8i

What 8i does

8i is a privately held volumetric video company founded in 2014 and headquartered in Los Angeles, with operational offices in Chicago, Vietnam, and New Zealand. The company builds an end-to-end platform for capturing, reconstructing, compressing, and streaming photorealistic 3D holograms of real people, organized around three core products: Capture (turnkey ASPX Hologram Stages equipped with 24 to 60 cameras, ARRI SkyPanel lighting, Supermicro compute, and Nvidia GPUs, plus proprietary Gaia recording and calibration software), Transform (proprietary machine learning and computer vision that fuses multi-camera footage into volumetric video and applies 1000x compression to enable real-time streaming), and Stream (a publishing and delivery platform that serves holograms to any device, browser, or XR headset, with native integrations into Unity, Unreal Engine, 8th Wall, and WebXR). 8i monetizes through a combination of one-time ASPX stage hardware and software license sales, recurring software subscriptions, and enterprise professional services for custom hologram capture projects.

The company sells primarily to enterprise buyers across four horizontal use cases — Communication, Entertainment, Education, and Commerce — with marquee engagements including Walmart's Store N°8 retail innovation initiative, L'Oreal Matrix training, an American Express/Radical Media AR experience with Justin Timberlake, Volkswagen automotive marketing, LG U telecom content, MTV entertainment, the US Army DEVCOM Soldier Center for immersive training, and a holographic legacy project with Buzz Aldrin. Distribution is direct and consultative, with pricing requiring sales engagement and multi-year enterprise contracts. 8i has raised approximately $42 million in disclosed venture funding from strategic investors including Founders Fund, RRE Ventures, Warner Media, Samsung NEXT, Verizon Ventures, and Baidu Ventures.

Name

8i

Legal name

8i

Website

https://8i.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

8i builds an end-to-end volumetric video platform that captures, reconstructs, compresses, and streams photorealistic 3D holograms, selling turnkey ASPX capture stages, proprietary ML-based Transform software, and a multi-platform Stream delivery product to enterprise clients across communication, entertainment, education, commerce, and defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Volumetric Video Technology

NAICS

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (3343), Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (512199)

SIC

Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time) (MPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Tools & Content Pipelines for Immersive Learning (VR lesson builders, 3D asset workflows) (EDAFAJAL), VP Hardware: LED Panels, Processors, Media Servers & Render Nodes (MPAHADAL), VR/AR Gaming Hardware (Headsets & Controllers) (HDACANAD)

Keywords

• Volumetric video capture
• Hologram streaming platform
• 3D holographic video
• Photorealistic hologram technology
• Volumetric capture stages

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hologram Stage Hardware and Software Sales: Sale of complete ASPX hologram stage packages including hardware components (cameras, lighting, computers, scaffold) and software licenses. Available in three configurations (Pro 2K, Pro 4K, Pro 4K Ultimate) with varying camera counts, resolution, and capture volumes. Includes real-time capable configurations and hologram playback SDK.
2. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Software licensing for recording (Gaia), calibration, transformation (fuse/compress/edit), and streaming capabilities. Bulk software licenses included with hardware purchase. Ongoing software updates and support.
3. Professional Services and Project Work: Custom hologram capture projects, production services, and technical support. Includes pre-production consultation, on-site capture execution, and post-production processing. Company has captured for major entertainment, commercial, and training applications.
4. Enterprise Solutions and Custom Integrations: Enterprise deployments with custom integrations into customer workflows including Unity, Unreal, and WebXR projects. Mobile volumetric capture solutions for specific use cases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

8i develops and sells an end-to-end volumetric video platform for capturing, transforming, and streaming photorealistic 3D holograms of real people. The company offers turnkey ASPX Hologram Stage hardware packages (24-60 cameras) bundled with proprietary capture, machine-learning reconstruction, 1000x compression, and multi-device streaming software, sold primarily to enterprise clients in communication, entertainment, education, and commerce.

Product overview

8i offers a comprehensive volumetric video (hologram) platform with three integrated core products: Capture (hardware and software for recording holograms using 24-60 cameras on ASPX Hologram Stages), Transform (ML-powered reconstruction, 1000x compression, and editing software), and Stream (publishing, creation, and streaming to any device or headset). The platform supports both video-on-demand and real-time holograms, with native integrations into Unity, Unreal Engine, 8th Wall, and WebXR. 8i serves enterprise clients across communication, education, entertainment, and commerce verticals, offering turnkey ASPX stage packages in Pro 2K, Pro 4K, and Pro 4K Ultimate configurations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Capture Complete hardware and software solution for capturing holograms, including the ASPX hologram stage, cameras (2K or 4K), ARRI SkyPanel lighting, Supermicro server blades, Nvidia GPUs, recording software 'Gaia', and calibration tools. Supports 24-60 camera synchronization with global shutter and CoaXPress/GigE interface.
• Transform Software tech stack for reconstructing, compressing, and editing volumetric video. Includes 'Fuse' for ML-powered reconstruction from multiple cameras, 'Compress' for 1000x proprietary compression enabling real-time encoding, and 'Edit' for integrating with Maya and other 3D tools.
• Stream Publishing, creation, and streaming platform for delivering holograms to any device, browser, or VR/AR headset. Supports video-on-demand and real-time holograms, CDN distribution, digital rights management, and native integration with Unity, Unreal, 8th Wall, and WebXR.
• ASPX Hologram Stage Pre-configured volumetric video capture stages available in three tiers: Pro 2K (24 cameras, 18'x18'x10' footprint, 9ft capture), Pro 4K (30 cameras, 30'x30'x20' footprint, 18ft capture), and Pro 4K Ultimate (60 cameras). Each includes scaffold, cameras, lighting, computers, recording software, and calibration tools.
• ASPX Pro 2K Entry-level hologram stage with 24 cameras, 2K resolution, 18'x18'x10' footprint, 9 feet capture volume. Includes 8i software license and real-time capable features.
• ASPX Pro 4K Mid-tier hologram stage with 30 cameras, 4K resolution, 30'x30'x20' footprint, 18 feet capture volume. Includes 8i software license, real-time capable features, and hologram playback SDK.
• ASPX Pro 4K Ultimate Flagship hologram stage with 60 cameras, 4K resolution, largest capture volume. Includes all software licenses, real-time capable features, and hologram playback SDK.
• Mobile Volumetric Capture Solution Next-generation mobile volumetric capture solution enabling photorealistic 3D hologram capture outside of fixed ASPX stage installations, for enterprise volumetric capture deployments in the field.
• Gaia Recording Software Proprietary volumetric video recording software with user-friendly interface for configuring recording settings, fast/slow motion capture, automated audio recording synchronized with time-coding, and real-time live feed compatibility.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000x compression ratio of volumetric video with real-time encoding capability
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and flagship.

• ARRIcoreTechnology or IntegrationARRI provides SkyPanel LED lighting (S120-C, S60-C) for 8i's hologram capture stages. SkyPanel is widely regarded for powerful output, massive light aperture, full color control, lighting effects, wireless DMX, and carbon fiber yoke. Critical component for capturing flawless, perfectly lit volumetric video.
• NvidiacoreTechnology or IntegrationNvidia GPUs included in 8i's computer systems for the capture stage. GPUs are essential for real-time rendering, reconstruction, and compression of volumetric video content.
• SupermicrocoreTechnology or IntegrationSupermicro Server Blades are used specifically for render and capture operations in 8i's hologram stages. Part of the complete hardware solution for volumetric capture.
• FortinetcoreTechnology or IntegrationFortigate Firewall Security is included in 8i's computer systems to provide network security for the capture and processing infrastructure.
• DellsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDell hardware components included in 8i's technology stack for capture stages and infrastructure.
• JLCoopersupportingTechnology or IntegrationJLCooper provides specialized equipment for the capture stage setup, contributing to the complete hardware solution.
• EuresyssupportingTechnology or IntegrationEuresys provides components for the capture stage, part of the integrated hardware solution.
• IOsupportingTechnology or IntegrationIO provides equipment for the capture stage, contributing to the complete volumetric video capture solution.
• Unity TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationUnity integration allows hologram assets to be brought into Unity projects for immersive experience development. 8i's platform directly integrates with Unity for native application development.
• Epic Games (Unreal Engine)coreTechnology or IntegrationUnreal Engine integration enables hologram assets to be used in Unreal-based projects. Direct platform integration for native and WebXR experiences.
• 8th WallcoreTechnology or Integration8th Wall integration enables WebXR experiences allowing holograms to be experienced through web browsers on mobile devices without app downloads.
• Autodesk (Maya)coreTechnology or IntegrationMaya integration allows editing and manipulation of hologram performances. Supports Maya editing workflow with FBX and GLTF mesh outputs for industry-standard 3D production.
• BlendersupportingTechnology or IntegrationBlender integration supports industry-standard open-source 3D tool workflows alongside Maya.
• A-FramesupportingTechnology or Integration8i's presentation software is built on A-Frame framework for web-based 3D and VR experiences.
• American ExpressflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with American Express and Radical Media to create 'Outside In' mixed reality experience with Justin Timberlake. Viewers could explore his song 'Breeze off the Pond' in AR and shop exclusive merchandise using AmEx cards. First-of-its-kind entertainment and commerce integration.
• Walmart (Store Nº8)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in Walmart's Store Nº8 inaugural innovation gala demonstrating VR/AR shopping technology. Strategic collaboration to shape future of retail shopping through immersive experiences.
• US Army / DEVCOM Soldier CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud partner of US military providing battle-realistic training scenarios using volumetric video capture. Created fully immersive medical training experiences for soldiers to practice emergency procedures.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Looking Glass Factory: Developer of holographic light-field displays for enterprise visualization, retail, and creative applications. Adjacent competitor in bringing volumetric/3D content to end users; complements rather than replaces volumetric capture pipelines like 8i's.
• Mantiscope / Mantis Vision: 3D sensing and structured-light capture technology used in mobile, AR, and volumetric capture applications. Competes with 8i on the capture hardware/computer-vision layer of volumetric pipelines.
• Leia Inc: Light-field 3D display technology for mobile and automotive, enabling glasses-free holographic visuals. Overlaps with 8i on the delivery/streaming side of immersive 3D content rather than capture.
• Twin Reality: Volumetric video and real-time 3D human capture platform focused on retail, fashion, and metaverse commerce. Directly comparable to 8i's commerce use case (Walmart/Bonobos virtual try-on) with emphasis on photorealistic digital humans.

Direct peers

• Dimension Studios: Volumetric video and VFX studio with capture rigs and production services for brand, entertainment, and fashion activations. Overlaps directly with 8i's enterprise customer base (Walmart-style retail, music artists, brand campaigns).
• 4DViews: Provides volumetric video capture systems and software for live performance, broadcast, and immersive experiences. Competes with 8i's ASPX stages on capture hardware and streamable holographic assets.
• Metastage: Volumetric video capture studio offering end-to-end holographic capture services for sports, entertainment, and enterprise. Direct competitor to 8i on both hardware stages and capture/production services, with a comparable consulting-to-product motion.
• DGene: AI-driven volumetric capture and digital human platform producing photorealistic 3D content for entertainment and enterprise. Closely comparable to 8i in ML reconstruction, compression, and streaming of holograms.

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture Studios: Operates a global network of volumetric video capture studios and partners directly competes with 8i's ASPX stages. Backed by Microsoft's cloud, content, and HoloLens distribution; serves enterprise XR use cases that overlap with 8i's communication, training, and entertainment verticals.
• Intel RealSense: Intel's depth-sensing camera and computer vision technology used in 3D capture, AR/VR, and robotics. Adjacent competitor in volumetric capture enabling technology, with broader distribution but less focus on turnkey hologram stages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/8iReality
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwJLcfJreyhTdQaBCzBNA_Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/8iReality
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/8i
• Instagraminstagram.com/8ireality

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors24 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 8i