Accel-led Gravity Sketch raises $33 million to revolutionize product design and development

• The next-generation design platform enables designers from brands like Adidas and Volkswagen to move from 2D to 3D ideas and real-time collaboration from day one
• Investments will accelerate product development, transform long-neglected digital design workflows, and enable the metaverse to build and grow
• The continued development of collaboration features for non-designers reflects the company’s belief in the positive impact of greater diversity in the industry and in the development process
• The company saw 4X revenue growth over the last 12 months as teams transitioned to remote work and demand for real-time collaboration capabilities soared

Gravity Sketch, the next-generation cross-platform 3D design tool, announced today that it has raised $33 million in Series A funding led by Accel. A number of high-profile angel investors also joined the round. This latest investment takes Gravity Sketch’s total to more than $40 million as it accelerates its mission to revolutionize long-neglected design and engineering processes and enable teams to think and create in 3D and in real time to work together.

As we think and live in a 3D world, everything we interact with – from cars and shoes to furniture, movies and games – begins as a 2D sketch and goes through a digital to physical design process that is incredibly complex and time-consuming. consume. This involves the back and forth between design, engineering, and manufacturing teams while pen and paper sketches need to be visualized and 3D rendered before production. A 2D/3D switch is often required for each iteration cycle. Design sharing and review is often done through video tools or collaboration platforms, and poor handoffs between teams lead to misunderstandings and wasted time, as well as design cycles that can last up to 24 months. These challenges were experienced firsthand by experienced industrial designers and Gravity Sketch co-founders Oluwaseyi Sosanya (CEO) and Daniela Paredes Fuentes (CXO).

With the launch of Gravity Sketch in 2014, Sosanya and Paredes set out to disrupt and democratize the 3D design process, transforming the inefficient processes used for decades. The platform enables users to think and create in 3D while bringing real-time collaboration to the forefront of the design process. With Gravity Sketch, designers, engineers, and other stakeholders can share feedback and discuss issues at any stage of product development by experiencing the design through virtual reality. With the global increase in remote work and brands taking their first steps into the metaverse, now is the ideal time for the design industry to move to an all-digital pipeline, and the tremendous momentum of Gravity Sketch will continue. Gravity sketch has:

• Over a million downloads and a community of over 100,000 monthly users
• Be part of the design process at industry-leading brands such as Adidas, Nissan, Volkswagen, Ford and Reebok
• Empower professors and students to enhance classroom creativity at over 170 schools and universities
• 4x sales growth in the last 12 months and a team of 40 across the UK, US and Germany
• Launched on the iOS, Steam and Oculus stores

In addition, Gravity Sketch ensures a more sustainable and cost-effective workflow. Because designers are able to test real-world constraints on 3D models, the need for physical prototypes is eliminated and travel is reduced as products no longer need to be approved in person.

The investment will be used to further develop Gravity Sketch’s LandingPad collaboration capabilities to better support the non-designer stakeholders essential to the design process – a reflection of Gravity Sketch’s belief that greater diversity in the design industry and more votes in the development process will result in more powerful products on the market. Companies – including the likes of Miro and Figma – have already revolutionized 2D space, enabling teams to collaborate and collaborate quickly and inclusively in online workspaces, and now Gravity Sketch’s integrative capabilities will shake up the 3D environment. Funds will also be used to enhance the platform’s creative tools and scale the company’s sales, customer success and onboarding teams.

Seyi Sosanya, Co-Founder and CEO of Gravity Sketch, said: “3D design is the backbone of our consumer economy; An integral part of the production of every car we drive, every shoe we wear, every movie we watch and every video game we play. However, the modern design process remains inefficient, complicated and costly as teams are forced to switch between 2D and 3D tools that are not fit for purpose in our era of hyper-collaborative remote work. Our goal at Gravity Sketch is to overcome these challenges by empowering teams to create and communicate their 3D ideas as quickly and intuitively as possible – whether they are designers or otherwise. We are excited to continue to revolutionize 3D design with this new investment round.”

Harry Nelis, Partner at Accel, said, “In today’s age, online collaboration tools have become a necessity for organizations looking to stay agile and connect their teams in the most interactive, authentic, and productive way possible. Design is no different, and we were blown away by Gravity Sketch’s innovative, forward-thinking suite of collaborative design tools that are already revolutionizing workflows across numerous industries. Additionally, we anticipate that 3D design – coupled with the advent of virtual reality – will only increase in importance as brands race to build the emerging metaverse. The early organic traction and Tier One brands that Oluwaseyi, Daniela and the Gravity Sketch team have already signed up as customers are extremely impressive. We look forward to working with them and helping them realize their dream of a more efficient, sustainable and democratic design world.”