Condense, the Bristol firm at the forefront of bringing live events to 3D virtual worlds, has raised $4.5m (£3.7m) to take its world-beating tech to the next level.
The firm, launched in in 2019, is making the first streaming studio in a global network to record and transmit Video 3.0 live into the metaverse. 
It has also created a metaverse studio in collaboration with Bristol cinema and creative tech hub Watershed, to give established artists and up-and-coming talent access to the technology.
Condense plans to open a studio in London shortly open in collaboration with another organisation, with others across the world to follow.
The firm, which was founded by Nick Fellingham, has end-to-end capture and streaming technology that enables it to live stream real-world events such as concerts and sporting competitions into 3D applications.
It uses cutting-edge computer vision, machine learning and proprietary streaming infrastructure to capture and embed live 3D video (Video 3.0) into any metaverse game, mobile app or platform created with Unity or Unreal Engine, giving performances a potential audience of fans in the hundreds of millions.
This means that live performances can be streamed directly into the virtual worlds and games platforms used by billions of people worldwide – without the need for VR headsets.
And because the events are streamed live as three-dimensional ‘real-world’ video, every player’s perspective is as unique and dynamic as if they were at a physical live event – and their experience is just as memorable.
The money, raised from LocalGlobe, 7percent Ventures, and Deeptech Labs, will be used to strengthen its ties with musicians, record companies, content producers, and metaverse platforms.
Other investors include unnamed business angels, including a platinum-selling grime artist, former England footballer and sports presenter, along with Tom Blomfield of Monzo, renowned music manager Grace Ladoja MBE and Ian Hogarth of Song Kick.
Nick Fellingham said, “The Bristol scene has long been a world-renowned melting pot of different cultures and music and, in the last few years, it’s become a hub for games development too.
“Now we’re going to put Bristol on the map once again with the world’s first metaverse live streaming studio to bring together the energy of live events with the massive scale of the metaverse.
“The Video 3.0 infrastructure we’ve built takes out the technical complexity of streaming live into the metaverse, so people are free to put their creativity in.Video 3.0 is going to change not just how we experience live events online, but fundamentally how we engage with each other.”
Grace Ladoja MBE, co-founder of METALLIC INC and artist manager, added, “Culture and community are what drives music forward. It’s how we connect with where we’ve come from and where we want to go.
“Condense technology is opening up a new platform for these communities and cultures, diversifying the voices in the metaverse by making it live and accessible.
“It’s got the potential to inspire and empower a new movement of artists and fans. This is both exciting, and significant.”
