Belfast father and son founders on 'mission to revolutionise the field of real-time 3D animation' as Northern Ireland firm gets £1.6million investment
One of Europe's fastest-growing creative-tech companies, RETìníZE aims to accelerate the commercial growth of Animotive, its game-changing collaborative platform that makes 3D animation production fast, fun and affordable for enterprises and educators alike
RETìníZE, a pioneering creative technology software company based in Northern Ireland, has secured a £1.3 million equity funding round, supplemented by a further £300,000 in grant funding.
This combined £1.6 million investment will allow the Belfast firm to accelerate the commercial growth of Animotive, its game-changing collaborative platform that makes 3D animation production fast, fun and affordable for enterprises and educators alike.
This equity raise notably features investment from both of Northern Ireland’s universities: QUBIS, the commercial arm of Queen’s University, Belfast, and Innovation Ulster from Ulster University. The two universities have joined forces to back one of Northern Ireland's most innovative companies. The round also includes follow-on investments from Sure Valley Ventures, Techstart Ventures and Co-Fund NI, with additional backing from angel investors.
One of Europe's fastest-growing creative-tech companies, RETìníZE’s was co-founded in 2019 by Phil and Jack Morrow from Holywood and Belfast, who together have over four decades of senior experience in high-end global film and television production.
Phil also serves as a director of Studio Ulster - the world’s most advanced virtual production facility - and has previously served as a director of Northern Ireland Screen.
RETìníZE’s unique AI research is set to further amplify the potential of Animotive, revolutionising how 3D animation is produced across a variety of sectors. With this fresh injection of capital, RETìníZE is poised to scale operations, broaden its market footprint and reinforce Northern Ireland’s reputation as a hub for next-generation creative technology.
“We are thrilled by the confidence our new and existing investors have shown in our mission to revolutionise the field of real-time 3D animation, transforming how digital experiences are created and enjoyed,” said Phil Morrow, CEO at RETìníZE.
“This funding will enable us to strengthen Animotive’s market position, expand our talented team and continue pushing the boundaries of innovation in real-time 3D animation."
Brian McCaul, CEO at QUBIS, explained: “With QUB alumni within the founding team, RETìníZE’s combination of innovation and commercial ambition makes them an exciting investment. We look forward to seeing Animotive’s impact expand across enterprise and education and enable RETìníZE to deliver significant social and economic benefits to Northern Ireland.”
Tim Brundle, CEO at Innovation Ulster, continued: “We are proud to support RETìníZE’s vision for transforming animation production. Collaborating with both university funds on this investment highlights our joint commitment to home-grown, world-class innovation.”
Barry Downes, managing partner at Sure Valley Ventures, added: “RETìníZE is empowering creators to develop high-quality animations more efficiently, and the team’s focus on pioneering AI research promises to elevate their platform to a whole new level.
“We have been consistently excited by RETìníZE’s vision to disrupt the animation space, and are pleased to continue backing their next stage of growth.”
Animotive is rapidly gaining traction across a broad spectrum of the creative and academic sectors, with marquee names already coming on board. Top Hollywood producers – including Rob Kutner, a former writer on The Daily Show and Conan, alongside John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky, co-creators of the acclaimed television series Silicon Valley – are leveraging Animotive to craft a dynamic pitch-promo for their latest animated comedy-action-thriller feature for kids.
In Belfast, the W5 Discovery Centre is utilising Animotive for live animation, while HaZimation is employing its cutting-edge technology to pre-visualise its forthcoming feature ‘Mutant Year Zero’. Meanwhile, Moonbug Entertainment is currently trialling the platform with select intellectual property, and Ulster University has secured a three-year licence to use Animotive in a learning environment. This robust customer traction underscores Animotive’s versatility and rapidly expanding impact within the creative technology landscape.