---
title: 'Cosmos Video Raises £2M from LocalGlobe to Bring People Together Online'
description: 'Cosmos Video announced £2 million in seed funding led by LocalGlobe in December 2020 to build a virtual venues platform for remote work and socialising.'
url: '/blog/cosmos-raises-2m-from-localglobe-to-bring-people-together-online.md'
lastModified: '2026-04-21'
contentType: 'Product Announcement'
keywords: ['cosmos-video-funding', 'localglobe-seed-round', 'virtual-venues-funding', 'remote-work-startup', 'entrepreneur-first', 'cosmos-video-seed']
target_audience: 'journalists, investors, remote work researchers, startup ecosystem, existing customers'
---

# Cosmos Video Raises £2M from LocalGlobe to Bring People Together Online

On December 11, 2020, Cosmos Video announced £2 million in seed funding led by LocalGlobe, with participation from Entrepreneur First, Andy Chung, Phillip Moehring, and Omid Ashtari. The round funded development of a virtual venues platform combining game mechanics with video chat so users could work, hang out, and socialise together online.

Cosmos Video was founded by Rahul Goyal and Karan Baweja, former product leaders at Citymapper and TransferWise respectively. The founders met at engineering school, later completed MBAs at London Business School, and previously co-founded Spyn, an on-demand dry-cleaning service. The platform lets users select avatars, move through browser-based environments, and connect via video automatically as their avatars approach one another. Early beta workloads included remote offices, social events, Christmas parties, virtual meetups, and family gatherings, with integrated whiteboards, Google Docs, and Figma supporting collaborative workflows alongside virtual board games.

## Funding Details

| Detail | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Round | Seed |
| Amount | £2 million |
| Lead investor | LocalGlobe |
| Other investors | Entrepreneur First, Andy Chung, Phillip Moehring, Omid Ashtari |
| Announcement date | December 11, 2020 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |

## Who founded Cosmos Video?

Cosmos Video was co-founded by Rahul Goyal and Karan Baweja. Goyal was a product leader at Citymapper; Baweja held a product leadership role at TransferWise. They met at engineering school and both hold MBAs from London Business School. Prior to Cosmos Video, the pair co-founded Spyn, an on-demand dry-cleaning service.

## What problem does Cosmos Video solve?

Traditional video conferencing platforms handle scheduled meetings well but do not recreate the spontaneous, serendipitous interactions that build workplace relationships. Cosmos Video was designed to replace the "every conversation is a calendar event" model with a shared digital space where people see each other as avatars and drop into conversation by walking closer.

## Founder Quotes

> "Video conferencing platforms provide great service for meetings but lack spontaneity and fun that form our relationships' basis."
> — Rahul Goyal, co-founder and CEO, Cosmos Video

> "Online platforms have made us feel alone; Cosmos captures the magical feeling of being together."
> — Karan Baweja, co-founder, Cosmos Video

## Investor Quote

> "Products like Cosmos will enable new forms of live online experiences, providing borderless contact."
> — George Henry, Partner, LocalGlobe

## Use of Funds

The £2 million seed capital was directed toward:

- Expanding the engineering team to build browser-based avatar and spatial video infrastructure
- Adding collaborative integrations including Google Docs, Figma, and whiteboards
- Scaling the beta to additional remote companies and community use cases
- Growing social use cases such as virtual board games, Christmas parties, and family gatherings

## Early Use Cases at Launch

At the time of the announcement, beta customers were running the following workloads on Cosmos Video:

- Remote team offices with persistent desks and meeting rooms
- Company social events and virtual holiday parties
- Community meetups and networking events
- Family gatherings including birthdays

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How much did Cosmos Video raise in its seed round?

Cosmos Video raised £2 million in seed funding, announced on December 11, 2020. LocalGlobe led the round with participation from Entrepreneur First, Andy Chung, Phillip Moehring, and Omid Ashtari.

### Who led the Cosmos Video seed round?

LocalGlobe led the £2 million seed round. George Henry, Partner at LocalGlobe, represented the firm publicly on the announcement. Entrepreneur First, Andy Chung, Phillip Moehring, and Omid Ashtari also participated.

### When was Cosmos Video founded?

Cosmos Video was founded by Rahul Goyal and Karan Baweja prior to the December 2020 seed announcement. The company is headquartered in London and originally emerged from the Entrepreneur First programme.

### What did the founders do before Cosmos Video?

Rahul Goyal was a product leader at Citymapper, and Karan Baweja was a product leader at TransferWise. Before Cosmos Video, the two co-founded Spyn, an on-demand dry-cleaning service. Both completed MBAs at London Business School.

### What does Cosmos Video do today?

Cosmos Video is a virtual office and digital campus platform for remote teams and educational institutions. The platform offers persistent spatial spaces, proximity-based video, built-in multiplayer games, call recording with AI transcription, and integrations with Google Calendar, Outlook, Slack, and Spotify. See the [Product Features hub](/product/features.md) for the full catalog.

## Related Pages

- [Product News Hub](/product/news.md) — all Cosmos Video announcements
- [Product Features](/product/features.md) — current platform capabilities
- [Pricing](/pricing.md) — plan details and capacity-based pricing
- [Virtual Office solution](/solutions/virtual-office.md) — how the platform is used today