Loading organizations...
Los Angeles-based Bigscreen develops a social virtual reality software platform and manufactures ultra-lightweight PC VR headsets for entertainment, gaming, and remote collaboration. The company's flagship application allows users to stream their computer desktops into shared virtual environments, supporting major hardware platforms like Oculus, HTC, and Quest. In addition to its digital ecosystem, the firm designs and sells the Bigscreen Beyond, a custom-fitted virtual reality device marketed toward PC gamers and technology enthusiasts. The enterprise has accumulated a user base of more than six million individuals across its software platform while securing over $14 million in total venture capital funding, which includes a $3 million seed round and an $11 million Series A. Backed by prominent lead investors including Andreessen Horowitz and True Ventures, Bigscreen was founded in 2015 by Darshan Shankar and Hayden Lee.
Bigscreen has raised $17.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Bigscreen has raised $17.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Bigscreen has raised $17.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $11.0M Series A in October 2017.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2017 | $11M Series A | True Ventures | Andreessen Horowitz | Announced |
| Feb 24, 2017 | $3M Venture Round | Andreessen Horowitz | David Bettner, Ludlow Ventures, Amitt Mahajan, SV Angel, True Ventures | Announced |
| Feb 1, 2017 | $3M Seed | Andreessen Horowitz | Bonsal Capital, NEW Markets Venture Partners, True Ventures, John M. Mueller, David Bettner, Ludlow Ventures, Presence Capital, SV Angel | Announced |
Bigscreen has raised $17.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Bigscreen's investors include True Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, David Bettner, Ludlow Ventures, Amitt Mahajan, SV Angel, Bonsal Capital, New Markets Venture Partners, John M. Mueller, Presence Capital.
Bigscreen is a virtual reality (VR) technology company that develops software and hardware for immersive social experiences, primarily enabling users to watch movies, share screens, and interact in virtual environments[1][3][4]. It serves gamers, remote workers, movie enthusiasts, and VR communities by solving the problem of isolated digital interactions through shared, cinema-like VR spaces and collaboration tools[1][3]. The company has raised $14M in total funding across two rounds, with $11M in its most recent, and maintains a small team of under 25 employees while generating under $5M in revenue, showing steady growth in the VR social platform space[1].
Bigscreen's flagship products include its VR app for social movie-watching and screen-sharing, plus the Bigscreen Beyond hardware—a lightweight VR headset emphasizing next-gen optics for edge-to-edge clarity and wide field of view[1][4][5]. Partnerships like its deal with Paramount Pictures to distribute classic films underscore its momentum in content-driven VR entertainment[1].
Bigscreen was founded in 2014 by a global team of developers passionate about virtual reality, headquartered in Berkeley, California[1][3][4]. The core idea emerged from a vision to create social VR experiences, starting with software that lets users share computer screens and watch movies together in virtual cinemas, addressing the need for communal immersion in an increasingly remote world[1][3][4]. Early traction came from building a dedicated user community around these features, evolving into hardware like Bigscreen Beyond to enhance accessibility and quality, with pivotal moments including major funding rounds totaling $14M and high-profile content deals[1][4].
Bigscreen rides the wave of spatial computing and social VR, capitalizing on post-pandemic demand for remote socialization and hybrid work, where VR bridges physical distances for entertainment and productivity[1][3]. Timing aligns with maturing VR hardware (e.g., lighter headsets) and rising content availability, amplified by market forces like AI-enhanced optics and streaming integrations that lower entry barriers[5]. It influences the ecosystem by pioneering VR as a social hub—partnering with studios like Paramount to normalize virtual cinemas—while competing with firms in AR/VR displays and body-sharing tech, positioning VR as everyday social infrastructure[1][2].
Bigscreen is poised to expand with Bigscreen Beyond 2 hardware iterations and deeper content ecosystems, leveraging VR's growth in metaverse-like social spaces and remote collaboration[5]. Trends like AI-driven immersion, 5G-enabled low-latency sharing, and mainstream VR adoption will propel it, potentially scaling user bases through more studio partnerships and enterprise tools. Its influence may evolve from niche social VR to a key player in everyday digital hangouts, amplifying connectivity in a fragmented online world—echoing its founding mission to make VR a shared cinema for all.
