Pluto VR
Seattle-based virtual and augmented reality company founded in 2015 that built shared presence communication software for consumers and collaboration users; venture-backed with $13.9M raised in April 2017 and currently showing signs of operational dormancy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Pluto VR does
Pluto VR is a Seattle-based, private virtual and augmented reality company founded in 2015 that focused on shared presence communication — software enabling multiple users to inhabit and interact within the same virtual space. The company positioned itself at the intersection of VR/AR and real-time communication, a category that overlaps with social VR and remote collaboration. The four co-founders were John Vechey, Forest Gibson (who also served as Chief Product Officer), Jared Cheshier (CEO), and Jonathan Geibel; the team also included Andy Piro as VP of Engineering. The company was venture-backed, closing a $13.9M funding round in April 2017 led by Maveron with participation from Madrona and Trilogy Equity Partners. It operated with a small headcount (11–50 employees) and was headquartered in Seattle.
The go-to-market model and revenue mechanics are not disclosed in the available source material — there is no pricing data, no named customer list, no partnership pipeline, and no segment breakdown. Given the consumer-leaning VR/AR communication framing and the small team size, a plausible but unconfirmed read is a mix of consumer and prosumer/SMB collaboration use cases. However, the operational signals are decisively negative: the company's primary consumer-facing domain, pluto.app, currently appears as a for-sale listing on aftermarket.com, offered by an unrelated reseller (Premium Domains Global) rather than by Pluto VR itself. Combined with the absence of any funding activity after April 2017, no recent product launches, no current employee roster, and no detectable customer or partnership footprint, the weight of evidence indicates the company is either dormant, wound down, or operating only residually under alternate assets.
Pluto VR firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pluto VR
- Website
- https://pluto.app
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Seattle-based virtual and augmented reality company founded in 2015 that built shared presence communication software for consumers and collaboration users; venture-backed with $13.9M raised in April 2017 and currently showing signs of operational dormancy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pluto VR industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Virtual Reality Communication Software
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AR/VR & Spatial Computing (SLAM, 3D vision) (HDAAAEAJ), XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains (MPAFAFAF)
Keywords
Where Pluto VR is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Pluto VR business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Pluto VR product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pluto VR developed software that enables shared presence communication using virtual and augmented reality technology. The platform allows users to interact with each other in shared virtual environments, combining VR and AR capabilities to facilitate remote social and collaborative experiences. The company's domain (pluto.app) is currently listed for sale via aftermarket.com.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pluto VR / pluto.app
Companies that use Pluto VR
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Pluto VR technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pluto VR partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Pluto VR competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Spatial: Metaverse platform for social and professional VR/AR collaboration and events. Direct peer addressing the same shared-presence communication use case as Pluto VR.
- MeetinVR: Enterprise social VR collaboration tool focused on meetings and shared workspaces. Direct competitor in the VR shared-presence communication category.
- Rec Room: Cross-platform social VR platform with user-generated rooms and gameplay. Highly comparable to Pluto VR's shared-presence positioning and consumer VR focus.
- VRChat: Leading social VR platform focused on user-generated worlds and shared presence communication. Direct competitor to Pluto VR's core proposition of cross-device social VR experiences.
- Mozilla Hubs: Browser-based social VR platform enabling shared virtual spaces. Comparable as a cross-device shared-presence VR communication product.
Broad incumbents
- Meta Horizon Worlds: Meta's flagship social VR/metaverse product, bundled with Quest hardware. Competes directly with Pluto VR in social shared-presence VR and benefits from Meta's massive distribution advantage.
- Microsoft Mesh: Enterprise-focused shared-presence platform integrated with Microsoft Teams and Azure. Competes in the collaborative shared-presence VR space, backed by Microsoft's enterprise distribution.
Emerging players
- Manticore Games (Core): Social UGC gaming/metaverse platform with shared virtual experiences. Adjacent peer operating in social VR and virtual world creation with overlapping consumer VR audience.
- Arthur (now part of Miro): Previously an independent VR meeting platform offering shared-presence experiences; acquired by Miro. Illustrates the M&A pathway available to independent VR presence players.
Regional players
- Glue (Netherlands): Nordic social VR collaboration platform targeting enterprise customers. Comparable shared-presence product but primarily serves European markets versus Pluto's US base.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Pluto VR social profiles
Digital presencePluto VR financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pluto VR leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Pluto VR funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pluto VR 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 Pluto VR
What does Pluto VR do?
Pluto VR developed software that enables shared presence communication using virtual and augmented reality technology. The platform allows users to interact with each other in shared virtual environments, combining VR and AR capabilities to facilitate remote social and collaborative experiences. The company's domain (pluto.app) is currently listed for sale via aftermarket.com.
When was Pluto VR founded?
Pluto VR was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pluto VR based?
Pluto VR is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Pluto VR's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Spatial, MeetinVR, Rec Room, VRChat and Mozilla Hubs. Broad incumbents are Meta Horizon Worlds and Microsoft Mesh. Emerging players are Manticore Games (Core) and Arthur (now part of Miro). Glue (Netherlands) is listed as a regional player.
Does Pluto VR have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pluto VR.
What industry is Pluto VR in?
Pluto VR's product category is Virtual Reality Communication Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAKAF, Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds, with a secondary code of HDAAAEAJ, AR/VR & Spatial Computing (SLAM, 3D vision). Its NAICS code is 519 and its SIC code is 7373.