Voxelo secures £650k pre-seed to convert product video into 3D/AR assets
This article covers Voxelo, a Manchester-based ecommerce startup, which has raised £650,000 in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round to accelerate development of its AI-powered platform for creating 3D and augmented reality product content from video. The funding will be used to speed product development, expand go-to-market activity and convert early enterprise trials into longer-term partnerships, supporting retailers and brands seeking lower-cost, faster production of 3D and AR product assets.
Manchester-based ecommerce startup Voxelo has raised £650,000 in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round to accelerate development of its AI-powered platform for creating 3D and augmented reality product content from video. The money will be used to speed product development, expand go-to-market activity and convert early enterprise trials into longer-term partnerships.
Why it matters
Retailers are investing in immersive product experiences, but producing 3D models and AR content remains expensive and time-consuming for many ecommerce teams. Voxelo’s raise is notable because it targets that bottleneck directly: converting existing product video into production-ready 3D assets could lower costs and shorten turnaround for brands and retailers.
Early commercial traction with customers such as SportsShoes.com and nursery brand Cosatto suggests there is demand for a simpler route to interactive product content. The deal also reflects growing interest from ecommerce investors in tools that make 3D and AR more accessible to mainstream retail.
Inside the product
Voxelo’s core proposition centres on its UG3D (User Generated 3D) technology, which the company says converts a single uploaded product video into a production-ready 3D digital twin in around two hours. Those assets can be reused for interactive 3D viewers, AR visualisations, annotated demonstrations and campaign imagery, removing the need for multiple suppliers or lengthy shoots.
The platform is positioned as a lower-cost alternative to traditional product content workflows. Voxelo claims it reduces technical friction for enterprise teams that lack in-house 3D or AR capability, enabling faster iteration and multi-channel reuse of assets.
Who are the investors?
The round follows a £300,000 first close announced in January 2026 and was described as oversubscribed at £650,000 in total. It was backed by a group of strategic investors and advisors, including former eBay director and KnownOrigin co-founder Andy Gray. Voxelo said a small allocation remains open for strategic investors who can support commercial growth.
Beyond private backers, Voxelo has secured non-dilutive support and ecosystem validation through Innovate UK R&D grants, participation in a UK trade mission to SXSW and the Exchange Growth Accelerator programme. The company framed the investor mix as deliberate: strategic individuals and advisers who can help with marketplace introductions and commercial scaling rather than purely financial capital.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Vladimir Mulhem, CEO at Voxelo, said:
When we announced our first close in January, we had a technology we believed in and a thesis about where ecommerce content was heading. Three months on, we have enterprise brands deploying the platform and validating the need for what we are building.
In the announcement, Ben McKay, co-founder and COO at Voxelo, said:
Enterprise teams are actively looking for faster and more scalable ways to create product content that works across channels. That is exactly the gap Voxelo is addressing.
In the announcement, Jon Cleaver, CTO at SportsShoes.com, said:
Voxelo is a gamechanger for us, delivering high-quality 3D assets at scale without the traditional cost barriers.
The bigger picture
Voxelo’s approach taps into a wider shift in ecommerce toward interactive product experiences that can boost engagement and conversion. Larger retailers and brands have been experimenting with 3D and AR for years, but adoption outside high-end categories has been limited by production cost and technical complexity. Tools that automate asset creation from existing video could broaden use across categories such as footwear, baby products and consumer electronics.
For UK tech policy and funding ecosystems, the story is also familiar: early-stage grants, accelerator programmes and strategic angels remain important in bridging prototype stages to commercial scale. Voxelo’s move from beta deployments toward international expansion will test whether automated 3D pipelines can deliver consistent quality at enterprise scale.
The raise underlines continued investor interest in UK ecommerce infrastructure and creative-technology startups that aim to reduce friction in digital commerce.
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