Deep-tech Infrastructure Race Intensifies as Spatial Internet Startups Attract Fresh Capital

The race to build the infrastructure layer of the spatial internet is accelerating as investors increasingly shift attention from consumer-facing metaverse experiments to enterprise-grade 3D and XR infrastructure. Across global markets, deep-tech startups working on immersive computing, spatial AI, browser-native 3D systems, and extended reality (XR) are drawing renewed interest from venture capital firms looking beyond generative AI applications.

According to multiple industry estimates, the global spatial computing market is projected to cross $600 billion by the early 2030s, driven by enterprise adoption in retail, manufacturing, automotive, education, and healthcare. At the same time, the XR market continues to mature as businesses search for practical deployment models that do not require expensive hardware or large development teams.

This shift comes after several years in which immersive technology remained limited by high implementation costs, fragmented software ecosystems, and the need for specialized developers. Investors are now increasingly backing infrastructure-focused companies building tools that simplify 3D deployment and reduce barriers for enterprises.

Against this backdrop, Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup Ctruh has raised a $2.5 million seed funding round as it positions itself to become a foundational infrastructure player in the emerging spatial internet ecosystem.

The company, which develops browser-native 3D and XR technologies, said the latest funding will support research and development, product expansion, and international market entry, including planned launches in the United States and the United Arab Emirates in 2026.

Funding Round Signals Investor Interest in Spatial Computing Infrastructure

Ctruh’s seed round was led by Inflection Point Ventures (IPV), with Avinya Ventures participating as co-lead investor. Other participants in the round included India Accelerator, Founder’s Avenue, Anthill Ventures, IA, Finvolve, and LVX.

The round also attracted several angel investors, including Vivek Sinha, founder and chief executive of Emversity and former chief operating officer of Unacademy, along with Shivakumar Ganesan, co-founder and chief executive of Exotel.

With the latest investment, Ctruh’s total capital raised has reached $4.5 million.

While the company did not disclose its valuation, the size and composition of the round reflect growing investor appetite for infrastructure-led deep-tech platforms rather than standalone XR applications. Venture firms globally have increasingly shown preference for companies building enabling layers for AI, spatial computing, and immersive internet technologies.

Ctruh said the capital will be used to deepen investments in its core technology stack, particularly its browser-native 3D engine, generative AI capabilities, and sector-focused solutions for industries such as real estate and automotive.

The company is also preparing to establish on-ground sales operations in the US and UAE in 2026, two markets where adoption of immersive commerce and spatial computing technologies is gaining traction. The UAE, in particular, has emerged as an active market for metaverse and XR initiatives through government-backed digital transformation programs, while US enterprises continue to invest in industrial XR and immersive retail experiences.

Vinay Agastya, founder and chief executive of Ctruh, said the company is focused on reducing the complexity traditionally associated with immersive technologies.

“Our focus has always been to simplify technology for businesses by making advanced solutions more accessible,” Agastya said. “We are building an infrastructure for the upcoming generation of digital experiences, where our goal is to create spatial experiences for every business, regardless of size and scale.”

Investors backing the company pointed to its infrastructure-first approach as a key differentiator.

Vinay Bansal, chief executive and co-founder of IPV, said Ctruh’s proprietary 3D engine allows high-fidelity 4K, 8K, and 16K immersive experiences to operate directly on web browsers with lower loading times.

Meanwhile, Gaurav Singhvi, managing partner at Avinya Ventures, described browser-native 3D infrastructure as a foundational category that still lacks scalable enabling layers.

“What drew us to Ctruh is that they’ve spent three years building the hard, foundational layer most companies are unwilling to build,” Singhvi said.

Ctruh’s Business Model Focuses on Browser-native 3D Infrastructure

Ctruh is attempting to address one of the longstanding bottlenecks in XR adoption: deployment complexity.

Historically, immersive 3D environments required specialized development teams, dedicated applications, large rendering workloads, and high-end hardware support. This made implementation expensive for mid-sized businesses and difficult to scale across devices.

The company’s core proposition is centered around browser-native deployment. Its proprietary no-code and low-code 3D engine enables immersive experiences to run directly through web browsers without requiring application downloads, SDK integrations, or dedicated XR hardware.

At the center of the company’s technology stack is VersaAI, a generative AI engine designed to convert text, images, and videos into production-ready 3D assets. The system is intended to significantly reduce the time and cost involved in developing immersive content.

Together, the browser-native engine and VersaAI form the underlying infrastructure powering the company’s commercial platform, Commverse Studio.

Commverse Studio allows enterprises to create and deploy immersive XR experiences using no-code workflows. According to the company, businesses can build deployable 3D commerce environments in under 30 minutes while integrating content management, commerce functionality, analytics, and deployment tools within a single platform.

Ctruh currently targets industries including retail, e-commerce, D2C brands, automotive, real estate, education, and healthcare.

Its revenue model appears to align with a SaaS-led enterprise licensing structure, where businesses pay for platform access, immersive deployment capabilities, AI-generated asset creation, and workflow management tools. Additional monetization opportunities may emerge through vertical-specific products tailored for industries such as real estate visualization and automotive commerce.

The company’s differentiation lies in combining three layers that are often fragmented across multiple vendors: browser-native rendering, AI-driven 3D asset generation, and deployment infrastructure.

This integrated model could help reduce implementation friction for enterprises experimenting with immersive commerce and digital engagement.

The timing may also work in the company’s favor. While early metaverse adoption was driven largely by speculative consumer use cases, enterprise demand is now shifting toward measurable applications such as virtual product visualization, digital showrooms, training simulations, and interactive commerce experiences.

Competitive Landscape Includes Global XR and Spatial Computing Players

Ctruh operates within a growing but highly competitive global market that includes spatial computing infrastructure firms, 3D commerce platforms, and immersive content development companies.

Globally, companies such as Unity Technologies and Epic Games have long dominated the 3D engine ecosystem through developer-focused platforms. However, these systems often require significant technical expertise and dedicated development resources.

Newer startups are attempting to simplify immersive deployment through low-code and browser-based systems.

In the US, firms building spatial computing infrastructure increasingly focus on enterprise XR adoption, digital twins, and industrial metaverse applications. Several startups are also integrating generative AI into 3D asset creation workflows to reduce production timelines.

European companies, meanwhile, have concentrated heavily on industrial XR, manufacturing simulations, and enterprise visualization use cases, supported in part by strong Industry 4.0 adoption trends.

India’s spatial computing ecosystem remains relatively early-stage compared to the US and Europe, but investor interest in deep-tech infrastructure has grown steadily over the past few years. Bengaluru, in particular, has emerged as a center for AI, gaming, computer vision, and immersive technology startups.

Ctruh’s positioning differs from many traditional XR firms because of its browser-native approach. By eliminating the need for application downloads and specialized hardware, the company is targeting broader enterprise accessibility rather than premium XR-only deployments.

Its expansion plans toward the US and UAE also indicate a strategy aimed at capturing higher-spending enterprise markets while continuing product development from India.

The company additionally benefits from ecosystem support through IIM Bangalore NSRCEL and the LeapFWD Accelerator Program. It has also received recognition through initiatives such as the Karnataka government’s ELEVATE 2025 Award and the Aegis Graham Bell Award 2025 for innovation in immersive experiences.

Funding Reflects Shift Toward Infrastructure-led Deep-tech Investing

Ctruh’s funding round reflects a broader shift underway in venture capital markets, where investors are increasingly prioritizing foundational infrastructure technologies over purely consumer-facing applications.

During the early metaverse investment cycle, capital flowed aggressively into virtual worlds, NFT-linked ecosystems, and speculative immersive platforms. Many of those models struggled to achieve sustainable commercial adoption.

The current investment environment appears more focused on practical infrastructure enabling real-world enterprise use cases.

This shift mirrors broader AI investment trends as well. Investors are increasingly searching for companies building enabling technologies — including inference layers, enterprise automation systems, AI tooling, and infrastructure platforms — rather than generic consumer applications.

In the case of spatial computing, infrastructure bottlenecks remain a major barrier to large-scale adoption. High rendering costs, fragmented deployment systems, lack of interoperability, and expensive content creation pipelines continue to slow implementation.

Companies attempting to simplify these processes may therefore attract stronger investor attention over the next few years.

Ctruh’s funding also highlights the continued maturation of India’s deep-tech ecosystem. While Indian startup funding overall has experienced volatility over the past two years, deep-tech segments such as AI infrastructure, semiconductor design, robotics, climate technology, and immersive computing continue to see selective investor interest.

The company’s planned expansion into the US and UAE further reflects how Indian deep-tech startups are increasingly building globally oriented products from inception rather than focusing solely on domestic markets.

If spatial computing adoption accelerates across industries such as commerce, real estate, healthcare, and industrial training, infrastructure providers enabling scalable deployment could become an important layer in the next phase of internet evolution.