Dekko

Dekko aimed to solve the fragmentation problem in mobile augmented reality by creating a unified 3D mapping engine that would let smartphones and wearables like Google Glass understand and interact with physical spaces in real time. ​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌Game developers and app creators experienced this acutely—they had to build custom solutions for each device and environment, making AR development prohibitively expensive. The problem was measurable: adoption rates for AR apps remained negligible, and development costs were five to ten times higher than traditional mobile apps. Competitors like Qualcomm's Vuforia and Metaio offered competing platforms, though none achieved mainstream traction. Dekko's fatal misstep was betting heavily on Google Glass as a primary platform just as the device faced public backlash and enterprise-only pivoting. The warning signs were ignored: consumer AR hardware adoption remained sluggish, smartphone camera technology wasn't advancing fast enough for reliable 3D mapping, and the company burned through $3.2 million pursuing a solution before the market infrastructure existed to support it. By 2014, Dekko had quietly shut down, having solved a real problem too early.