The sideloading platform, SideQuest, has raised a $3 million seed round to build tools that would assist VR developers. After being introduced just a few days after the Oculus Quest release in 2019, the company raised $650k last year.

Founded by the husband-and-wife team of Shane Harris and Orla Harris, SideQuest provides virtual reality developers with a novel alternative to make their content available publicly to Oculus Quest users. The platform allows the developers to bypass the stringent console-like curation policy for Quest content.

The users can try out something beyond the official Quest Store and explore experimental software on the side loading platform. Facebook has provided official support for this form of distribution through its App Lab system.

The company had used the previous infusion of funds for developing a testing service and several other tools for developers. It could use the new investment to accelerate growth and further expand its platform rapidly. The round was led by PROfounders and saw participation from Ada Ventures, SCNE, and Connect Ventures, among other strategic angel investors.

The company aims “to help more developers port to more platforms” as the VR ecosystem expands with the introduction of new hardware, explained Orla Harris.

Shane Harris said the new funding provides the company with the “runway needed to focus on driving more engagement in our communities, more support for developers, and more innovation in VR.” The company is looking forward to “provide discovery and community for the next generation of content creators,” he added.

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