Construction is smarter than ever. Drones are mapping jobsites in real time, scanners are documenting reality in 3D in seconds, and AI tools are flagging risks before they turn into costly reworks. At FARO®, we strive to remain at the forefront of innovation, reality capture included, ensuring you and your team have the best tools to plan, execute, and deliver projects that meet and exceed expectations.
Our breakthroughs in reality capture technology didn’t happen overnight. This is the story of the origins of FARO Sphere XG, the industry-leading digital reality platform you have come to know and rely on.
Beginnings
In 2014 Mostafa Akbari-Hochberg, Simon Heinen, and Kristina Tenhaft founded Bitstars GmbH, a startup focused on 3D and augmented reality applications. With growing demand in the sector, the company quickly gained momentum, earning the backing of the German Accelerator program in 2015. This led to the expansion to Palo Alto, California. That same year, Bitstars won their first award for their pioneering use of 360° imagery at the RICOH THETA Developers Contest.
Bitstars founders from left to right: Simon Heinen, Kristina Tenhaft, Mo Akbari-Hochberg
In 2016, Bitstars rebranded to HoloBuilder Inc., moving its headquarters into the Silicon Valley: San Francisco, California. Positioned at the heart of tech innovation, their mission evolved to address one of construction’s most chronic challenges: efficient, reliable jobsite documentation. With the introduction of the HoloBuilder™, a Construction Progress Management platform, and the JobWalk app, a mobile-first solution for capturing 360° photos linked to floor plans, the company enabled project teams to visually document progress in minutes with the tap of a button. The groundbreaking technology’s rapid adoption saw the platform support more than 28,000 construction projects across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
HoloBuilder Construction Progress Management solution
Joining Forces with FARO
While HoloBuilder was revolutionizing visual documentation, FARO was midway through a three-decade journey perfecting high-accuracy laser scanning and 3D measurement. Then, in June 2021, the two companies joined forces when FARO acquired HoloBuilder, embarking on a mission to build the industry’s first end-to-end digital reality solution.
That vision came to life in 2023 with the launch of Sphere XG. For the first time, professionals could view, manage, and measure all reality capture and design data within a single platform. Teams can track every site visit, design change, and construction milestone with clarity and share updates across various project teams. track every site visit, design change, and construction milestone with clarity and share updates across various project teams.
In 2024, 3D model import into Sphere XG was enabled, allowing design intent, fabrication models, and as-built conditions to co-exist on the same platform. In April 2025, the FARO Blink™ Imaging Laser Scanner was revealed, a device that simplifies 3D scanning for everyone. With guided 3D scanning workflows and automated insights, Blink helps teams deliver top-notch 3D reality capture data without extensive training. With guided 3D scanning workflows and automated insights, Blink helps teams deliver top-notch 3D reality capture data without extensive training.
A New Standard for Digital Reality
Together, these advancements have redefined possibilities in reality capture and digital reality. Project owners now verify progress remotely with confidence. Contractors can detect issues early, reducing costly rework, while architects and engineers are empowered with chronological visual records to ensure alignment between design and execution. Sphere XG enables better decisions and builds trust across teams by transforming once-disparate data streams into 3D data-rich timelines.
From its early beginnings to deployment on thousands of jobsites around the world, the journey from Bitstars to HoloBuilder and the eventual incorporation with FARO shows how focused innovation can reshape an industry. And this is not the end. As FARO continues to invest in automation, AI, and advanced visualization, they aren’t just building tools — they’re transforming how we see, measure, and manage the built world.
