Cimagine

Cimagine Media Ltd. operated as a cloud-based augmented reality platform tailored for B2B and B2C retail, which was acquired by Snap Inc. in December 2016. The company was established in 2012 by co-founders Yoni Nevo, Nir Daube, and Ozi Egri in Yokneam Illit, Israel. The founding team's collective background included expertise in computer vision, real-time image processing, and mobile development, drawn from experience at technology and defense companies like HP, IBM, and Rafael Defense Systems.

The business focused on providing enterprise clients—specifically brands, retailers, and manufacturers—with a tool to drive sales and reduce product returns. Its core offering was an augmented reality visualization platform that allowed end-users to see potential purchases, such as furniture and appliances, in their own living spaces in life-like 3D through their mobile devices. A key feature of Cimagine's service was its proprietary markerless technology, which did not require a physical marker to be placed in the environment to position the 3D object, a significant technical advantage at the time. This technology worked on standard smartphones and tablets without needing specialized hardware. The company generated revenue by licensing this platform to businesses, which integrated it into their sales channels, including online stores, mobile apps, and in-store displays. Notable clients included Shop Direct, John Lewis, and Coca-Cola, the latter of which used the tool to help its sales teams visualize new cooler placements in stores.

Prior to its acquisition, Cimagine had raised approximately $524K to $730K in funding through several seed rounds from investors including CE Ventures, Titanium Investments, and OurCrowd. In late 2016, Snap Inc. acquired Cimagine for an estimated $30-$40 million. The acquisition was seen as a strategic move for Snap to establish a research and development center in Israel and to integrate Cimagine's technology and skilled team into its own e-commerce and augmented reality ambitions.

Keywords: augmented reality retail, AR product visualization, markerless AR, 3D commerce, mobile augmented reality, enterprise AR, visual commerce, retail technology, virtual try-on, in-store visualization, computer vision, Snap acquisition, e-commerce technology, digital merchandising, B2B sales tool, customer experience technology, product returns reduction, Yoni Nevo, Nir Daube, Ozi Egri