Lightform
Lightform was a San Francisco hardware and software company that built computer vision-powered projection mapping tools (LF1, LFC, LF2+ devices and Creator software) for artists, retailers, hospitality venues, and home users to create projected AR without specialized expertise; it permanently closed in August 2022.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Lightform does
Lightform, Inc. was a San Francisco-based design tools company that developed computer vision-powered hardware and software for projection mapping and projected augmented reality. Founded in 2014 by Brett Jones (CEO & Co-founder) and Rajinder Sodhi (Co-founder), the company built an integrated stack of projection-mapping hardware (LF1, LFC Kit, LF2+) and Lightform Creator software that scanned real-world scenes using structured light 'grey code' patterns, generated Depth Estimate Maps, and let users drag-and-drop scan-aware effects onto projected content without specialized expertise. Target customers spanned visual artists and galleries (Jen Stark, Gabriel Schama, HYBYCOZO), SMB retail and brand activations (Nice Kicks x Adidas), hospitality and event venues (Zombie Village, SF Conservatory of Flowers, Playable Agency), and home users and streamers, with a primary segment of artists and creatives. The platform integrated with Adobe After Effects (live preview plugin), Storyblocks (stock video library), Qlab (OSC sync), and IFTTT, supporting third-party projectors from Epson, Optoma, and Viewsonic.
The company pursued a product-led, direct-to-consumer go-to-market, selling hardware exclusively through lightform.com with bundled free perpetual Creator software licenses. Pricing was one-time, ranging from $999 for LF1 to $1,799 for the LF1 Starter Kit, with the LF2+ and LFC Kit sold at higher price points for larger deployments. Marketing relied on a community flywheel via the #lightformcreations hashtag and earned media (Wired, Fast Company, Engadget, Designboom) rather than paid acquisition. Lightform raised approximately $16.9M total across five rounds between 2015 and 2019, backed by Lux Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, Amazon Alexa Fund, Baidu Ventures, Presence Capital, Tuesday Capital, Seven Seas Partners, NSF, Anorak Ventures, Comet Labs, and Illinois Ventures.
After COVID-19 disrupted its events, hospitality, and location-based entertainment customer base, Lightform attempted a pivot toward in-home projection mapping with the January 2021 LF2+ launch and continued R&D via Project LFX. The company discontinued hardware production on February 7, 2022, and permanently closed on August 12, 2022, citing inability to secure sufficient funding to maintain operations.
Lightform firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lightform
- Legal name
- Lightform, Inc.
- Website
- https://lightform.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lightform was a San Francisco hardware and software company that built computer vision-powered projection mapping tools (LF1, LFC, LF2+ devices and Creator software) for artists, retailers, hospitality venues, and home users to create projected AR without specialized expertise; it permanently closed in August 2022.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lightform industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Projection Mapping Hardware
- NAICS
- Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132), Electric Lamp Bulb and Other Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (335139), Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Camera Lighting & Flash (Speedlights, Continuous Lights, LED Panels) (CRACAPAG), Lighting Controls & Building Integration (Drivers, sensors, dimming, lighting control panels, networked lighting) (IMAGAIAI), Lighting, Rendering & Render Management (Render Farms, Optimization) (MPAHABAG)
Keywords
Where Lightform is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lightform business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Lightform sold specialized projection mapping hardware (LF1, LFC Kit, LF2, LF2+) designed for projected AR. Products were sold directly through lightform.com with a 1-year warranty. Hardware production was discontinued indefinitely on February 7, 2022, and the company shut down in August 2022.
- Software License (Bundled): Lightform Creator content creation software was included free with all hardware purchases (LF2+, LFC) as a perpetual license. It was not sold standalone, making software licensing a bundled component of the hardware revenue model rather than a standalone revenue stream.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | LF1 – Compact wireless computer and camera system for projection mapping |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | LF1 Starter Kit – LF1 bundled with Epson 1060 projector, tripod, IR cable, and universal mount |
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Lightform Creator – Content creation software for Mac & PC |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Lightform product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lightform designed and sold computer vision-powered hardware devices (LF1, LFC Kit, LF2+) and bundled content creation software (Lightform Creator) that enabled projection mapping and projected augmented reality without specialized technical expertise. The hardware used structured light scanning to create precise alignment between projected content and real-world surfaces, paired with software that offered drag-and-drop generative effects, audio reactivity, and Adobe After Effects live preview integration. Lightform is permanently closed as of August 12, 2022.
Product overview
Lightform was a design tools company for projection mapping that developed both hardware devices and software for creating projected augmented reality experiences. The product portfolio centered on computer vision-powered scanning hardware (LF1, LFC Kit, LF2+) combined with Lightform Creator software to enable projection mapping without specialized expertise. LF1 was the original compact wireless computer and camera system; LFC Kit expanded deployment options by supporting user's own projectors for larger installations; LF2+ was the flagship sound-reactive AR projector. Lightform Creator provided the content creation workflow with scan-based effects and audio reactivity. Project LFX was a research initiative exploring future ambient computing interfaces with steerable projected light. The company closed permanently in August 2022.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Creator: Content creation software for Mac & PC, powered by computer vision. Included free with all Lightform hardware purchases.
Products and services
- LF2+ AR Projector The first sound-reactive AR projector combining a 1000-lumen LED projector with integrated computer vision camera and microphone. Uses structured light scanning for depth estimation and supports real-time audio-reactive visual effects. Targeted at artists, home users, and small businesses for projection mapping and projected AR.
- LFC Kit Compact compute module with Logitech Brio 4K camera designed for use with the customer's own projector for larger-scale installations. Supports throw ratios 0.5-2.0 and brightness levels from 1000-100K lumens for flexible deployment options.
- LF1 Original compact wireless computer and camera system for projection mapping. Featured a 4K camera for Smart Scan, Quad-Core A9 processor, 20GB eMMC storage, and universal mounting compatibility. Discontinued.
- Lightform Creator Content creation software for Mac and PC powered by computer vision. Enables scan-based smart selection, audio reactivity, built-in effects library, conventional mapping tools, and real-time preview. Included free with all hardware purchases.
- Project LFX Research platform for steerable projected interfaces exploring ambient computing. Featured concept devices including Disk lamp, ceiling fixture, and cylinder lamp with pan/tilt light steering capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Scan time under 60 seconds (LFC vs. >90 seconds for LF1)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Lightform
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Lightform technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability5 records
Feature7 records
Lightform partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lightform competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Resolume: Resolume Arena and Avenue are VJ and live-visual performance tools with built-in projection mapping capabilities, used by the same artists, musicians, and event producers Lightform targeted. The use cases (live events, music performances, club visuals, stage mapping) overlap heavily with Lightform's LFC Kit deployments.
- HeavyM: HeavyM is a projection mapping software product aimed at creators and event professionals, directly overlapping Lightform's primary user segment. It offers similar generative effects and reactive visuals but, like MadMapper, requires users to supply their own projector rather than providing an integrated hardware+software system.
- MadMapper: MadMapper is a leading projection mapping software that competes directly with Lightform Creator by enabling artists to map visuals onto physical surfaces. Both target the same creative professional segment with workflow software for projection mapping, though MadMapper is software-only and pairs with third-party hardware.
Emerging players
- Notch (by Fairlight): Notch provides real-time generative rendering and playback tools for live events, music tours, and immersive installations — a use-case set that directly competes with Lightform's LFC Kit for projection deployments in concert and event production.
- TouchDesigner (Derivative): TouchDesigner is a node-based real-time visual development environment widely used by projection mapping artists and immersive experience designers. It overlaps with Lightform Creator for generative, reactive, and scan-driven visuals, but requires significantly more technical skill.
Broad incumbents
- Christie Digital: Christie is a major professional projector manufacturer whose high-lumen projectors are routinely used for the large-scale projection mapping deployments Lightform's LFC Kit targeted. They represent the broad incumbent option for venue-scale projection without the need for a separate scanning device.
- disguise (d3 Technologies): disguise is a high-end media server and show-control platform used for large-scale projection mapping on buildings, concerts, and immersive venues — the same end-applications as Lightform's LFC Kit. It serves as the broad incumbent at the professional/event tier where Lightform attempted to expand.
- Optoma: Optoma is a projector manufacturer that was supported by Lightform and whose projectors appear in multiple Lightform customer installations (e.g., Zombie Village bar). It represents the broader projector ecosystem that any projection-mapping software or hardware product must integrate with.
- Epson: Epson was a Lightform hardware partner (LF1 Starter Kit bundled the Epson 1060) and is the dominant mainstream projector brand. As a broad incumbent, Epson's projectors are the substrate Lightform's hardware was designed to attach to, and represents a potential OEM channel for any revival of Lightform-style projection-mapping technology.
Others
- Notch / Avolites (lighting controls): Avolites produces lighting control consoles and media servers for live events and venues — adjacent to projection mapping in the event-production stack. While not a direct competitor, it represents the broader professional lighting/visual control ecosystem that integrates with or competes for share-of-wallet in event production budgets.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lightform social profiles
Digital presenceLightform compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Lightform financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lightform leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Lightform funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lightform 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 Lightform
What does Lightform do?
Lightform designed and sold computer vision-powered hardware devices (LF1, LFC Kit, LF2+) and bundled content creation software (Lightform Creator) that enabled projection mapping and projected augmented reality without specialized technical expertise. The hardware used structured light scanning to create precise alignment between projected content and real-world surfaces, paired with software that offered drag-and-drop generative effects, audio reactivity, and Adobe After Effects live preview integration. Lightform is permanently closed as of August 12, 2022.
Is Lightform a public or private company?
Lightform is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently closed.
When was Lightform founded?
Lightform was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lightform based?
Lightform is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lightform make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are software License (Bundled).
Who are Lightform's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Resolume, HeavyM and MadMapper. Emerging players are Notch (by Fairlight) and TouchDesigner (Derivative). Broad incumbents are Christie Digital, disguise (d3 Technologies), Optoma and Epson. Notch / Avolites (lighting controls) is listed as an others.
Does Lightform have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lightform.
What industry is Lightform in?
Lightform's product category is Projection Mapping Hardware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAIAG, Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination), with a secondary code of CRACAPAG, Camera Lighting & Flash (Speedlights, Continuous Lights, LED Panels). Its NAICS code is 335132 and its SIC code is 3827.