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PulpoAR

Company Overview

PulpoAR is a technology company that provides augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the beauty and retail industries. The company develops integrated augmented shopping technology and AR commerce platforms that allow customers to virtually try on makeup, hair colors, and nail polishes.

Founded in New York, PulpoAR has additional offices in Izmir and Ankara, Turkey. The company has over 7 years of expertise in AR technology and aims to reinvent the customer experience for beauty and retail brands through its virtual try-on solutions.

Products Overview

PulpoAR offers several key AR/AI solutions for beauty retailers:

  1. Facial Makeup - Allows virtual try-on of complete makeup looks and individual products like foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow, etc. Uses facial recognition and AI to apply realistic makeup effects.

  2. Hair Color - Provides hyper-realistic virtual hair coloring using hair segmentation technology. Allows users to experiment with different hair colors.

  3. Nail Polish - Enables virtual try-on of nail polish colors and textures within seconds. Uses nail segmentation technology.

  4. Skin Diagnostics - AI-powered skin analysis that detects skin issues and provides customized recommendations.

  5. Business Analytics - Provides data and insights on product try-ons, user behavior, etc. to help brands optimize their offerings.

These solutions can be integrated across different platforms including desktop web, mobile apps, mobile web, smart mirrors, and social media.

Problem and Market Fit

PulpoAR aims to solve several key problems for beauty retailers:

  1. Inability for customers to try products before purchasing, especially for online shopping.
  2. Hygiene concerns with physical product testers in stores.
  3. Time and effort required to physically try on multiple products.
  4. Lack of personalized recommendations for customers.

By providing virtual try-on solutions, PulpoAR enables a more convenient, hygienic, and personalized shopping experience for customers. This addresses the growing demand for digital and AR-enabled shopping experiences in the beauty industry.

Business Model

PulpoAR operates on a B2B model, providing its AR/AI solutions to beauty and retail brands. The company likely charges licensing or subscription fees to brands for integrating and using its technology across their digital platforms and in-store experiences.

Customers

PulpoAR works with over 20 leading beauty and retail companies globally. Some of their notable customers include:

  • Sephora
  • MAC Cosmetics
  • Watsons
  • Flormar
  • Yves Rocher
  • Rossmann
  • Gratis
  • Hepsiburada

Competitive Landscape

The AR beauty tech space has several players including:

  • Perfect Corp
  • ModiFace (acquired by L’Oreal)
  • Virtool
  • FaceCake

PulpoAR differentiates itself through its range of solutions across makeup, hair, and nails, as well as its focus on providing business analytics alongside the AR experiences.

Relevant News

In March 2023, PulpoAR announced it had become part of The Glimpse Group (NASDAQ:VRAR), a diversified virtual and augmented reality platform company. This acquisition likely provides PulpoAR with additional resources and market reach.

While specific funding details are not provided, the company mentions being backed by IDA Capital and Akkök Holding as supporters.

In summary, PulpoAR is positioning itself as a key technology provider in the growing AR beauty tech space, working with major brands to enhance digital shopping experiences through virtual try-on solutions. Its acquisition by The Glimpse Group indicates continued growth and expansion plans in this market.

Classification: AI Tier 2

  1. Core AI: Create fundamental AI technologies/base models
  2. AI-Enabled: Core offerings rely on recent AI advances
  3. AI Adopters: Use AI to enhance existing products/services
  4. Non-AI: No AI in products/services

PulpoAR’s products are entirely dependent on recent AI advances in facial recognition and segmentation, making it an AI-Enabled company.