Rival aims to simplify 3D content creation with AI technology

Rival, a London-based startup launched in 2023 by Alexander Oppermann and Konrad Melzer, has officially come out of stealth mode, announcing a $4.2 million pre-seed funding round. The investment, led by Speedinvest and joined by New Renaissance Ventures and prominent angel investors, will help the company expand its team and grow its reach in the U.S. market. The company has developed a platform aimed at closing the gap between hardware advancements in spatial computing and the lack of user-generated 3D content.

A shift towards user-driven immersive content

As devices such as the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest continue to evolve, the spatial computing market still struggles to grow at the same pace due to a shortage of immersive content. Rival addresses this challenge with an AI-based platform that enables users to create 3D content from ordinary 2D videos. According to CEO Alexander Oppermann, the project began as a hobby among friends who found it difficult to create and distribute VR content while playing Population:One. This led to the development of tools that simplify content creation and allow creators to enter the VR ecosystem more easily.

A complete platform beyond simple tools

Unlike other players in the field, Rival does not only offer 2D-to-3D conversion tools but is building a full ecosystem. Users can browse, upload, and interact with short-form immersive content, much like they do on TikTok or Instagram Reels—but within a 3D headset environment. The company’s core AI model is capable of converting standard videos into spatial experiences using depth estimation and neural rendering techniques. These methods enable the system to simulate realistic lighting and texture, making the 3D output more engaging.

Oppermann notes that “our product is built from the ground up around AI,” emphasizing the dual challenge of content production and distribution in VR. He adds that “no one else is doing that,” referring to the lack of platforms that fully support user-generated 3D content from start to finish.

Potential across multiple industries

While initially focused on entertainment and user-generated content, Rival's technology has broader implications. It could eventually support immersive education, virtual retail experiences, and professional use cases in sectors such as architecture, medicine, and industrial design. The company believes that making 3D content easier to create will be essential to expanding the use of spatial computing.

According to Victor Huerbe, Principal at Speedinvest, “spatial computing is at an inflection point, but the biggest gap is content. Rival is solving this with AI that makes 3D creation effortless.” He emphasized that Rival is not just improving existing tools, but building the foundation for the next generation of immersive digital interaction.