Snap Acquires AR Firm Illumix in Bid to Boost Augmented Reality Efforts (EXCLUSIVE)

Snap, parent of Snapchat, has acquired spatial augmented reality company Illumix in a bid to boost its AR efforts.

The company’s interest was spurred by Illumix’s work in scaling its mapping technology and building it out for real-world experiences. As part of the deal, Snap will adopt Illumix’s technology and platform as it seeks to build out its revamped Specs glasses. Snap will also retain most of Illumix’s staff.

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Snap is not disclosing the transaction’s value. The company launched a standalone subsidiary focused on AR glasses, Specs Inc., in January, and it plans to announce more news on the glasses at the Augmented World Expo in Long Beach, California, on June 16.

Illumix (illumix.com), founded in 2017 by CEO Kirin Sinha, focused on building AR products that brought the digital and physical worlds closer. It co-developed an AR version of video game “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which launched in 2019. It has also focused on bringing AI into the physical space, including a focus on changing environments.

Snap reported revenue of $1.53 billion (up 12%) in Q1 2026 and narrowed its net loss to $89 million (vs. a $139.6 million net loss a year prior). In its quarterly shareholder letter, the company said it believed smartglasses would be “the most important computing platform transition since the smartphone” and that Snap was “uniquely positioned to shape that future because we bring together a scaled augmented reality platform, a large developer ecosystem, and a vertically integrated software and hardware stack through Lens Studio, Snap OS, and Specs.” It also said it has seen a 28% year-over-year increase in Lenses developed for the glasses.

Snapchat’s daily active user base grew to 483 million in Q1, up 5% year-over-year.