Staay

What Staay does

Staay AG is a Zürich-based digital experience studio founded in 2017 as a joint venture between DimasterSoftware and JEFF. The company designs and develops augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, games, AI-powered applications, and interactive installations for enterprise clients. Core capabilities span custom VR hardware development, gamified applications, generative-AI features (LLM-driven game master, AI music, AI video, AI image), and immersive brand activations deployed for marketing, training, simulation, and consumer engagement purposes.

The company serves an enterprise roster spanning automotive (Mercedes-Benz, MINI), telecommunications (Swisscom, UPC, TK), pharmaceuticals (Novartis, Roche), banking (ZKB), tourism (Graubünden, Kitzbühel, Edelweiss Air), consumer goods (Rivella, Emmi, evian), energy (ewz, Avenergy, Glattwerk), and public-sector clients (Verkehrshaus). Operations have expanded beyond Switzerland into Austria and Germany. The studio has accumulated nineteen Best of Swiss Apps awards (five Gold, eight Silver, six Bronze), reflecting sustained recognition within the DACH immersive-tech segment. The team is reported at approximately 70 specialists combining creative, design, and engineering roles.

The business model is project-based agency work with retainer-style repeat engagements, monetizing through custom development fees for enterprise marketing, training, and experiential campaigns. No subscription, ARR, or platform-licensing model is disclosed; revenue mechanics are anchored on individual project scope and contract value rather than recurring platform revenue.

Name

Staay

Legal name

Staay AG

Website

https://staay.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Staay AG is a Swiss digital experience studio founded in 2017, specializing in AR/VR/MR, games, AI applications, and interactive installations for enterprise clients across automotive, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, tourism, energy, and consumer goods industries in the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immersive Experience Development

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Event Strategy & Experience Design (BPAFAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mobile/Digital Experiential (AR/VR, Interactive Installations) (MPAAAGAI), Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Immersive brand experiences
• Augmented reality development
• Virtual reality experiences
• Interactive installations
• Gamification applications

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Project Development: Full-service custom development of immersive experiences, games, and interactive installations for brands and institutions. Includes concept development, design, programming, deployment, and ongoing maintenance. Revenue is project-based with individual contract values varying by scope and complexity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Staay is a Swiss creative agency that designs and develops custom immersive brand experiences for enterprise clients, including AR and VR applications, map-based mobile games, interactive physical installations, and AI-powered experiences. The firm's work blends digital technology with physical touchpoints at festivals, museums, retail points-of-sale, dealerships, and dedicated events for clients such as Rivella, Mercedes-Benz, Swisscom, Novartis, ZKB, and Roche. Each engagement is a bespoke, end-to-end project covering concept, design, software development, hardware integration where needed, deployment, and ongoing maintenance.

Product overview

Staay is a Swiss creative agency specializing in extended reality (AR/VR), games, artificial intelligence, and interactive installations for immersive brand experiences. The company operates as a joint venture between DimasterSoftware and JEFF agency, offering a portfolio of distinct products including mobile games (Rivella Fläschli Jagd, Rivella Water Splash, Gian & Giachen, Emmi Game, Kitzbühel Golf), AR applications (ARTour Basel, MB4U Kids, Novartis SchoolHub, Akte Glattwerk), VR experiences (UPC VR Sessel, ZKB VR Kino), AI-powered products (Artificial Legends, TK YOUniverse, evian AI Video Booth), interactive installations (Avenergy Playground, Swisscom Beat Catcher), and mixed reality games (ewz-on, TK YOUniverse). These products serve brand marketing, education, and tourism sectors through gamification, storytelling, and immersive technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artificial Legends Browser-based text RPG with an AI autonomous game master powered by Large Language Models. Players embark on Dungeons & Dragons-style adventures where the AI dynamically generates stories, characters, and responses based on player actions. Targeted at enterprise brand campaigns and innovative game-IP clients looking for AI-driven narrative experiences.
• Rivella Fläschli Jagd Map-based mixed-reality game for FMCG brand Rivella covering all of Switzerland with 8,000+ interaction points. Players collect virtual bottles in AR mini-games at ski resorts and urban locations, participate in weekly competitions, and redeem promotion codes from product packaging. Targeted at consumer brand marketing campaigns.
• Avenergy Playground Interactive museum installation at Verkehrshaus der Schweiz (Swiss Museum of Transport) for hydrogen education. Children simulate hydrogen production by 'stomping' water molecules apart using infrared foot-tracking cameras. Targeted at energy-industry clients seeking educational installations and at museums seeking interactive exhibits.
• TK YOUniverse Physical labyrinth experience with AR mini-games and quizzes for festival settings. Teams of 2-4 use tablets to explore and answer questions about future wishes; at the end, each team receives an AI-generated personalized song. Targeted at health insurers (Techniker Krankenkasse) and other brands activating at festivals and large live events.
• ewz-on Mixed Reality Game Mixed-reality game for ewz (Zurich municipal electricity company) 125th anniversary, spanning 6 historical epochs from 1892 onwards with map-based gameplay, AR interactions with physical objects, and interactive storytelling about Zurich's electrification history. Targeted at utility companies, energy providers, and other enterprises marking institutional anniversaries.
• UPC VR Sessel (VR Chair Experience) Virtual reality experience using Staay's proprietary full-motion chair for multisensory entertainment. Festival attendees fly over Zurich in VR while seated in the moving chair, navigating to screens to memorise content while being distracted by visual and audio effects. Targeted at telecommunications brands (UPC) and entertainment sponsors at cultural events.
• ARTour Basel Map-based augmented reality art tour featuring 11 digital artworks by international artists throughout Basel. Free year-round smartphone application combining physical locations with AR digital art experiences. Targeted at tourism boards and enterprises seeking cultural or destination-marketing activations.
• MB4U Kids Augmented reality children's experience deployed across 42 Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Switzerland. Features an AR race track builder using physical game boards, a full racing game with car customisation, educational quizzes, and colouring activities. Targeted at automotive OEMs and dealer networks seeking to engage families on showroom floors.
• Novartis SchoolHub AR-based educational experience at Novartis Campus visitor centre in Basel for school classes. Children explore human anatomy (6 organs) through augmented reality, 3D-printed organ models, quizzes, and interactive storytelling about medicine and MINT careers. Supports up to 30 simultaneous users. Targeted at pharmaceutical companies and educational outreach programs.
• ZKB VR Kino Story-based virtual-reality experience for Zürcher Kantonalbank's 150th anniversary featuring a 20-minute journey through 200 years of banking history. Includes 5 historically accurate episodes, 3D reconstructions of historical locations, and character animations using motion capture. Targeted at banks, insurers, and other financial institutions marking corporate milestones.
• Swisscom Beat Catcher Music rhythm game installed in Swisscom's blue Space LED cube (27 m² display) at major Swiss festivals. Two players compete using custom pressure-sensitive foot controllers to hit beats in rhythm with songs. Includes live leaderboards and SMS results delivery. Targeted at telecommunications brands and event sponsors activating at festivals.
• evian AI Video Booth Interactive AI-powered video booth at Selfie Hotel Zürich that transforms user photos into evian campaign videos featuring baby-transformation effects. A fully automated processing pipeline generates personalised social-media-ready 4:5 videos delivered via email and on-site display. Targeted at FMCG and consumer brands running experiential marketing campaigns in retail or venue settings.
• Akte Glattwerk Interactive adventure trail combining a treasure hunt and outdoor escape-room elements in Dübendorf. Features a crime-story narrative with AI-generated and animated characters, augmented reality investigations, map-based puzzles, and AI narration in Swiss German. Targeted at utility companies and municipalities (Glattwerk) seeking engaging public-facing anniversary or education installations.
• Gian & Giachen: Kristallsuche mit Madlaina Jump-and-run mobile game featuring Graubünden's mascots Gian & Giachen and their companion Madlaina the marmot. Educational elements teach children about Alpine flora and fauna through collectible cards, with authentic locations including mountain railways and family attractions. Targeted at regional tourism boards (Graubünden Tourismus) and family-travel marketing.
• Emmi Luzerner Rahmkäse Game Skill-based browser game for Emmi dairy brand featuring an animated cow that players protect from distractions. Playable on desktop, mobile, and POS events with buzzers and large screens. Targeted at FMCG brands (Emmi) running point-of-sale activations and consumer campaigns.
• Rivella Water Splash Infinite sidescroller mobile game for Rivella summer campaigns with one-handed swipe gameplay, deck-code promotion integration, leaderboards, and weekly competitions. Targeted at FMCG brands running summer promotion campaigns with packaging-code redemption.
• Kitzbühel Golf Promo Game Virtual golf promotion game for iPad where players hit a ball from event locations towards Kitzbühel, with adaptive starting points, direction and power control, lead-generation mechanics, and customisable deployment for different event locations. Targeted at tourism boards (Kitzbühel Tourismus) running event-based destination marketing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 37,000 visitors to ARTour Basel since 2022
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• JEFF (for Kitzbühel Tourismus)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-creation partner for Kitzbühel Golf Promo Game project starting 2026.
• Aroma & Selfie HotelminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Partnership for evian AI Experience at Selfie Hotel in Zürich. Aroma is the creative agency, Selfie Hotel provides the venue.
• JEFF (Kommunikationsagentur)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJEFF is the creative agency partner in the Staay joint venture. Together with DimasterSoftware, JEFF founded Staay as a joint venture combining creative agency expertise with software development capabilities. JEFF continues to co-create projects with Staay on numerous client engagements.
• DimasterSoftwarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDimasterSoftware is the technology partner in the Staay joint venture. Together with JEFF, DimasterSoftware founded Staay combining technical software expertise with creative agency capabilities.
• Bellprat PartnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSzenografie-Agentur (scenography agency) listed as a partner for joint projects. Worked with Staay on Novartis SchoolHub project.
• Wirz WerbungminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOne of Switzerland's largest advertising agencies, partnered with Staay on various projects.
• USP PartnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency partner that co-created Emmi Luzerner Rahmkäse Game with Staay.
• Lautstark AgenturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman agency partner for DACH-region projects including Techniker Krankenkasse YOUniverse.
• Quade & PartnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Avenergy Suisse project at Verkehrshaus der Schweiz.
• WIRZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency for Graubünden Tourismus Gian & Giachen game project.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Jung von Matt: Major DACH-based creative agency with broad capabilities including digital, content, and experiential work. Regional incumbent that occasionally produces immersive AR/VR campaigns overlapping Staay's niche.
• Dept Agency: Large digital agency network offering creative, technology, and experience services including AR/VR and immersive builds. Competes for the same enterprise immersive-experience briefs at larger scale.
• Imagination Group: Large global brand experience agency delivering immersive brand activations, events, and digital-physical experiences. Operates at larger scale and broader portfolio but competes for similar experiential budgets.
• Amplify (Amplify Trading): Global brand activation and experiential marketing agency producing immersive campaigns and events. Larger-scale incumbent with overlapping enterprise brand-activation focus.

Direct peers

• Resn: New Zealand-based creative studio known for interactive web experiences, AR, and award-winning digital brand work. Comparable as a boutique immersive-experience craft studio serving global brands.
• tool (formerly Tool of North America): Boutique creative-tech studio producing interactive brand experiences, AR/VR, games, and innovative campaigns for global brands. Comparable craft identity and immersive activation focus.
• Deeplocal: US-based experiential design and creative-tech studio building interactive installations, AR/VR activations, and gamified brand experiences for enterprise clients. Overlaps with Staay on physical-digital experience design.
• Rokkan: Creative digital agency producing brand experiences, AR, and interactive campaigns for major brands. Smaller-scale creative-tech peer with overlapping deliverables in immersive brand work.
• UNIT9: Global creative technology studio producing award-winning AR/VR, interactive installations, games, and AI-driven brand experiences for major enterprise clients. Closely comparable in offering (immersive experiential) and creative-tech operating model.
• North Kingdom: Swedish creative studio specializing in immersive digital experiences, AR/VR, and interactive installations for global brands. Comparable in blending creative storytelling with custom technology to deliver brand activations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/staay_io
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/staay-interactive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Staay