spatial Computing platform to enterprises for holographic telepresence, AI-driven multilingual avatars, retail advertising, and live event activations. The full-stack offering combines proprietary hardware, an embedded operating system, conversational AI, and developer APIs to deploy wearable-free AI holograms across physical spaces.
Is PROTO a public or private company?
PROTO is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was PROTO founded?
PROTO was founded in 2018. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is PROTO based?
PROTO is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does PROTO make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales — Proto Luma, Proto M2, Proto M, ProtoPlayer is the primary driver. The others are cloud Subscription (Proto Cloud / ProtoOS SaaS), managed Services & Installation, holographic Advertising Network Revenue, professional Services & Custom Deployments and developer Platform & Licensing.
Who are PROTO's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Looking Glass Factory, HYPERVSN, ARHT Media (HoloPresence) and Leia Inc. Broad incumbents are Google (Project Starline / Beam), Apple (Vision Pro / spatial), Meta (Reality Labs, Quest), Microsoft (HoloLens / Mesh) and Magic Leap. 8i / Unity (Volumetric Video) is listed as an emerging player.
Does PROTO have an API?
Yes. Developers can build on top of Proto's platform using its APIs and Content Creation SDK to integrate AI avatars into existing workflows, automate content beaming, and design custom holographic experiences. The platform supports third-party AI model integration and provides tools for custom applications and interactive experiences. Access is available through a Developer Portal at https://portlhologram.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PDD/overview. A companion Proto Studio App is available on the Apple App Store for capture and real-time transmission of holographic content using HoloStudio Pro camera kits. Developer documentation is at portlhologram.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PDD/overview.
What industry is PROTO in?
PROTO's product category is Holographic Display Hardware and AI Spatial Computing Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAFAF, XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains, with a secondary code of BPAMAKAF, Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds. Its NAICS code is 334111 and its SIC code is 3571.