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Volob provides 3D visualisation solutions to various industries, primarily automotive

GirnarSoft, parent of auto portals CarDekho.com, Gaadi.com and Zigwheels.com, has acquired Volob Technologies, a virtual reality (VR) startup in an all-cash deal.

The size of the deal has not been disclosed.

The company said in a statement the acquisition will augment CarDekho.com’s 3D visualisation capabilities through technologies like VR and augmented reality (AR).

Founded in 2010 by Tarun Kumar and Shweta Jain, Volob provides 3D visualisation solutions to various industries, primarily automotive. The startup has serviced marquee brands like Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Godrej, Greenply and Somany Ceramics.

Also Read: CarDekho buys Help On Wheels to get you road-side assistance

Speaking on the acquisition, Amit Jain, Co-founder and CEO, CarDekho.com, said, “Visual experience is an important element in assessing a car or bike. Volob has proven expertise in the virtual content. CarDekho.com’s acquisition of Volob is aimed at amplifying the visual experience of car buyers in both real and virtual settings. GirnarSoft has enriched its value proposition for online buyers, dealers and OEMs.”

Volob’s Kumar added: “Volob blends creativity and engineering to create 3D visualisation in real-time. Joining CarDekho.com will help us provide solutions which can enable automotive industry deliver life-like experiences to car buyers across multiple touchpoints.”

CarDekho.com has been working on developing VR and AR solutions to help users make better car buying decisions. It recently launched ‘Feel the Car,’ an online tool that gives 360-degree interior/exterior views with sounds of the car and explanations of features with videos.

Also Read: GirnarSoft acquires Connecto to make your online car searching experience smoother

The company had previously acquired Drishya360s, a premier photography and video production firm to develop its virtual reality framework.

Volob is GirnarSoft’s eighth deal in the last two years. Earlier, it made a strategic investment in Advanced Structures India. In the past, it has also acquired Connecto, Help on Wheels, Zigwheels.com, Gaadi.com and BuyingIQ. The company has also incubated and invested in CollegeDekho.com.

Founded in March 2008, CarDekho is a leading auto portal catering to aspiring buyers, owners, auto enthusiasts and dealers of cars across the country. Between 2014 and 2016, the company has acquired Gaadi.com, Zigwheels.com, Connecto, Help on Wheels, Advanced Structures India and Drishya360s. The auto portals together draw close to 33 million visits per month with 22 million unique visitors per month.

Till date, Girnar has raised over INR 300 crore from Hong Kong-based investors Hillhouse and Tybourne, besides existing investor Sequoia. Google Capital is also an investor in the company. It also bagged funding from Ratan Tata and one of the largest banks HDFC.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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