Blaxxun
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Virtual reality |
| Founded | 1995-08 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | 3D browsers, multi-user server solutions, 3D community platforms |
Blaxxun Interactive, initially known as "Black Sun Interactive," was among the first companies to create 3D community platforms for the Internet, utilizing VRML technology and scalable multi-user server infrastructures.
Company history
Established in August 1995, Blaxxun managed its sales and marketing efforts from San Francisco, while its management and development teams were based in Munich, Germany. The company’s initial funding came from the US venture capital firm CMGI, which also supported prominent Internet enterprises such as GeoCities and Lycos. Subsequent investment rounds included contributions from tbg and General Electric.
Blaxxun engineered multiple 3D browsers and multi-user server solutions, catering to prominent clients including BMW (with their "3D Car Configurator"), Deutsche Bank ("Virtual Shareholder Meeting"), IBM (3D Notebook Demo), Canal+ ("Virtual Paris"), Siemens, and Intel.
In 1996, Blaxxun acquired the US community Cybertown, transforming it into a 3D social platform that amassed over one million registered users by the year 2000. The company also engaged in joint ventures with Germany's Cornelsen to develop the 3D community Learnetix, as well as with SoccerCity in collaboration with Kicker magazine.
Although Blaxxun intended to launch an IPO on Germany's Neuer Markt in 2000—which was oversubscribed by institutional investors at 2.5 times—the offering was postponed and eventually failed due to the dot-com bubble burst. The company briefly reached profitability in 2001 and secured additional financing but soon faced challenges caused by shrinking Internet revenues.
Operations at Blaxxun ended in early 2002. Its assets were subsequently divided among successor entities: Blaxxun Technologies continued promoting the main server technologies, Bitmanagement Software further developed the 3D client applications, and Cybertown was returned to its original founders before being sold.