Despite Apple and Facebook investing billions into a “metaverse” future, in recent years there’s been a distinct drop-off in venture deals for startups focused on finding opportunities in augmented reality. Many VCs who have been burned by investments in large-scale efforts like Magic Leap now see the near-term spoils of augmented reality tech as opportunities largely left for big tech companies, but smaller startups are still finding inroads that appeal to investors.
For London-based Dent Reality, one opportunity is in creating specific small-scale experiences that showcase the powers of the technology — and hyper-localized mapping — starting in venues like grocery stores. In the case of a grocery store, the team’s augmented re …