Virtual interior design startup Urbanbase has raised 2.1 billion won (USD $1.8m) in Series A funding from CKD Venture Capital, Magellan Technology Investment and Capstone Partners.
The platform was launched one year ago and lets users imagine how their future home might look by adding furniture, wallpaper and floors to a 3D apartment. If you’ve ever played any of The Sims games, then you’ll probably enjoy setting up your own online house. The website will interest real estate buffs and designers alike, and also offers a community section where users can share their interior designs with one another.
3D floorplans are available for properties in every city in Korea, including different layouts at each address. Urbanbase has made partnerships with 40 furniture companies and 4000 building companies for 3D items which can be placed in the virtual world to help give an idea of living space. In return, the site links users to online shops to purchase these items directly.
For those in the real estate market, Urbanbase offers basic information about each property, and a more realistic feel for the interior of apartments compared to plans shown other online portals and mobile apps.
“Following funding in April, we’ve been able to focus on R&D for our new service and preparation to enter the global market,” says Urbanbase CEO Jinu Ha. “We intend to grow into a core platform in the upcoming age of VR by perfectly recreating environments around the whole world.”
The latest investment brings the company’s total Series A funding to 3.5 billion won (USD $3m).
