CGTrader: global 3D model marketplace

In an increasingly online and digitalised world, many businesses need graphic design, augmented reality or 3D modelling to help build their online presence. But 3D modelling can be an expensive and time-consuming process – it can take anywhere from 2 hours to 2 weeks to create something – often using the skills of very specific designers. “This is where we come in” explains Dalia Lasaite, co-founder and CEO of Lithuanian 3D model source CGTrader.

CGTrader offers a stock marketplace of over a million pre-existing models, in any sector you can think of: architecture, food, plants, space, vehicles and more. “We know that product imagery can often be the best way to increase sales, however, photoshoots can be very costly to arrange: you have to ship products, set up a studio, book the right people. What we offer – and specifically for e-commerce with our ARsenal platform - is that your product is recreated as a virtual, photorealistic 3D model – and then can be placed into virtually any setting or superimposed over the real world through our Augmented Reality capabilities,” says Dalia.

With over 3.5 million 3D artists, design studios and businesses from around the world sharing and selling their 3D models over CGTrader marketplace, the company has grown exponentially since its launch in 2011 and today boasts big name clients such as Google, Shopify and Staples Canada     , not to mention big investors such as Intel Capital. “Although we always strive to go the extra mile for the customer, we’re also the only designer-first platform on the market ”, explains Dalia, “my co-founder Marius Kalytis started out as a 3D designer himself. But he quickly saw that he was only getting a fraction of the commission, despite all the work going into his designs, and with this, the idea of CGTrader was born”. Today, CGTrader offers the most commercially attractive royalties       for designers as well as an open space for talented 3D designers to showcase their work, and as a result, the Vilnius-based company has a truly global community of creators and users. 

Rewind back to 2017 and CGTrader was only just starting to make a profit, relying on very limited resources to do so. “This is when Karma Ventures came in with their investment”, explains Dalia, ”we needed a big boost to develop our platform further and most importantly to attract top level talent”. And boost the company it did; CGTrader has grown seven times since this investment.

So what does the future hold for this Lithuanian dynamic duo? “Well, demand for visual content has exploded with the pandemic and digitalisation,” Dalia explains, “with many eCommerce companies working to enhance their online presence and user experience. We have very ambitious plans for the future, we are in the process of raising more capital and we plan to expand further into the US market. There is a lot more to come for CGTrader”.

Company: CGTrader 

Financing Intermediary: Karma Ventures

Type of business: ICT

EIF financing: Baltic Innovation Fund, CG Trader also received seed financing via JEREMIE Lithuania

For further information about EIF intermediaries in Lithuania, please refer to:
http://www.eif.org/what_we_do/where/ltu