Poplar (poplar.studio), a leading 3D and AR creative platform, has today announced the acquisition of AR startup Svrf, Inc.

The acquisition will further enable Poplar to provide best-in-class AR campaigns to its clients, across beauty (L’Oréal), retail (Speedo), entertainment (NBC Universal) and FMCG (Nestlé), by utilising Svrf’s innovative technologies. 

Svrf provided a platform for users to create, share and distribute over 31 million AR experiences per month.

Following the acquisition, Poplar will integrate tools from Svrf into their own platform including a 3D asset library, 3D asset conversion pipeline, searchable content API, CMS to manage assets and app-based and WebAR prototyping tools.

This will enable Poplar to expand its offering with a Content Management System that will, for example, allow retailers to manage the 3D models of their inventory, and to streamline AR content creation by converting assets to the appropriate formats, a common problem given the current fragmentation of technologies.

Svrf was founded by AR veterans in 2016 by Sophia Dominguez and Brent Chow. Ms. Sophia Dominguez, who was CEO of Svrf, has subsequently joined Snapchat as Head of Camera Platform Partnerships. She has become an advisor to Poplar following the deal.

This deal follows Poplar’s $2.6m raise earlier this month, as well as being named one of TikTok’s AR Branded Effects and Google’s Swirl 3D Ads global creative partners. Poplar has a network of over 1,800 global 3D and AR trusted creators.

On the acquisition, Poplar CEO David Ripert said:

“I’ve always admired the great work from Sophia and her team, so it is a privilege to acquire Svrf and continue their efforts in AR and 3D.

“This acquisition will further allow Poplar to create industry-leading AR campaigns for our clients, as well as supporting 3D and immersive creators across the world.”

Sophia Dominguez, added:

“When Brent and I founded Svrf, we set out to make 3D and AR more accessible on all platforms. We are incredibly proud to join forces with Poplar as they share this vision and will bring Svrf’s technology more reach to empower AR creators around the world. This combination is a giant step towards the democratization of AR and the future of AR!”

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