Circus

What Circus does

Circus (legal entity Gainfame Ltd, trading as Circus and Circus360) is a London-based bespoke virtual experience agency founded in 2010, operating from a single Soho office with a team of approximately 12 specialists. The company designs and produces immersive content across six integrated core services: 360 Virtual Tours, 360 Video Production, Interactive 3D Experiences, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and persistent Virtual Worlds/Metaverse environments, supplemented by verticalised offerings such as VR Training, Virtual Open Days for universities, and a Hospital Wayfinder tool for healthcare providers. Underlying technology combines high-resolution 360 panoramic capture, spatial audio, 3D modelling, AI-augmented personalisation and configurators, and cross-platform delivery spanning web, mobile, VR headsets, game consoles, and smart TVs, with a proprietary three-stage CAROUSEL methodology (Conceive, Capture, Create) registered as a brand identity.

Circus monetises exclusively through project-based bespoke engagements rather than a SaaS or licensed platform, with quote-based pricing starting at £5,000 for basic 360 virtual tours and tiered deposit/acceptance payment milestones for larger projects above £10,000. The go-to-market is sales-led and direct to enterprise, with a parallel agency-partnership channel (I-AM, Porter Novelli, Stafford Long, Social Tree Global) that funnels client briefs to Circus as the technical execution partner. Customer segments are diversified across global brands, creative agencies, educational institutions, and public-sector/NGO clients, with a marquee roster that includes the BBC, Goldman Sachs, KFC, UK Parliament, NHS, Spotify, PwC, Google, Amazon, and the United Nations. The business is bootstrapped with no external funding rounds disclosed, led by founder and Director Jay Scott-Nicholls alongside heads of growth, VR production, creative, and operations.

Name

Circus

Legal name

Gainfame Ltd

Website

https://circus360.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Circus is a London-based bespoke virtual experience agency founded in 2010, producing 360 tours, VR, AR, 3D, and virtual world projects for global brands, agencies, universities, and public-sector clients. A 12-person team delivers quote-based projects under a proprietary CAROUSEL methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Bespoke Virtual Experience Projects: Project-based custom development of immersive virtual experiences including 360 tours, VR/AR applications, interactive 3D environments, and virtual worlds. Pricing is quote-based and varies significantly by scope and complexity. Payment terms: <£5,000 requires 100% advance; £5,000-£10,000 requires 50% deposit + 50% on completion; >£10,000 requires 33% deposit + 33% on production completion + 34% on final delivery.
2. Professional Services: Creative and technical consultation, concept development, and ongoing support services for immersive technology projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Circus is a bespoke immersive technology agency that designs and produces 360 virtual tours, 360-degree video, interactive 3D environments, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) experiences, and persistent virtual worlds/metaverse spaces. Services are delivered as tailored, project-based engagements for brands, agencies, education providers, healthcare organisations, and government clients, combining creative direction, content capture, and technical build under the proprietary CAROUSEL (Conceive, Capture, Create) methodology.

Product overview

Circus operates as a full-service immersive technology agency offering six integrated core services: 360 Virtual Tours, 360 Video Production, Interactive 3D Experiences, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Virtual Worlds/Metaverse environments. These services are delivered as bespoke projects rather than a unified software platform, tailored to each client's specific needs across marketing, training, recruitment, education, and events. The company supplements these with specialized VR Training solutions, Virtual Open Days for education clients, Hospital Wayfinder tools, Virtual Sales Tools, and Virtual Recruitment solutions. Supporting resources include free factsheets and webinars. Projects range from single virtual tours to complex multi-platform campaigns integrating 360 imagery, 3D modeling, VR headsets, and web-based experiences. The company works primarily with brands, agencies, and educational institutions as clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 360 Virtual Tours Immersive panoramic virtual tours that allow audiences to explore spaces from anywhere in the world using 360-degree photography, clickable information hotspots, virtual guides, embedded video and audio content, and multi-language support. Targeted at brands, agencies, and education providers for marketing, recruitment, and engagement.
• 360 Video Production Bespoke 360-degree video content with integrated spatial audio for hyper-realistic, immersive storytelling. Delivered across web, mobile, and VR platforms, used for event marketing, virtual product showcases, training scenarios, and immersive brand storytelling.
• Interactive 3D Experiences Digital 3D environments, models, and interactive experiences including product configurators, virtual exhibitions, architectural flythroughs, and gamified brand activations. Used by brands and agencies to enable interaction with products and spaces online.
• Augmented Reality (AR) Experiences AR experiences that overlay 3D animation and digital content onto the real world via smartphones, tablets, or dedicated AR devices. Used for interactive marketing campaigns, product visualization, and training applications.
• Virtual Reality (VR) Experiences Fully immersive VR experiences delivered via VR headsets, creating 3D environments for experiential marketing, corporate training, event marketing, product demonstrations, and virtual learning simulations. Targeted at brands, agencies, and enterprises seeking memorable immersive content.
• Virtual Worlds and Metaverse Environments Persistent 3D digital environments and metaverse experiences that users can explore with custom avatars, including virtual exhibition centres, digital event spaces, virtual commerce environments, and branded metaverse destinations. Supports cross-platform access via browser, mobile, VR headsets, game consoles, and smart TVs.
• VR Training Solutions Bespoke VR training programmes for onboarding, employee development, safety training, and skills development, featuring simulated scenarios designed to drive faster learning and higher confidence. Targeted at organisations across healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and other sectors.
• Virtual Open Days for Education Bespoke virtual open day solutions for educational institutions featuring 360-degree campus tours, customised user journeys, integrated media, live Q&A capabilities, and mobile/VR compatibility. Used to support student recruitment and remote learning experiences.
• Hospital Wayfinder Tool Personalised navigation tool for healthcare settings that guides patients from entry points to appointment locations using 360 photos, fly-through videos, and AI avatars in multiple languages. Designed for hospitals and healthcare estates to improve patient experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8x more users engage with virtual experiences vs standard website content
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• I-AMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign agency collaboration for KFC Restaurant of the Future and Pizza Hut Virtual Restaurant Experience projects. I-AM designed the restaurant concepts; Circus provided VR development and immersive experience creation.
• Stafford LongminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Barclays Virtual Graduate Recruitment Tool. Stafford Long provided content capture; Circus handled immersive experience development.
• Porter NovellicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPR agency partnership for Kyowa Kirin Virtual 3D Exhibition. Porter Novelli brought the client brief; Circus created the immersive virtual exhibition space.
• Social Tree GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency partnership for F-Secure VR Dramatisation project. Social Tree Global brought the client; Circus delivered the VR experience.
• EcologicoreOthersClimate action partnership to plant mini-forests for each new VR/AR project and invest in clean energy and infrastructure projects. Supports Circus's net-zero 2025 target.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Visualise Creative: Visualise Creative is a UK-based immersive content studio specialising in 360, VR, and AR for enterprise marketing, training, and communications, making it one of the closest head-to-head competitors to Circus.
• Rewind: Rewind is a London immersive experience studio delivering VR, AR, and real-time 3D for brands, agencies, and broadcasters, with comparable service lines, enterprise client base, and project-based agency model.
• Make Real: Make Real builds immersive VR, AR, and metaverse training and learning experiences for enterprise and education, directly overlapping with Circus's VR training and virtual open days offerings.
• Inition: Inition is a UK immersive technology agency offering VR, AR, 3D, and holographic experiences for brands and enterprise, with similar bespoke project delivery and sector reach to Circus.
• The Virtual Forge: The Virtual Forge is a UK-based immersive technology studio producing VR, AR, and 3D experiences for enterprise and education clients, competing for similar marketing, training, and virtual tour engagements.
• Magnopus: Magnopus is a Los Angeles-based immersive studio producing VR, AR, and real-time 3D experiences for major entertainment and enterprise brands, offering a comparable scope of bespoke immersive production to Circus at larger scale.

Emerging players

• Talespin: Talespin is a US immersive learning platform focused on VR training and workforce development for enterprises, competing with Circus's VR training offering but with a more productised software approach.
• Mursion: Mursion provides VR-based soft-skills and leadership training for enterprises, an adjacent offering to Circus's bespoke VR training engagements for HR and L&D buyers.
• Hyperspace XR: Hyperspace XR is a boutique immersive studio producing 360 and VR brand experiences and virtual events, with similar client mix and project-based delivery model to Circus.
• Joshfire: Joshfire is a French creative technology agency producing immersive, interactive, and 3D experiences for brands and cultural institutions, comparable in scope to Circus's bespoke immersive work for enterprise and cultural clients.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/circus360uk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@circus2303
• Facebookfacebook.com/circus360uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circus360
• Instagraminstagram.com/circus360uk/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Circus