Voxelo raises £300k pre-seed to convert short videos into 3D product models
This article covers Voxelo, a Manchester-based ecommerce startup, which has raised £300,000 in the first close of a pre-seed funding round to accelerate development of its AI-powered 3D and AR product-content tools for online retailers. The funding aims to support the startup's move from prototype and pilot customers towards commercial deployment, targeting ecommerce teams and retailers seeking lower-cost, scalable 3D and AR product content.
Voxelo, a Manchester-based ecommerce startup, has raised £300,000 in the first close of a pre-seed funding round to accelerate development of its AI-powered 3D and AR product-content tools for online retailers. The round remains open for a small number of strategic investors ahead of a final close, a sign the company is moving from prototype and pilot customers toward a broader commercial push.
Why it matters
Ecommerce product pages increasingly rely on richer visual formats to reduce returns and boost conversion, but producing interactive 3D models and AR experiences is still costly and fragmented across studios, photogrammetry houses and multiple suppliers. Voxelo aims to compress that pipeline by turning short product videos into production-ready 3D assets, which could lower the barrier for retailers and brands to publish interactive product content at scale.
Early customers include Cosatto and British Attire. Cosatto is known for nursery products and prams where tactile detail matters to buyers, and British Attire is a clothing retailer that needs consistent studio and lifestyle imagery across SKUs. Their use cases illustrate where faster, lower-cost 3D content can be applied across categories that traditionally rely on photography.
Inside the product
Voxelo centres its platform on proprietary UG3D technology. The company says UG3D converts a simple product video into a production-ready 3D digital twin in roughly two hours. From that single asset teams can export interactive 3D models, AR place-in-space experiences, annotated product views, and studio-style visuals and lifestyle imagery.
The startup positions this as an end-to-end alternative to conventional product-content pipelines, targeting non-technical ecommerce teams that lack resources to manage multi-vendor production workflows. Ahead of its next release, Voxelo 2.0, the company is offering 10,000 free credits—equivalent to 10 3D digital twins and AR experiences—and has opened sign-ups for an AI beta programme.
Who are the investors?
The first close is backed by a group of early investors and advisors. Notably, Andy Gray—formerly a director at eBay and co-founder of NFT marketplace KnownOrigin—has joined Voxelo as both an investor and an advisor to support the next phase of growth. The round remains open for a limited number of strategic investors to join before the final close.
Voxelo has also received support from public and accelerator programmes including Innovate UK, the Turing Innovation Catalyst, Exchange Accelerator and Venture Forward. These relationships indicate the company has been able to tap both grant and accelerator routes commonly used by deeptech and applied-AI startups in the UK.
Product experience in ecommerce is ripe for disruption. Consumers deserve more than a carousel of flat images. When I first interacted with Voxelo’s user-generated 3D models, it was a lightbulb moment, and I believe we’re only at the beginning of what this technology can unlock.
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Founder perspective
Voxelo was founded by Vladimir Mulhem, Ben McKay and Roman Bromidge. The founders frame their approach as user-led and focused on simplification of complex production tasks.
Vladimir Mulhem, Co-Founder and CEO at Voxelo, said:
All of this starts from capturing a 3D digital twin with a short video
Our belief is simple: better product content builds buyer confidence, and buyer confidence drives conversion in ecommerce.
Ben McKay, Co-Founder and COO at Voxelo, said:
We’ve built Voxelo in lockstep with our end-users. What’s clear is that product content creation remains too hard, too costly, and too creatively limited when budgets are tight, which they almost always are. When ecommerce teams lean on AI tools today, they often face hallucinations and content that is constrained to 2D. Our approach is fundamentally different.
Roman Bromidge, Co-Founder and CTO at Voxelo, said:
Advanced 3D shouldn’t feel intimidating. We’ve focused on making the experience simple, consistent and reliable, so teams can focus on merchandising and storytelling rather than production complexity.
The bigger picture
Voxelo’s raise and product focus sit at the intersection of two trends: increased commerce investment in immersive product experiences, and the growing use of AI to automate content creation. For many UK retailers, the challenge is operationalising those formats without ballooning costs or creating technical debt.
The pre-seed first close and onward open round reflect typical early-stage funding patterns in the UK, where founders often combine grant funding, accelerator support and small equity raises to reach product-market fit. If Voxelo can demonstrate repeatable ROI for customers such as reduced returns or higher conversion, it will be better positioned to attract follow-on funding from ecommerce investors and platform partners.
This development is another example of UK startups using publicly funded innovation programmes alongside private capital to move applied-AI product tools from lab to market, and it adds to a growing roster of firms focused on commercialising 3D and AR for retail across Europe.
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