Dicovering AR Leaders of the Future
If you are an exceptional team with with the audacity to build the best multi-user AR experience, we want to help you succeed! It doesn’t matter if you are building a travel, lifestyle, social fitness or gaming offering - we are keen to meet you, invest in you, and work together to create the most exciting real-world metaverse ever.
If you are an investor in the space, we want to partner with you to discover and grow the startups that will form the AR ecosystem together.
What Niantic Brings
When Niantic invests in you, you will become part of the Niantic AR ecosystem - you will meet other portfolio companies and our network of AR industry experts, and be introduced to other investors active in the space.
You will also be invited to become a Managed Partner of the Lightship ARDK.
A Managed Partner could be set on a quicker path for success. You will receive extended Lightship developer support, including personalized assistance from a dedicated Partner Manager and Partner Engineer. You will be among the first to try out new parts of our tech stack. You will also receive significant marketing and PR exposure, which includes being featured as a Niantic Ventures portfolio.
You will also be invited to become a Managed Partner of the Lightship ARDK.
A Managed Partner could be set on a quicker path for success. You will receive extended Lightship developer support, including personalized assistance from a dedicated Partner Manager and Partner Engineer. You will be among the first to try out new parts of our tech stack. You will also receive significant marketing and PR exposure, which includes being featured as a Niantic Ventures portfolio.
We Want to Meet You!
Are you ready to talk to us? If you are raising (or thinking of raising) capital to take your company to the next phase, we want to meet you!
We are particularly interested in meeting companies that are already thinking of how to leverage the Lightship ARDK to create the best experience for your users! You can be anywhere in the world, having the most diversely-mixed team, the craziest ideas and most audacious business.
Tell us more about your company, what you do and your funding needs with the form here. You can also email should you have further questions regarding the fund.
We are particularly interested in meeting companies that are already thinking of how to leverage the Lightship ARDK to create the best experience for your users! You can be anywhere in the world, having the most diversely-mixed team, the craziest ideas and most audacious business.
Tell us more about your company, what you do and your funding needs with the form here. You can also email should you have further questions regarding the fund.

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Frequently Asked Questions
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+ - What’s the objective of Niantic Ventures?We want to invest in the future leaders of AR - especially those companies that are interested in using Niantic’s Lightship ARDK. We want to provide backing to help these startups succeed quicker, and build the AR ecosystem together.
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+ - What type of companies are you looking to invest in?Any company that is interested in leveraging the power of Niantic’s Lightship ARDK in creating its products. Our typical investment size is US$250,000 which means we are looking for early stage companies raising a Seed or Series A round of funding. Our investment is in the form of equity, and we would be investing alongside other investors.
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+ - What is the typical investment size?Around US$250,000.
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+ - What areas are you investing in?We are looking for AR startups with an innovative mindset and who are building cool products and offerings in any genre including games, fitness and wellness, travel and lifestyle, retail, social and communications.
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+ - Is this a grant or an investment?This is not a grants program. We will be investing in companies alongside other venture capital funds and angel investors.
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+ - What is the investment process?We will try and go through the pitches as diligently as we can and revert to you on the status as soon as possible. Please be patient as there is a great deal of interest. We promise to be in touch to understand more about your company should we see a potential fit.
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+ - In order to receive an investment from Niantic Ventures, is there a requirement to use the Lightship ARDK?We would encourage all portfolio companies to leverage the power of the Lightship ARDK and help build the ecosystem together with Niantic and the other partners. It does help if you are already doing this or are planning to do so, but it is not a hard requirement before you contact us.
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+ - Would Niantic Ventures consider being a lead investor in a round?Niantic Ventures co-invests alongside a lead venture capital or angel investor.
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+ - What benefits would we receive as a portfolio company of Niantic Ventures?
As a Niantic Ventures portfolio company, you will be invited to become a Managed Partner of the Lightship ARDK. A Managed Partner will receive a dedicated Partner Manager and Partner Engineers and will also have the opportunity to preview the new parts of our stack as they get released. More importantly, we will be looking to you to provide feedback on how we can improve our ARDK so that we can build the future together.
In addition, you will have access to marketing and PR exposure as well as immediate access to Niantic’s AR ecosystem including other portfolio companies and our growing network of VC & angels investors as well as AR industry experts. -
+ - Do you invest in hardware devices, or AR tools?Niantic Ventures is focused on investing in companies that preferably can leverage the power of the Lightship ARDK and contribute to the ecosystem we are trying to build on the platform. While we are not geared towards investing in AR devices or tools, you are free to contact us if you believe you have something interesting that we should see. We will have the right people look at it.
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+ - How are pitches evaluated?Niantic Ventures is looking to invest in and partner with companies eager to create the future AR landscape. We want to get to know your team and what you are trying to create and its market potential.
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+ - Can I send you my business case if I am an individual developer?We are always interested in learning more about what you would like to create and will be releasing opportunities for developers and studios to connect with us as we grow the Lightship community. However, Niantic Ventures is specifically focused on investing in companies.