Rooms, a 3D design application created by a team of former Google employees, has secured a $1 million investment from Google as part of a strategic partnership.
Since its beta launch in 2023, the platform has allowed users to create interactive 3D rooms and mini-games, leveraging a library of over 10,000 items that can be further customized using the Lua programming language.
The partnership with Google brings funding and grants Rooms early access to Google’s Gemini AI, enabling advancements in the app’s feature set.
Founded by Jason Toff, Bruno Oliveira, and Nick Kruge—former Googlers with expertise in AR/VR, gaming, and YouTube—Rooms combines creativity with an introduction to coding. The app provides a platform for users to design and share 3D spaces while browsing creations in a vertical feed reminiscent of TikTok.
Initially, users focused on crafting simple designs and games. However, a growing trend has seen creators exploring larger, more intricate spaces to tell stories through animation and interactivity.
For example, a creator known as eodqueen began with standard rooms before expanding into more complex designs incorporating storytelling elements.
In late November 2024, Rooms launched version 3.0, featuring an updated Actions editor that simplifies bringing creations to life without requiring coding knowledge.
Plans are underway to integrate Gemini’s text-to-speech capabilities, allowing creators to add narration and give characters speech functionalities. The app will even support tonal adjustments, enabling characters to convey emotions such as calm, happy, or confident.
The company, Things, Inc., recently announced that over 1 million rooms have been built on the platform, supported by an expanding inventory of more than 10,000 items—up from 7,500 earlier in 2024.
While Rooms has not disclosed current user numbers or engagement metrics, the platform had grown to 250,000 registered users by the end of last year.
The latest funding round, finalized in December, was structured as a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity), giving Google the option to participate in the startup’s Series A round.
This investment follows a $10 million seed funding round from notable investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Adobe’s Scott Belsky, and Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger.
Currently available on the web and iOS, the 3D design app is yet to implement monetization strategies but continues to expand its offerings and tools for creators.
Combining creativity, technology, and storytelling, Rooms is shaping a unique experience for users in the 3D design space.
This post first appeared here.
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