Reality headsets are pairing up with an eyewear fashion brand in Korea
Nreal receives $15M in funding from sunglasses brand Gentle Monster
Although augmented reality headsets have been available for some time, none of the market participants have truly penetrated the general public outside of the tech crowd. By collaborating with an eyewear fashion business, an AR startup intends to change that. The well funded Chinese manufacturer of augmented reality headsets, Nreal, announced that they had raised $15 million from IICombined, the parent company of the Korean sunglasses manufacturer Gentle Monster.
The investment brings the company’s total funding to $240 million, only five months after its $60 million Series C extension. Nreal will be able to accelerate its global expansion and strengthen its consumer business in the United States thanks to the new funding.
The US, Japan and Korea presently have the biggest demand for Nreal, but the company anticipates China will soon overtake them as one of its most important markets.
Nreal launched a number of its goods earlier this week, including an AR adapter for Apple devices in its home market as well as AR glasses like the Nreal Air and Nreal X (Chinese version).
Early in August, Gentle Monster opened its seventeenth store in Beijing as part of its ongoing China development. The company first entered the country in 2016 and teamed with Huawei in 2019 to produce smart eyewear.
