Bootloader Studio Emerges from Stealth with $5M in Seed Funding

May 23, 2024—Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City—Bootloader Studio, a first-of-its-kind startup pioneering a new kind of experience at the intersection of affective AI and spatial computing, today emerged from stealth with the vision, funding, and a clear path to develop emotionally-driven AI that can read and respond to human emotion.

Bootloader Studio is announcing it has raised significant funding led by Antler Elevate. The Bootloader Studio team brings together expertise in entertainment, AI, and spatial computing to create emotionally aware interactions. The funding will be used to expand the Bootloader Studio team and go to market with its first consumer product, slated to launch later this year on Apple Vision Pro spatial computing devices.

"Technology can completely transform human behavior," said Bryan Pelz, CEO and founder of Bootloader Studio. "From the first sound computers to the smartphone to generative AI, innovation has reshaped the way we interact and connect with the world around us. But we have reached a new inflection point."

Humans are also more emotionally disconnected than ever, longing for meaningful interactions instead of continuous scrolling. Bootloader Studio is leveraging affective AI and spatial computing to drive transformative human experiences. Pelz added, "Imagine a future where humans and technology interact naturally, creating new points of rewarding connection and emotional engagement. We're making it a reality."

Bootloader Studio is creating breakthrough technology that reads and responds to human emotion to create two-way engagement. This is now possible due to the availability of personal spatial computing and augmented reality tools. The company believes its innovation unlocks the next wave of technological transformation by bringing emotional intelligence to generative AI.

"Just as generative AI was built and trained upon the written words of the world, affective AI will learn from and analyze the nuanced emotional reactions that make up the human experience," said Pelz. "Bootloader Studio, through our affective AI, will allow technology to interact with people as the biological beings that they are, rather than just as command-based users. This is an exciting mission that we’re honored to lead."

"Affective AI is a deeply personal advancement in technology, and so it is vital that the user remains in control of their experience, not the AI," added Pelz. "Trust and privacy must always come first to drive these emotion-powered experiences in augmented reality. Bootloader Studio is instituting industry-leading protections to ensure individuals are protected."

Bootloader Studio's approach to affective AI will unlock a new frontier for individual emotional models representative of how users may engage with new technology in the future. As such, Bootloader Studio has put privacy and consumer protections at the heart of its development.

As investors and the public fully realize affective AI's potential, the decisions of builders will be paramount in paving a responsible road forward.

"We believe that AR technology combined with the advances in affective AI creates an enormous opportunity that is only just beginning to emerge," said Fady Abdel-Nour, Partner at Antier Elevate. "Bryan and the team at Bootloader Studio not only have a strong technical foundation but also possess the tremendous vision to be hugely successful. We are extremely excited about what they are building and the potential it has to reshape this nascent industry."

Bootloader Studio is working towards a future where it will provide privacy-protected, user-owned emotional models that will forever change how humans can choose to interact with technology and others. Trained and held by each user, Bootloader Studio's personal emotional data will enable users to tell businesses, doctors, friends, and more their preferences to ensure personalized interactions and improve the overall customer or user experience, spanning entertainment, commerce, physical and mental wellness, and more.