The AR market has three segments. AR in social media platforms, web-based AR and the segment that Tropos AR is in: native AR. Augmented reality on social media is mainly front facing camera AR (face filters etc), which works well, but is limited in scope. WebAR is similar to native AR, but forces users to leave the app or website they are in, and jump to a new browser window. Both AR in social media platforms and WebAR is considered ‘limited’, with native AR as the only form of AR that offers the full range of possibilities and capabilities. 

Native AR SDK’s have been around since 2017, but almost all of them offer technical tools and components without any of the systems surrounding it. It wasn’t until Unity Technologies, the world’s biggest development platform, released their ‘Unity as a Library’ solution in early 2021, that a fully featured toolbox would be possible. Tropos was actually the first company worldwide to announce they would be building a feature complete AR SDK using ‘Unity as a Library’. Our company was joined by Niantic (owners of Pokémon GO) who announced in the summer of 2021 that they where creating one as well. That product, called Lightship, was launched as a beta in November of 2021. Lightship is the closest thing Tropos AR has to a direct competitor. The biggest difference between the Tropos AR SDK and the Lightship SDK, is that Lightship was built with videogames in mind. It offers no user interface or cloud, but a set of advanced tools to create AR (videogame) content.

At this moment, Tropos AR still benefits from an early mover advantage. The company is the first to deliver an AR SDK that includes all components that consumers come in touch with, as well as being the first to have their technology adopted by national and international platforms. There are several other AR SDK's on the market, aimed at specific, non-consumer industries. They serve that one industry better than anyone else.

The reason why Tropos AR is, at this moment, the only company offering a market agnostic solution, is best clarified with a quote from Deepak Barwal, senior strategic partnerships manager at Unity Technologies. After getting a tour of what the Tropos AR offers, his first reply was: "I looks like Tropos AR built all the non-sexy stuff needed for native AR. The things everyone needs, but they hates building".

There is no better proof is how unique Tropos AR is in today's augmented reality market, then the request from Unity Technologies (the world's largest development platform) to join their Unity Verified Solutions. Unity Verified Solutions are a list of around 40 key pieces of technology, which are considered basic building blocks for whole market segments. Among other goals, Tropos AR will use this funding round to facilitate meeting al requirements to become the Unity Verified Solution for native AR that targets consumers. Doing so, will put Tropos AR's core product center stage on a worldwide scale.

Knowing that Apple, Google, Meta and others are building towards a future where the AR medium is dominant, makes it easier to understand the potential of this market. Tropos AR combines that with a unique approach, that is best clarified with an age-old example:
the US gold rush in the 1850’s.

During the USA’s gold rush, the people who always made money, where … the ones selling pick-axes and shovels. That is, in a nutshell, what Tropos AR is to the AR industry. Our technology is the thing creatives and early adopters DON’T want to build. The thing that is never really budgeted for nor analysed well, because everyone involved can’t stop thinking about that amazing AR experience on the horizon. The goal our clients have, delivering amazing AR experiences, is what the prospect of a gold nugget was to the average 1850’s gold digger. Just as with those gold diggers, not all early movers in the AR space will be successful. But they’ll all buy tools to make their journey easier. And ALL of them will have a much higher chance of success, if they use the Tropos AR SDK as a baseline.

As seen in the chart above (source), the AR market has an expected compounded annual growth of more than 35%. Tropos AR's strategy to capture as much of that market as possible, is by integrating our SDK into large scale platforms. Platforms that serve themselves serve one or multiple markets. the Tropos AR SDK is currently being integrated into two such platforms. A full overview of Tropos AR clients, both large 'platform' clients and others, can be found in the Financials tab.
 

What makes Tropos AR stand out in the AR and spatial computing market, is its unique value proposition. Tropos AR is not in the market that's hungry for more, bigger and better AR experiences. Tropos AR focusses on building that one single tool that allows others to win the AR content race. That gives the company the security to always be on the winning side. As no one knows which markets will successfully adopt AR first. It could be broadcasting, live sports, retail, tourism or any other mass market industry. But what is certain, is that no matter which of those industries it is, the Tropos AR SDK will be an unbeatable tool for all of them.