A startup that’s capitalizing on the hot trend of virtual reality and augmented reality recently launched a service that provides software engineers who specialize in those areas.
Irvine-based Koder provides a twist on a typical software engineering consulting firm, targeting startups and small businesses that can’t afford expensive consultancy fees or full-time employees. It calls its on-demand model the “Uber of software engineers,” said founder and Chief Executive Elmer Morales. Koder has some employees, though the majority are independent contractors. It secured its first clients in May.
The company charges clients a monthly subscription fee starting at $2,000, which buys a team of engineers to work on apps and products on an as-needed basis. The engineers work remotely, so they don’t need to live in the same location as Koder’s clients.
“We’ll slice and dice the engineer and spread [him/her] across numerous companies and make it affordable so each startup can still get some of that brain power and make progress on whatever they’re building,” Morales said.
He started Koder after working as a software engineer for consulting firms, where he noticed a lot of demand from companies that wanted to build virtual reality business apps, he said. A big first project was supplying software engineers to a division of Microsoft called HoloLens, which created a hardware device for augmented reality software. Among big clients it’s nabbed since launching is San Jose-based Cisco Systems Inc.
Koder has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from angel investors in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Morales said; he wouldn’t disclose the exact amount. He said the company is using the money for operations and marketing. Koder came to market in March and has been getting a lot of interest from VCs, though it doesn’t need more outside funding because it’s bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in recurring revenue from clients every month, Morales said.
Factory Seeks Money
Speaking of virtual reality, digital production startup Super Toy Box in Irvine is seeking $600,000 from investors for its “VR Factory,” a virtual reality assembly line that streamlines VR content and app production, said partner and Senior Art Director Kari Nishimura.
VR Factory can manage and host virtual reality content that other companies have produced and turn it into an app. If clients need original VR content, Super Toy Box can create that with its own designers and writers, and distribute it on all VR platforms. It hosts both categories of content on platforms including Google Cardboard, Oculus VR, Samsung Gear and HTC Vive, Nishimura said.
Super Toy Box anticipates running beta tests—a trial period before general release—of its VR Factory in September and going full throttle in October, she said. It also will soon produce its own in-house VR content for entertainment and marketing purposes.
The money it’s seeking will be used to expand its development team.
Student Med-Tech Ventures Funded
Three med-tech startups developed by University of California-Irvine undergrads have received $14,000 in seed funding each from a student training and mentoring program led by BioAccel, a nonprofit economic development organization focused on bioscience and based in Phoenix, Ariz.
BioAccel just completed its first year of academic programming funded by a two-year, $499,000 federal innovation grant. The program’s first year culminated June 9 as UCI student teams competed for the Capstone Design Awards and BioENGINE Fellowships at a closing symposium at The Cove, the physical home of UCI innovation institute Applied Innovation.
Syntr Healthtech, Opticom and K9 BioWalk will now participate in a summer med-tech program to further assess their technical and commercial startup potential.
Syntr Healthtech’s device treats diabetic foot ulcers by incorporating the body’s own regenerative stem cells from fat tissue to promote healing. Opticom’s portable device optically detects breast cancer through broadband spectroscopy. K9 BioWalk provides biomechanically compatible solutions for dog prosthetics.
UCI’s inaugural capstone course resulted in 20 student teams creating medical device projects. Several of the teams may convert to commercial companies, while others could result in licensing opportunities, according to BioAccel.
Bits & Pieces
Larry Kutcher is the new president of Irvine-based Tech Coast Venture Network, a nonprofit organization that focuses on bringing together users and providers of resources for new and emerging businesses. He succeeds Ash Kumra, who held the position for four years. Kutcher joined the TCVN board in 2011. … Irvine-based Kareo launched integrated website and app www.kareo.com. The company offers a cloud-based software service, primarily for doctors with independent practices … Huntington Beach-based Sol Sisters recently launched its website, www.solsisters.us. It sells “fashionable” clothing, cosmetics and accessories with UV protection from around the world for sun-sensitive women. … The SoCal chapter of Golden Seeds, a group of investors that funds high-potential, female-led startups, is branching out to Los Angeles for events in July, said Kim Kovacs, managing director of its SoCal chapter, which is based at The Cove.
