How Flam’s App-less AI Infra Is Transforming Content And Digital Ecosystem

How Flam’s App-less AI Infra Is Transforming Content And Digital Ecosystem
Photo Courtesy: Shourya Agarwal (Founder of Flam)

By: Ethan Rogers

The last three decades of the internet saw content evolve from text to images to videos and short-form content, which saw the rise of modern-day giants such as Youtube, Meta, and TikTok capturing audiences like never before and fundamentally transforming our lives. Creators, brands & audiences haven’t been able to unlock the next level of engaging content beyond videos primarily due to the impossible tradeoffs presented.

Amit Gaiki, chief technology officer at Flam explained, “Before Flam’s foray into the space, advertisers were presented with two primary options – Browser based AR that offers high accessibility but low performance or app-based AR that offers high performance but low accessibility.” 

He added, “Flam uniquely delivers on both fronts. It gives an app-like performance with <175kb MR bundle without requiring app downloads and high accessibility like WebAR with significantly better latency <100 ms. It comprehensively supports 6 Bn+ smartphones with proprietary libraries, even the lowest-end Android phones.”

Through Flam, brands can publish interactive mixed-reality content accessed via QR codes or links. Consumers can access MR content by scanning QR codes on any medium, digital or in the physical world. 

Founded in 2021 by Shourya Agarwal, Malhar Patil, and Amit Gaiki, Flam has worked with the likes of Samsung to launch a new feature for its flagship smartphone series in India, and also powered a mixed reality fashion show for Reliance-owned AJIO that allowed users to turn billboards into runways.

“Flam has grown rapidly to power 80+ global and large-scale brands with MR infra in just months. Marquee brands and tech companies worldwide are deploying Flam’s AI as a testament to our enterprise-grade infrastructure. Beyond advertising and communication, Flam is disrupting e-commerce, entertainment, retail, and numerous other markets. We are built for scale, and our adoption across geographies excites me. The massive potential ahead is great,” added Patil.

The startup raised INR 38 Cr ($4.5 Mn) in its Pre-Series A funding round in May 2024 from institutional investors such as Silicon Valley Quad, Inventus Capital Partners, Turbostart, Twin Ventures, marquee angels like Kalyan Krishnamurthy (CEO, Flipkart), Veteran Venture Capitalist Ashish Gupta, celebrity cricketer KL Rahul and YRF CEO, Akshaye Widhani.

With a digital reach of over 500 Mn users, Flam deploys mixed reality experiences via image tracking, ground tracking, and digital experiences backed by proprietary AI algorithms for lightning-fast recognition and enterprise-grade content delivery.

“Mixed reality content aligns with the marketing and communication strategy across channels — whether they do television, digital, print, out-of-home, retail product packaging, WhatsApp or Instagram ads. We have barely scratched the surface. With our fast-expanding product suite, Flam is positioned to make an impact in the advertising market and the digital ecosystem,” said Agarwal.

Diving Deep Into Flam’s Mixed Reality Play

In the 2010s, marketing was evolving and trying to figure out how to integrate emerging technologies into their advertising strategy. That is when MR/AR tried to pick up the pace, but the campaigns, despite being well-designed, could not go far. The reason is a lack of strong and scalable backend infrastructure that can deliver a pure MR experience without trading off the model’s accessibility and performance. 

Even though Snapchat, 8thWall, etc., exist, they either require a native application downloaded and installed on the smartphone of the end consumer or offer a WebAR experience, which is of subpar quality with latency >5-6 secs.

Key Standout Features Of Flam

  • An app like efficiency with unmatched accessibility
  • No-code, easy-to-deploy high-quality graphics
  • Lightning-fast image recognition by AI, with a capability to search billion+ concurrent targets in real-time
  • Proprietary libraries to support 40% of low-end devices which lack AR Core support
  • Faster, better, and more efficient performance than any other infra 
  • High Resolution (4K 120 FPS) output
  • Ultra-low latency in content delivery 

“Even with a 4 Mbps connection, which meets the minimum standard for 3G, Flam may enable the end user to interact with content promptly, addressing one of the key challenges in MR experiences – accessibility,” said Gaiki. 

Moreover, once the bundle is opened on the smartphone, it can interact with every hardware acceleration sensor on the device, making sure that the user experience is as seamless as possible, minimizing any difference between using other mixed reality apps.

The startup’s tech uses advanced surface, depth, and light detection to provide a more immersive and dynamic user experience, which is impossible with the WebAR capabilities. 

For example, the median time taken by WebAR to load and show the first screen is around 6-8 seconds, which is more than 2X the average watch time for Instagram reels. So, it’s a problem of holding the viewer’s attention. 

Flam aims to offer improved graphic fidelity and a more realistic experience in under 100 ms, significantly faster than WebAR solutions, the industry’s go-to open-source standard for AR development. 

Flam differentiates itself by providing broader device coverage and enhanced motion-tracking capabilities, with claims of full device compatibility through its proprietary tech stack.

Will Mixed Reality Tech Shake Up The Ad Industry?

With millions of brands, advertising is a complex landscape, and technology is the one way to break through the clutter. Mixed reality is the newest piece in the puzzle, and with more and more mixed reality devices hitting the market, this is the beginning of the MR era. Mark Zuckerberg’s positioning of the Meta Quest 3 as a mixed-reality headset indicates this.

Going forward, Agarwal claims Flam wants to democratize mixed reality and bring it to brands and individual creators, who can explore newer ways of non-linear storytelling and content creation.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article reflect the perspectives of Flam’s leadership and its partners. The information provided regarding Flam’s mixed-reality technology, market impact, and future developments is based on publicly available details at the time of writing and should not be considered guarantees or endorsements. While Flam’s platform has demonstrated significant potential, including partnerships with major global brands and high-profile campaigns, individual results may vary depending on specific use cases, technologies, and regional conditions. The statements regarding future business projections, market impact, and growth are forward-looking and subject to change based on market dynamics, technological advancements, and other factors beyond Flam’s control.

 

Published by Nicholas A.

(Ambassador)

This article features branded content from a third party. Opinions in this article do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of San Francisco Post.