ManoMotion raises $1.7 mln seed

Stockholm-based gesture technology startup ManoMotion said this week it has raised $1.7 million in seed capital.

ManoMotion’s technology makes it possible to let your hands touch-less talk to technology using a simple 2D camera on any smart device. The hand-tracking can be used for Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality or any technology that requires natural and intuitive interaction.

ManoMotion’s patent-pending technology originated from 6 years of research at KTH – the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. In 2015 the CTO and co-founder of ManoMotion, Dr. Shahrouz Yousefi won the Chester Carlson award for distinguished research based on the framework behind ManoMotions technology.

During the last year, the company developed several prototypes on both tethered and un-tethered VR headsets and Mobile handsets.

The future

“ManoMotion envisions a future where the screen will move away from your phone and an enhanced digital environment will be naturally accessible around you with both real and virtual objects visible. The question then will be – How do you control the environment if you no longer have a touch screen available? Using your hands are the most natural and intuitive way to interact,” the company said.

ManoMotion participated in TINC accelerator program in Silicon Valley during the spring of 2016 with the purpose of preparing the company for a potential entry into the US market.

The lead investors in the seed round include Carl Palmstierna, Lars Molinder and Willem De Geer. Additional investors are among others, Lars Thunell (former CEO of SEB), Peder Ramel (current CEO of operator 3), Bengt Halse ( former CEO of Saab), and gaming company Mindark and Internet entrepreneur Jakob Tolleryd. KTH Holding participated in the round with a follow-up investment.

“We are very happy to have secured a committed team of individuals that can help ManoMotion in our journey to successfully introduce our technology to the market,” Daniel Carlman, CEO of ManoMotion, said in a statement.