Skip to content
    • About us
          • Digital Catapult is a deep tech innovation organisation driving business value by accelerating the application of advanced technologies.

            3,000

            Companies supported since 2018

            £555m

            Investment raised by startups since 2018

            20+

            Advanced technology facilities nationwide

    • Our ambition
          • Our ambition is to realise the practical application of deep tech through four interventions

            ambition-scale-deep-tech

            Enabling UK deep tech companies to scale

            ambition-improving-supply-chain

            Improving UK industrial supply chain resilience

            ambition-decarbonisation

            Driving industrial decarbonisation

            ambition-advancing-data

            Advancing UK development and use of data driven and open future networks

    • Our people
          • susan-bowen

            We are an organisation made up of almost 300 innovators.

            We pride ourselves on the skilled and talented people from varied backgrounds that make up our team – we harness the expertise, perspectives and connections of people of more than 40 nationalities, thereby bringing together a diversity of skills, experience and backgrounds.

            Susan Bowen

            CEO of Digital Catapult

    • Our places
    • Startups and scaleups
          • bfp cover

            Black Founders Programme

            The Black Founders Programme is an accelerator targeted at pre-seed or seed stage, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services...
            ORCA-020

            Quantum Technology Programme

            Separating opportunity from hype to understand industry challenges that may be best solved by quantum computing.
    • Government and Public sector
          • 3d,Illustration,Of,Hydrogen,H2,Molecule,Model,-,Clean,Energy

            Hydrogen Innovation Programme

            Discover more about the the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative and the deployment of hydrogen technologies to address pressing energy and environmental...
            London,Office,Building,For,Network,And,Future,Concept

            Digitalising Energy Programme

            Energy Systems Catapult and Digital Catapult have partnered to explore the groundwork for a UK-wide initiative to accelerate a digitalised,...
          • Banner website digital twin 3

            UK Digital Twin Centre

            Delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, the UK Digital Twin Centre makes digital twins more accessible and meaningful in the UK. It actively enable industries and innovators to safely embrace, explore and realise their dynamic power.
            Find out more UK Digital Twin Centre
    • Corporates and Industry
          • Transparent,Clear,Colorful,Glass,Or,Liquid,Waves.,Neon,Pattern,Abstract

            Green Hydrogen Certifier

            This report looks at the Green Hydrogen Certifier - an end-to-end demonstration of a potential digital certification solution for hydrogen production...
    • Academia
    • Investors
          • bfp cover

            Black Founders Programme

            The Black Founders Programme is an accelerator targeted at pre-seed or seed stage, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services...
    • Services
          • Bespoke software & data systems

            Developing proof-of-concept demonstrators to showcase the viability and benefit of deep tech solutions.

            Platform engineering service

            Designing, building and operating physical and digital facilities. Providing testbeds for deep tech discovery and experimentation.

            Technology & innovation consultancy

            Consultancy services helping organisations addresses market preparedness gaps, evaluate financial viability and navigate technology change management.

          • Acceleration programmes for business

            Creating acceleration programmes to support businesses.Helping them grow through mentorship, technology support, networking, and investment opportunities.

            Facilitating and convening

            Bringing together and developing ecosystems of companies to explore, test and demonstrate how deep tech works in practice.

    • Technologies
    • Facilities
    • Opportunities
          • newsletter

            Sign up to our newsletter

            sign up for alerts and be the first to know when new open calls are announced. Don’t miss your chance to stay informed and get involved!

    • Current interventions
          • ORCA-020

            Quantum Technology Programme

            Separating opportunity from hype to understand industry challenges that may be best solved by quantum computing.
          • Banner website digital twin 3

            UK Digital Twin Centre

            Delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, the UK Digital Twin Centre makes digital twins more accessible and meaningful in the UK. It actively enable industries and innovators to safely embrace, explore and realise their dynamic power.
            Find out more UK Digital Twin Centre
    • Case studies
          • Black Founders Programme Showcase event.

            SymphoMe: case study

            Part of the FutureScope's Black Founders Programme, Digital Catapult supported Nyangibo Gallery to get investment ready and receive business expertise
    • Events
    • Blogs
    • Publications
          • Glass globe encircled by verdant forest flora, symbolizing nature, environment, sustainability, ESG, and climate change awareness, generative ai

            Get involved

            Be the first to know about upcoming resources, events and activities in the BridgeAI programme.
            Glass globe encircled by verdant forest flora, symbolizing nature, environment, sustainability, ESG, and climate change awareness, generative ai

            The Programme

            Find out more about how the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme and how it aims to stimulate the adoption AI and...
    • Press releases
  • Search
  • Contact
case-studies

Gravity Sketch

Gravity Sketch is an intuitive multi-platform 3D creation tool that allows users to create amazing models, scenes, and art work. For years, 3D design tools have been difficult to master but the Gravity sketch user experience makes sense of it all, lowering the barriers to 3D literacy and changing the way we create and share 3D content.

The Challenge

Gravity Sketch knew it had a great solution to take to market; however, it had to address certain key challenges including securing funding. First Gravity Sketch needed to enlighten investors on the status quo of the VR hardware space, what core technologies supported its product and the niche that its solution would occupy once launched.

The Solution

Recognising the potential of the platform and its positive impact on the immersive industry, particularly the 3D segment, Digital Catapult accepted its application to become a cohort on the Augmentor Programme. Calling on past experience, the mentors in the programme helped Gravity Sketch architect a sales pitch using innovative story telling techniques and presentation tools to stand out against other players in the headset space. This was key in helping the company secure vital funding to further develop its 3D creation tool.

There wasn’t a blue print for selling a piece of productivity software that works on a £400 headset and hasn’t hit the market yet. To turn uncertainty into reality, the Augmentor mentors helped Gravity Sketch troubleshoot to ensure that it would be both workable and marketable.

In addition to all of this, being part of the Augmentor Programme allowed the company to network with other startup and scaleup businesses to discover how they had overcome their development and investor challenges.

The Results

As a result of its involvement in the Digital Catapult Augmentor Programme and subsequent introduction to potential funders such as Innovate UK, Wacom (Japan) and Super Ventures (USA), Gravity Sketch found itself in a far better place than before and was able to further develop the platform and approach potential customers.

Since the Augmentor Programme Gravity Sketch:

  • Secured £1.25m funding, led by Forward Partners (UK), with Wacom (JP) and Super Ventures. This was followed by a further £2.9m, led by Kindred Capital, with participation from Point Nine Capital and previous investor Forward Partners.
  • Secured £100k Innovate UK Emerging & Enabling Technologies grant, allowing the recruitment of a full-time developer.
  • Is currently realising thousands of Pounds in sales since launching their product during Augmentor.
  • Gained a number of new clients (including a leading tier one motor manufacturer).

Augmentor is a 10-week programme delivering technical and business mentorship, access to state-of-the-art immersive facilities and regular check-ins with investors. Through Augmentor, Digital Catapult is able to discover businesses with the most commercially viable solutions and provide them with the skills to confidently approach investors. The programme concludes with an investor showcase, which stimulates UK private investment into companies developing innovative and commercially-focused applications of augmented, and virtual reality.

Is currently realising thousands of Pounds in sales since launching their product during Augmentor.

Gained a number of new clients (including a leading tier one motor manufacturer.