Stencil raises $14M to expand low-code AR design suite for retail

Design · 3 min read

Stencil, a design tooling startup focused on retail AR, secured $14 million in Series A funding led by Meridian Ventures. Stencil AR enables designers and merchandisers to author AR experiences—try-on, product visualizers, and spatial signage—without writing shader code or 3D pipelines.

The platform integrates with major e-commerce backends and supports live product feeds so AR experiences update automatically when inventory changes. Stencil also provides performance-optimized assets and an analytics dashboard that tracks engagement and conversion lift from AR interactions.

Retail pilots reported improved online conversion rates and reduced returns for furniture and eyewear lines. Stencil emphasized enterprise features including single sign-on, permissioned environments for creative teams, and exportable performance-optimized asset packs.

The company will use the funding to build a deeper plugin ecosystem—3D scanning services, material libraries, and partnerships with photogrammetry providers—and to hire in partnerships and sales for North American and European retailers.