Distance Technologies is pioneering the world’s first true glasses-free XR solution, made for the automotive and aerospace sectors and extending beyond. Our technology brings together the synthetic and real worlds into a seamless whole, designed to blend naturally into our everyday life.
"Distance offers an open ecosystem, allowing manufacturers and integrators to supercharge the fusion of the physical and digital worlds in various applications. We've been impressed with how fast the team has moved to develop the technology, and we're thrilled to support them as they look to deploy across these critical sectors."
– Roni Hiranand, Principal at GV
Meet the founding team.

Urho
Konttori
Urho
Konttori
Urho Konttori is a technology entrepreneur and inventor with a rich background in mixed reality and mobile technology. As the CEO and co-founder of Varjo, he significantly advanced VR and XR technologies for professional markets. Previously at Microsoft and Nokia, Urho developed innovative hardware and software solutions. His leadership at Varjo earned acclaim for producing some of the most sophisticated VR and XR devices globally. At Distance, Urho continues to drive technological innovation and market leadership as CEO.

Jussi
Mäkinen
Jussi
Mäkinen
Formerly CMO, CBO and founding team member at Varjo, Jussi played a pivotal role from the company's inception and growth, driving strategic and creative marketing and fostering key global partnerships in the automotive, aerospace and tech industries. Earlier, as VP of Marketing at Rovio, he led the Angry Birds brand towards a successful IPO. A recipient of two Webby awards, Jussi’s passion for technology and product development drives his role at Distance, where he continues to innovate at the intersection of marketing, R&D and design.

Mikko
Strandborg
Mikko
Strandborg
Mikko Strandborg is a seasoned expert with over 20 years in real-time 3D graphics and mixed reality. Inventor of around 100 patents and filings, he shaped significant innovations at Varjo as Principal Engineer and later as Technical Director. His tenure at Unity Technologies saw him developing major rendering backends and compilers. Mikko, a speaker at SIGGRAPH, GDC and Unite, brings a wealth of expertise to his role at Distance, guiding cutting-edge 3D graphics and XR development.

Joonas
Itäranta
Joonas
Itäranta
With a 25-year tenure across various technology sectors, Joonas Itäranta has developed and launched successful consumer products for prominent brands such as Nokia, Microsoft and Suunto. Before co-founding Distance, he served as Development Director at Remedy Entertainment focusing on game engine technology and game production. Joonas' diverse experience provides a solid foundation for his leadership in software product development and strategic operations at Distance.

Thomas
M. Carlsson
Thomas
M. Carlsson
Thomas M. Carlsson’s career spans over 25 years, during which he has developed pioneering technologies for diverse clients, including Fortune 500 companies. Known for his work in optical tracking systems utilized by Formula 1 and the Premier League, Thomas also extensively contributed to VR and XR headsets at Varjo before co-founding Distance. Thomas’s approach to software-driven hardware and extensive experience in patenting and tracking solutions drive technological development at Distance.

Ville
Vehkaperä
Ville
Vehkaperä
Ville Vehkaperä has over 25 years of expertise in manufacturing technologies, process automation, and robotics. As a consultant, he has driven innovation and growth, particularly in VR and mobile devices. Previously, Ville held significant roles at Nokia, leading technology advancement projects. His deep knowledge in robotics and process automation enhances his current role at Distance, focusing on optimizing technological operations and mechanical solutions.

Mikko
Juhola
Mikko
Juhola
Mikko Juhola has 25 years of experience in the area of optics from concepting, designing, patenting, prototyping, measuring and bringing concepts to mass production. Mikko has worked Nokia, Microsoft and Huawei with imaging, optics, illumination, waveguides, thin films, diffractive and subwavelength optics.With more than 40 filed patents, Mikko has been specialized in innovative miniaturized optical systems approaches combined to in depth knowhow in optical manufacturing.

Petteri
Timonen
Petteri
Timonen
Petteri brings a wealth of experience in cutting-edge computer vision technologies. He has previously worked at Apple as a Senior Computer Vision Engineer and at Varjo, focusing on state-of-the-art 3D reconstruction algorithms. Petteri's journey is already remarkable, from redefining the performance of Google Knowledge Graph as a software engineering intern to honors such as being named one of Helsingin Sanomat Visio's 35 under 35, Outstanding Young Person of Finland, winning the Intel ISEF 2nd Grand Award and awarded on European Union Contest for Young Scientists with an asteroid named after him.
News & Articles
20/03/25
Distance and Patria-led eALLIANCE Collaborate on Next-Generation Mixed Reality HUDs for Patria’s Acclaimed 6x6 Defence Vehicles - Turning Windshields into Real-Time 3D and AI Tactical Data Screens Without XR Glasses
Distance and Patria-led eALLIANCE Collaborate on Next-Generation Mixed Reality HUDs for Patria’s Acclaimed 6x6 Defence Vehicles - Turning Windshields into Real-Time 3D and AI Tactical Data Screens Without XR GlassesDistance Enables Unprecedented Battlespace Awareness for Situational Readiness in Low-Visibility Environments
20/01/25
Defense Visualization Leader Aechelon Technology Partners with Glasses-Free Visual AI Pioneer Distance Technologies for Developing Next Generation In-Flight Mixed Reality Simulations
Aechelon Technology, Inc., the the acknowledged leader in immersive visualization technology for defense and geo-specific visualization since 1998, today announced a strategic partnership with acclaimed Finnish mixed reality startup Distance Technologies Ltd.
Together, Distance and Aechelon are developing the next generation of 3D mixed reality heads-up displays (HUDs) for advanced aerospace simulations. These cutting-edge simulations will occur in-flight and in real-time, marking a significant departure from traditional ground-based simulations that rely on projector dome visualization rooms or VR goggles.
26/09/24
Distance Technologies Closes Oversubscribed €10M Seed Round, Led by GV (Google Ventures)
Distance Technologies Closes Oversubscribed
€10M Seed Round, Led by GV (Google Ventures)
Developing a Transformative, Glasses-Free Mixed Reality Solution for Use in Automotive,
Aerospace and Defense; Enabling an Open Platform for Next-Gen Mixed Reality
13/06/24
DISTANCE LAUNCH RELEASE
Distance Technologies Launches Out of Stealth, Started by Varjo Co-Founders to Create World’s First Glasses-Free XR for Contextual AI
$2.7M Raised in Oversubscribed Pre-Seed Round, with Investors Including FOV Ventures, Maki.VC, and David Helgason’s Foobar; Private Demos to Media and Customers at Augmented World Expo 2024
A new world between the seen and the unseen is waiting. If you are ready to do things never done before, let us know.
Ready to go the Distance? The most profound technologies need to be seen to be believed. If you are interested in a demo or want to talk to us, let us know.
