Atelier Daruma

What Atelier Daruma does

Atelier Daruma is a privately held innovation studio, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Paris, that designs and produces immersive experiences, interactive installations, and patented entertainment technologies for enterprise clients. The studio combines expertise drawn from video game, cinema, and live theater disciplines to deliver branded immersive content, its own co-produced immersive intellectual property, virtual production services, and trend consultancy. Operationally, it maintains three offices (Paris, London, Barcelona) and a hybrid creative-engineering team of 11-50 employees led by Founder/CEO Mathias Chelebourg and Co-founder/Scenographer Ely Bessis, with David Calvet (CTO) overseeing R&D and Richard Vogeli (COO) managing deployment.

Its product surface spans one-viewer VR and 4Dx experiences (BBC's The Runaway, Alice The VR Play, OCS's Alone), large-scale virtual production (MADO, built on a 12m LED stage with Epic Games, ARRI France, Nvidia, and PRG), and patented massively shared immersive formats including the Large Field Theater (LFT) technology deployed in The Ghost of Canterville, where 100+ viewers roam simultaneously inside an animated film across 2000m2 of interactive space. The studio's underlying technology stack integrates generative AI, Unreal Engine 5 and Unity, live motion capture, XR, and custom electronics/software tools, and it holds registered patent protection on the LFT technology.

Commercially, Atelier Daruma operates four revenue streams: project-based brand content services for clients such as Chanel, Dior, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Adidas, Heineken, and BBC; own-IP production, co-production, and licensing across formats (video mapping, XR, gaming, exhibitions); end-to-end virtual production studio consulting; and trend consultancy via published books, yearly reports, and bespoke conferences under the Immersive Paris brand. Pricing is custom and quote-based, and the company markets primarily through earned media and festival premieres (Tribeca, Venice Biennale) rather than paid channels.

Name

Atelier Daruma

Legal name

Atelier Daruma

Website

https://atelierdaruma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Atelier Daruma is a Paris-based innovation studio founded in 2018 that designs immersive experiences, interactive installations, and patented entertainment technologies for enterprise clients across luxury, sportswear, beverages, and media. It combines cinema, gaming, and theater expertise with generative AI, virtual production, and proprietary Large Field Theater technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immersive Experience Production

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains (MPAFAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF), Generative AI & LLM Solutions Services (RAG, Agents, Copilots) (BPAEAHAG)

Keywords

• Immersive experiences
• Virtual production
• XR experiences
• Brand activation
• Interactive installations

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Client Works / Brand Content: Developing and executing technically and creatively challenging immersive experiences for demanding brands. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements for brand events, retail experiences, and branded content creation.
2. Immersive IP Development: Producing and co-producing own immersive intellectual property with international reach across formats including video mapping, XR, gaming, and exhibitions. Revenue from licensing, distribution, and co-production partnerships.
3. Trend Consultancy: Selling knowledge of the immersive transition through published books collection, yearly printed reports, and custom conferences and consultancy services for private and institutional clients.
4. Virtual Production Studio Consulting: End-to-end consulting for virtual production studio design, build, and operation including blueprint creation, technical oversight, and tools crafting (as demonstrated with MADO virtual production studio project).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Atelier Daruma is an innovation studio that designs, produces, and deploys immersive experiences, interactive installations, and patented entertainment technologies. The company serves enterprise clients (luxury and lifestyle brands, sportswear, broadcasters, and entertainment companies) with custom brand experiences, develops and co-produces its own immersive intellectual property across XR, video mapping, gaming, and exhibitions, and sells trend consultancy on the immersive transition.

Product overview

Atelier Daruma is an innovation studio offering three interconnected service lines: proprietary immersive experiences (including The Ghost of Canterville, RENCONTRE(S), JACK: PART ONE, Alice The VR Play, and others), branded content creation for luxury and lifestyle clients (Chanel, Dior, Nike, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and others), and trend consultancy with published research. The studio combines video game, cinema, and live theater expertise to design, craft, and deploy premium immersive experiences using patented technologies including generative AI, live motion capture, virtual production, and XR. Capabilities span R&D, development, production, scenography, and international distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Large Field Theater (LFT): Technology enabling massively shared immersive experiences where 100+ viewers can roam freely inside an animated film in 2000+ square meters of open world interactive space.

Products and services

• Brand Content Services Custom development and execution of technically and creatively challenging immersive experiences for demanding brands across events, retail, and digital channels, serving luxury, sportswear, beverages, telecommunications, automotive, and media clients.
• The Ghost of Canterville A massively shared immersive film experience using proprietary Large Field Theater (LFT) technology that allows 100+ viewers to freely roam inside an animated world with avatars across 2000m2 of open interactive space.
• RENCONTRE(S) A multisensory immersive experience featuring haptic feedback, scent, and touch elements, portraying a meeting between Ernest Beaux and Gabrielle Chanel presenting Chanel N°5 perfume samples.
• JACK: PART ONE A VR immersive theater piece reimagining the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale, allowing viewers to step into Jack's shoes and experience an adventure into the realm of giants in a vibrant animated world.
• BBC's - The Runaway The first interactive Doctor Who episode, a high-paced animated VR adventure created as a single reactive shot during an action-packed space race featuring the character Volta.
• Alice, The VR Play An ambitious VR theater production that plunges viewers into Lewis Carroll's classic tale, allowing real-time interaction with characters and objects in a virtual environment, combining live performance with immersive technology.
• OCS's - Alone A 4Dx immersive VR survival experience where users play Alessandra, a heroine from OCS Signature series Missions, trapped alone in a cave with limited oxygen, requiring survival decisions.
• MADO An innovative virtual production short film written and directed by Mathias Chelebourg, shot on a 12m diameter LED stage built in Paris using Epic Games Unreal Engine, ARRI cameras, and Nvidia technology.
• Trend Consultancy Knowledge services including published books collection, yearly printed reports, and custom cycle of conferences and consultancy for private and institutional clients on the immersive transition.
• Virtual Production Studio Consulting End-to-end consulting for virtual production studio design, build, and operation including blueprint creation, technical oversight, and tools crafting, demonstrated through the MADO virtual production studio project.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ concurrent viewers in single immersive experience (The Ghost of Canterville LFT)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• ARRI FrancecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Partnered in the design and engineering of complete Virtual Production studio in Paris (MADO project). ARRI provided camera and lighting equipment expertise.
• NvidiacoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Technology partner for MADO virtual production studio project, providing GPU computing power for real-time rendering and virtual production workflows.
• PRG (Production Resource Group)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Partner for MADO virtual production studio project, providing production equipment and technical expertise for the 12m diameter LED stage deployment.
• Epic GamescoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for virtual production solutions. Epic Games' Unreal Engine is used for UE5 asset creation in production pipeline. Partnered on MADO virtual production studio project.
• Large Field TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entity (largefieldtheater.com) developing the patented LFT technology for massively shared immersive experiences. Listed as a linked technology on the Atelier Daruma website.
• Immersive ParisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsultancy entity linked on the Atelier Daruma website for trend consultancy and innovation strategy services.
• Baobab StudiosflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced JACK: Part One VR immersive theater piece with Mathias Chelebourg as director. Premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2018. This is a flagship collaboration producing award-recognized immersive content.
• CNC (Centre National du Cinéma)minorOthersCo-funded The Ghost of Canterville project through MEDIA strand of European Union's Creative Europe Programme.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Unit9: International experience and technology studio producing immersive brand activations, XR, and interactive installations. Overlaps with Atelier Daruma's brand-content service line and tech capabilities, with greater scale and a broader global client footprint.
• DNEG: Global visual effects and virtual production studio expanding into immersive content and LBE experiences. Competes with Atelier Daruma for premium immersive and brand-experience work at the high end, but operates at substantially greater scale.
• RYOT / Within (now part of Meta): Immersive content brand now owned by Meta, producing VR films and branded experiences. Adjacent competitor in immersive content distribution and brand partnerships, with materially larger financial backing from Meta.
• MPC (Moving Picture Company): Global VFX and creative-technology house with a virtual production and experiential arm. Broader incumbent offering overlapping immersive, virtual production, and brand content services, but operating at much larger scale and across wider industries.

Direct peers

• Atlas V: Paris-based immersive content studio producing VR, AR, and interactive narrative experiences. Closest direct competitor to Atelier Daruma given overlapping European luxury and entertainment client base, similar production scale, and shared focus on auteur-driven immersive IP.
• Baobab Studios: Award-winning VR animation studio behind works such as 'Invasion!' and co-producer of Atelier Daruma's JACK: Part One. A direct peer in the auteur-led immersive animation space with overlapping festival-circuit positioning and IP-driven business model.
• Innerspace VR: Paris-based VR production company building location-based immersive experiences and brand activations. Comparable to Atelier Daruma in both geography and the combination of brand-experience work with proprietary LBE immersive formats.
• Felix & Paul Studios: Montreal-based immersive studio producing high-end VR and mixed-reality experiences, with partnerships including NASA, National Geographic, and major entertainment IP. Directly comparable as a premium-content immersive studio working with both brand partners and festival distribution.

Emerging players

• Meow Wolf: US-based immersive art and entertainment company operating large-scale permanent installations. Comparable in pioneering the LBE shared-immersive format that Atelier Daruma is targeting with LFT, though focused on permanent art-driven venues rather than branded or festival IP.
• The Future Group: Norwegian immersive content and virtual production company behind Pixomondo-adjacent and Frontgrid technology. Comparable in pushing mixed-reality broadcast and virtual production workflows, with overlapping use of Unreal Engine and live performance capture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atelier-daruma
• Instagraminstagram.com/atelierdaruma/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Atelier Daruma