Investors glimpse the future in virtual reality technology

New York

MAGIC Leap, a secretive company making wearable technology for mixing digital imagery with the real world, is seeking to raise US$827 million. Jaunt, maker of a 3-D camera for filming virtual reality video, has nabbed a total of US$100 million, including US$65 million in September. And 8i, which makes technology that lets people interact with video of humans as though they were in the same room, has raised nearly US$15 million.

None of these startups is a household name. Few members of the public have had an opportunity to interact with - much less buy - the virtual and augmented reality technology that these companies are developing.