Ax'21 - Overly mainstreams DIY augmented reality experiences
Right now, we are divided between two parallel worlds — either we are on our mobile devices or in the real world. Augmented reality lets us merge those two realities, making our lives easier, more effective and most importantly fun.
On that note, Overly app is on the way to becoming the biggest AR platform in the world and bringing augmented reality to the mainstream market. Our goal is to be a leading platform for using and creating augmented reality experiences. And when we switch our smartphones to AR glasses, Overly app is bound to become the Facebook of augmented reality experiences. And believe it when I say it — smartphones are on their way out!
Hello! I am Ainārs, CEO at Overly. A self-proclaimed tech-enthusiast and augmented reality expert, I had always dreamt of setting up an innovative business that offers a unique service. In 2014, before we had ever heard of Snapchat AR Filters or Pokemon Go, I teamed up with Gatis, and we did exactly that! We launched Overly, becoming the first agency in the Baltic States to focus on augmented reality (AR) technologies and solutions. Since then, we have powered hundreds of AR projects for well-known brands, publishing houses, artists and educators across Europe.
Evaluating our work, we realized that while the demand for augmented reality experiences was growing, accessibility remained an ever-present challenge. It was complicated and expensive to create AR content, halting many great ideas before they can come to life.
That is why we created an easy-to-use augmented reality platform — Overly Creator — where anyone can create their own AR experiences with no technical or coding expertise. We compare ourselves to the widely known Software as a Service (SaaS) company Canva — we offer a platform where creating AR experiences is just as easy as creating designs in Canva.
Overly Creator is equally accessible to big-budget enterprises and freelancers ready to roll up their sleeves and do the work. It is also open for the non-corp public who want to personalize Christmas cards, calendars, photo books or clothing. Ideas are vast, and people are no longer limited by the lack of tech skills or dollars.
In December 2020, we launched the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) version of Overly Creator. A few months on, we see excellent traction without committing to any sales or advertising efforts. The number of our monthly website visitors has increased eight-fold. Paying customers make up 1.5% of our registered users, and our Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) grows at a rate of 23%.
I am passionate about augmented reality and believe it will be one of the most important technologies in the future. But this is not my unique viewpoint — the growth of our augmented reality offer and the worldwide AR market goes to prove that large audiences are eager to use and create AR features.
Seven years on from the moment Gatis and I first started to work with augmented reality, we are still developing a novelty technology — expected to grow by 40% annually. Valued at over 17 billion in 2020, the global AR market will be worth 340 billion by 2028. We want to not only be here for this growth but drive it. And as people swap their mobile devices to AR glasses in a decade or so, we want to be their preferred AR provider.
To achieve this, the next steps on our journey include:
If you want to join us on this path as a fan, friend, partner, customer or investor, we look forward to hearing from you.
Get to know what AR is all about by watching and trying out demo case studies on our website. Get in touch with us at hello@overlyapp.com with any comments or questions or connect with us on social media:
Who or what inspired you to be an entrepreneur?
Ever since I remember, I wanted to have my own business venture — I always had the urge to do something unique and something innovative. Also I always needed freedom of movement and doing things that truly inspired me and that is something I just could not find elsewhere — only with entrepreneurship. I love creating products and services that people find useful and that solve their needs. That is what really drives me forward and is something I found that I can do on a bigger scale as an entrepreneur. Finding the right business partner is what turned Gatis and me from dreamers to entrepreneurs.
If you would get 10 billion euros right now, what would you do?
I would put a small part for retirement and invest the rest of the money in startups (including and especially Overly) to boost our local startup ecosystem and the whole country.
Who is your favorite superhero?
I have not found one yet. But it would be the one who invented Star Wars augmented reality tech as it is so good.
If you could change just one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would eliminate greed! I think that without it people would be more focused on things that are truly important.
Main course at dinner, choose: a) Monkey brains with devils sauce and baby vegetables, b) lab grown steak from human cells and béarnaise with crispy fries, c) Organically grown Nepenthes Truncata salad, including tomatoes, sweet blue peppers and glowing mushrooms with a small chance to kill you instantly.
a) Monkey brains with devils sauce and baby vegetables
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