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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
Capture, create, & share gaming moments (Acquired by Niantic!)
Lowkey has raised $9.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at Lowkey.
Lowkey was founded in 2018 by Jesse Zhang (Founder).
Lowkey has raised $9.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Lowkey was acquired on 11/30/2021 :)
Key people at Lowkey.
Lowkey was a social gaming platform designed to help gamers capture, create, and share gameplay moments easily through mobile-friendly short videos with built-in editing tools and a content library. It served casual and social gamers who wanted to share highlights without complex editing, enabling sharing within the app and on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The platform solved the problem of cumbersome gameplay recording and sharing, making it accessible and social. In December 2021, Niantic acquired Lowkey’s team to accelerate the social experiences in its augmented reality (AR) products, integrating Lowkey’s expertise to enhance community-building and shared gameplay moments within Niantic’s ecosystem[1][2][3][6].
Lowkey emerged as a social gaming platform focused on simplifying gameplay capture and sharing, targeting casual gamers who lacked time or skills for video editing. The founders built the app to sync gameplay videos from computers to phones, offering simple editing and social sharing features. While specific founders’ details are not publicly highlighted, the platform gained early traction by addressing a niche in gaming content creation. Niantic, founded in 2010 and known for Pokémon GO, acquired the majority of Lowkey’s staff in late 2021, absorbing their talent to boost Niantic’s vision of a “real-world metaverse” and social AR experiences[1][2][4][5].
Lowkey’s acquisition fits into the broader trend of social gaming and user-generated content intersecting with augmented reality and metaverse development. Niantic is leveraging Lowkey’s social video expertise to deepen player engagement and community in AR experiences, riding the wave of increasing demand for immersive, shared digital-physical interactions. The timing is critical as Niantic recently raised $300 million at a $9 billion valuation to expand its AR platform and social features, aiming to build a real-world metaverse where players connect through shared experiences enhanced by social tools like those Lowkey developed[1][2][4].
Going forward, Lowkey’s technology and team are expected to accelerate Niantic’s social experience innovations, potentially integrating seamless gameplay capture and sharing directly into AR games. Trends shaping their journey include the rise of short-form video content, social metaverse platforms, and AR gaming’s growth. Niantic’s influence may evolve toward creating more interconnected, socially rich AR worlds where user-generated content and community engagement are central. This acquisition underscores Niantic’s commitment to blending social connectivity with immersive AR, positioning it well for the future of interactive entertainment[1][2][6].
Lowkey has raised $9.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Series A in January 2021.
Lowkey was founded in 2018 by Jesse Zhang (Founder).
Lowkey has raised $9.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Lowkey's investors include Andreessen Horowitz, 10100, 468 Capital, AirAngels, Altair Capital Management, Alumni Ventures, Amino Capital, Ardent Venture Partners, Array Ventures, Ascend Vietnam Ventures, backtrace capital, B Capital Group.
