Blippar has closed a $54m Series D funding round, accelerating the augmented reality and artificial intelligence technology company’s expansion of its engineering capabilities and presence in San Francisco.

 

The investment round was led by funding from Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the strategic investment fund of the Government of Malaysia.

“2016 is poised to be the biggest year in Blippar’s history as we not only expand our breadth and depth as a business – across our team, technology capabilities and product offerings – but also reach new heights with our vision to become a true visual discovery engine for the physical world,” said Blippar co-founder and chief executive Ambarish Mitra.

“This latest funding round will allow us to continue to capture top engineering talent, further grow our leading global install base, create one-of-a-kind campaigns for our brand partners, and achieve our vision for an era in which everyone has access to unlimited knowledge of the world around them, regardless of language or education.”

Blippar currently employs around 60 engineers in its San Francisco and Mountain View offices, and a total of more than 300 employees across 14 global offices. The company is set to use the funding to grow its engineering team and extend the global reach of its visual-browsing capabilities with the addition of new categories and content, as well as invest in user acquisition.

The company will also use the funding to continue growing within the education sector in a bid to become the default platform for interactive visual learning experiences in the classroom.

This news comes following the recent appointment of Glen Drury as chief commercial officer for the EMEA region.