Disguise wins Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2022
Company
Disguise Platform
Disguise is one of 232 UK organisations to be awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise Innovation this year.
Announced on 21 April 2022, Disguise has been recognised for its excellence in extended reality (xR) and virtual production innovation at a time when the media and entertainment industry has been severely hit by the pandemic. Disguise's xR solution provided groundbreaking technology that allowed users and partners to continue delivering spectacular productions in a virtual setting.
First established in 1965, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the UK. The awards celebrate the success of exciting and innovative businesses which are leading the way with pioneering products or services.
The award comes two years after Disguise xR’s first major application by Disguise partner and xR pioneers XR Studios, for Katy Perry’s memorable performance at the American Idol 2020 Finale. Since then, the demand and potential of xR has skyrocketed and, in response, Disguise have accelerated their business towards new markets such as virtual production, broadcast and immersive entertainment, whilst unlocking new applications in existing markets like live performance, corporate presentations and brand activations.
During this time, extended reality has become a global phenomenon and Disguise have powered over 450 productions around the world. The company gained a majority financial backing from The Carlyle Group and increased their partnership with Epic Games, a minority stakeholder in the company by securing one of their MegaGrants. Meanwhile, more than 300 stages powered by Disguise xR have been built across 35 countries to meet the growing global demand for this groundbreaking technology.
Recently, Disguise is driving the industry across the APAC region, opening new offices in Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore and Auckland, New Zealand to meet rising regional demand. The opportunity that xR and Disguise technology brings has led to a 75% increase in headcount across the business globally from 2018 to the end of 2020.
Disguise is committed to continuously invest in R&D with a successful track record of hardware and software releases to support the industry push boundaries with every new production. The company recently acquired cloud-based solution platforms Mapping Matter, Previz and Polygon Labs to extend its capabilities towards remote collaboration. It has also recently offered access to its software interface in six new languages to empower its global user base to deliver ambitious productions removing any friction or language barrier.
From a small experiment less than five years ago to the most prestigious business award in the UK today… This is truly a dream come true! Disguise xR is the result of industry-wide collaboration as our team worked closely with our user community over the years to build out the most advanced and integrated extended reality solution on the market. I am incredibly proud of our team, their passion and dedication to continue pushing the boundaries of what Disguise can achieve.
Disguise CEO