Ope Heat Raises Approximately ¥217 Million in Pre-Series A Funding to Strengthen 3D Platform TAVIO and TAVIO STUDIO

Ope Heat Inc. announced that in May 2026 it raised approximately ¥217 million in a Pre-Series A round through a third-party allotment of new shares to multiple venture capital firms and operating companies. The funding will be used to strengthen the company’s 3D platform TAVIO and further accelerate operations of TAVIO STUDIO. Ope Heat is building a next-generation platform powered by spatial AI and 3D/4D generation technology, aiming to create a world where anyone can handle experiences that record spaces themselves, beyond what 2D images and videos can convey. TAVIO is a next-generation platform that automatically generates photorealistic 3D content from photos or videos uploaded from a smartphone and enables publishing on the web. Since its previous funding round, Ope Heat has developed the TAVIO Platform API, expanding its 3D generation capabilities into infrastructure that can be used by external services. This has accelerated cross-service platform development across TAVIO BIZ, a dashboard for corporate users; TAVIO DIVE, a VR spatial experience app; and TAVIO STUDIO, a 3D photography service. The company’s proprietary TAVIO ENGINE can generate high-quality 3D content from a small number of images. Ope Heat is improving generation speed and quality when working with limited image sets, expanding its use in commercial services, embedded services, event operations, and real-world events. API-based collaboration with external companies is also progressing, alongside the development of new services using 3D photos. TAVIO STUDIO is a high-precision 3D photo service that combines the lightweight and fast TAVIO ENGINE with a synchronized multi-camera shooting system. Because it can generate high-quality 3D content from a small number of images, it does not require large-scale shooting equipment and can be flexibly deployed at event venues and commercial facilities. In addition to its permanent studio, TAVIO STUDIO ASAKUSA, the company is expanding on-site photo booth-style shooting at commercial facilities, event venues, and tourist destinations, promoting a new experience in which 3D photography can be done anywhere. In entertainment, Ope Heat is also applying the service to two-shot 3D photo experiences with VTubers, developing it as a new form of spatial experience content. Looking ahead, the company plans self-service 3D photography that does not require dedicated staff and partnerships with photo studios across Japan, aiming to make 3D photography part of everyday recording and creative activity. The Pre-Series A round raised ¥217 million via third-party allotment. Investors include Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital, DG Resona Ventures, Mizuho Capital, RICOH Innovation Fund, and GENDA Capital. The proceeds will be used for TAVIO STUDIO development, TAVIO operations and enhancement, and R&D for automated generation technology using spatial AI. Ope Heat said it has focused so far on 3D generation technology and platform development, and that this funding will help it fully scale consumer services and enterprise platform offerings while accelerating the social implementation of spatial experiences. The company plans to launch a consumer SNS service that lets users record and share everyday memories together with the surrounding space, creating a new culture. Ope Heat will also work on faster and more real-time 3D generation, improved usability and UX, and new features using spatial recognition technology, such as automatic tag generation and captioning through spatial AI. For enterprises, it will strengthen external API offerings, support integration with existing systems and industry-specific solutions, and prepare its app infrastructure for global expansion. CEO Koji Watanabe said the company is pleased to welcome existing shareholders Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital and GENDA Capital, as well as new shareholders DG Resona Ventures, Mizuho Capital, and RICOH Innovation Fund. He said Ope Heat aims to realize a world where anyone can record and share memorable experiences through spatial AI and 3D/4D technology, while promoting the democratization of 3D and spatial computing.