US-based augmented reality (AR) software developer Upskill has raised $17.2m from investors including aerospace manufacturer Boeing, industrial manufacturing conglomerate General Electric, networking equipment producer Cisco and professional services firm Accenture.
The round also included venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and undisclosed other investors. Cisco, Boeing and General Electric participated through their respective corporate venturing units: Cisco Investments, HorizonX and GE Ventures.
Formerly known as APX Labs, Upskill has created an operating system called Skylight that enables businesses to deploy AR overlays via smart glasses to deliver messages and other information used by employees in the workplace.
The company recently released an upgraded release of the Skylight software with increased interoperability with external IT systems, and has launched a strategic alliance with Accenture to develop the latter’s extended reality and connected digitalisation businesses.
Upskill will use the cash to expand its headcount and global operations, while investing in product development to exploit what it regards as a likely rise in demand for enterprise AR products.
GE Ventures and Boeing subsidiary Boeing Venture Capital had supplied an undisclosed amount of series B funding for Upskill in April 2017 but it is unclear whether the investment formed part of the latest round.
The company had previously raised $29m in funding, including $13m in a 2015 round led by NEA that included Salesforce Ventures and CNF Investments, subsidiaries of enterprise software producer Salesforce and conglomerate Cox Enterprises, as well as GE Ventures and SineWave Ventures.