Distance Technologies

Headquarters

Helsinki, Finland

Founded

2024

Employees

50

Total funding

$13.9M

Stage

Seed

Status

active

Domains

Mixed-reality displays, Automotive/aerospace HUD, Dual-use hardware

Website

distance.tech

• FounderUrho KonttoriCEO and co-founder of Distance Technologies, building glasses-free XR displays for automotive/aerospace/defense cockpits. Previously co-founded and served as CEO of Varjo; earlier VR/XR hardware and software roles at Microsoft and Nokia.
• FounderJussi MäkinenCMO and co-founder of Distance Technologies, building glasses-free mixed-reality displays for automotive, aerospace, and defense cockpits. Previously a founding-team member, CMO, and Chief Business Officer at Varjo.
• FounderMikko StrandborgCo-founder and Principal Engineer at Distance Technologies. Previously at Varjo and Unity; holds roughly 100 patents.
• FounderJoonas ItärantaCo-founder of Distance Technologies, focused on operations/software leadership. Previously at Nokia, Microsoft, and Remedy Entertainment.
• FounderThomas M. CarlssonCo-founder of Distance Technologies, focused on optical tracking. Previously at Varjo, with prior work on F1 and Premier League tracking systems.
• FounderVille VehkaperäFounder, owner, and CTO of Apaja Engineering Oy, a one-person mechanical-engineering and product-development consultancy in Oulu, Finland; left Nokia in 2014 to start the company.
• FounderMikko JuholaCo-founder of Distance Technologies, focused on optics. Previously at Nokia, Microsoft, and Huawei; holds 40+ patents.
• FounderPetteri TimonenCo-founder and Principal XR Engineer at Distance Technologies. Previously worked on computer vision at Apple and at Varjo.

• FundMaki.vcHelsinki-based early-stage venture capital firm; co-led Distance Technologies' $2.7M pre-seed round (June 2024) and returned as a participant in its €10M GV-led seed round (September 2024).
• FundFOV VenturesVenture capital firm focused on spatial computing and XR; co-led Distance Technologies' $2.7M pre-seed round (June 2024) and returned as a participant in its €10M GV-led seed round (September 2024).
• FundGVAlphabet's venture capital arm, investing across enterprise, hard tech, and defense-adjacent robotics/autonomy.

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What does Distance Technologies do?

Distance Technologies, founded in 2024 by CEO Urho Konttori (co-founder and former CEO of Varjo) and co-founder Jussi Mäkinen (former CMO of Varjo; earlier VP of Marketing at Rovio during its Angry Birds IPO), builds glasses-free extended-reality (XR) displays for vehicle windshields and aircraft cockpits, described in press coverage as AI-powered heads-up/battlefield displays with dual-use defense applications. Additional founding team: Mikko Strandborg (ex-Varjo/Unity), Joonas Itäranta (ex-Nokia/Microsoft/Remedy), Thomas M. Carlsson (ex-Varjo, optical tracking), Ville Vehkaperä (ex-Nokia, manufacturing/robotics), Mikko Juhola (ex-Nokia/Microsoft/Huawei, optics), and Petteri Timonen (ex-Apple/Varjo, XR engineering). The company raised a $2.7M pre-seed round (June 2024, co-led by Maki.vc and FOV Ventures) followed by a €10M seed round (September 2024) led by Google's GV with FOV Ventures and Maki.vc returning, for total funding of roughly $13.9M. Distance has a three-year framework agreement with UK defense-vehicle maker Supacat to integrate its AR HUD/optics stack across Supacat's HMT vehicle family, and has run field trials of its Field Operator HUD with UK and Finnish armed forces.

Where is Distance Technologies headquartered?

Distance Technologies is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland and was founded in 2024.

How much funding has Distance Technologies raised?

Distance Technologies has raised $13.9M in disclosed funding.

What does Distance Technologies specialize in?

Distance Technologies works across Mixed-reality displays, Automotive/aerospace HUD, Dual-use hardware.

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