Nreal Secures Strategic $15 Million Investment
Nreal, a Beijing-based augmented reality (AR) technology startup, announced on August 25 that it has received a strategic investment of $15 million. The funding comes directly from IICOMBINED, the parent company of the highly popular South Korean sunglasses brand Gentle Monster.
This latest financial injection adds to an already impressive streak of fundraising for the startup. Since its establishment in 2017, Nreal has raised more than $240 million in total capital to build out its mixed reality ecosystem.
Nreal's Recent Funding Milestones:
September (Prior Year): Completed a financing round of over $100 million, jointly led by NIO Capital, Yunfeng Capital, and Aplus Capital.
Early Current Year: Secured $60 million in round-C+ financing led by Alibaba.
August 25: Received $15 million in strategic investment from IICOMBINED.
Shaping the Future of the Internet
Market research organization Strategy Analytics has predicted that global AR equipment shipments will approach a staggering 60 million units by the year 2027. Xu Chi, the founder and CEO of Nreal, holds an even bolder vision for the industry's trajectory.
"I think AR is the best hardware carrier and terminal for the next generation internet. By 2030, there will be one billion AR glasses in the world." — Xu Chi, Founder and CEO of Nreal
Xu firmly believes that the AR industry is currently entering its best era and that the subdivision of the industry is nowhere near reaching a bottleneck. To maintain its competitive edge, Nreal has committed to guaranteeing the release of at least one or two new hardware products every single year.
Expanding the AR Hardware and Content Ecosystem
At present, Nreal's core development remains heavily focused on hardware products and immersive content experiences. On August 23, Nreal held China's very first AR glasses conference in Beijing, marking the official launch of two distinct AR glasses tailored for the Chinese market:
| Product Name | Target Audience | Market Availability |
| Nreal X | Developers, pioneer creators, and tech tastemakers | Previously introduced to overseas markets, now in China |
| Nreal Air | Ordinary consumers and everyday users | Released in Japan (Feb) and the UK (May), now in China |
Note: The Nreal X and Nreal Air AR glasses are priced starting from 2,299 Yuan in the domestic market.
Beyond the hardware itself, Nreal is actively building a robust content ecology. The company has entered into strategic collaborations with major players—including iQIYI, China Mobile's Migu, NIO, and Kuaishou—to develop and customize innovative digital experiences specifically for the AR field.
Balancing Domestic and Overseas Markets
Historically, Nreal has focused heavily on overseas markets, establishing a presence in the UK, America, Japan, and South Korea. This international focus initially led to doubts regarding whether the company would ever shift its primary market focus back to China.
Xu recently clarified the company's dual-market approach to the Chinese media outlet 36Kr, stating that both domestic and foreign markets are a major priority.
"China is very important for us, and entering the country should be very formal and prudent," Xu explained. "The exploration of overseas markets has brought Nreal a lot of experience, which is to save energy for opening up the Chinese market."
Moving forward, Nreal remains committed to providing users worldwide with a premium mixed reality experience. By blending technological attributes with high-end art and design—a goal further supported by the Gentle Monster investment—the company plans to relentlessly pursue technological innovation and content expansion across the consumer AR landscape.