The company -- a business "incubate" of the ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands -- has developed a technology for mapping real-world competitions such as Formula 1 racing to an artificial world, allowing gamers to participate in the race both virtually and in real time.

The ESA center provided iOpener with access to engineering support from ESA experts as well as other resources. Moreover, the ESA said its pre-seed funding enabled iOpener to develop the proof of concept needed to convince German Venture Capitalist Triangle to invest in the concept.

The company's first product is based on satellite navigation technology innovations from the ESA, which allow the efficient transmission of telemetric data from a plurality of moving objects and their mapping into the game's virtual world.

"Our product enables gamers to race live against professionals -- they don't have to be a 'Schumacher' to enjoy it," said Andy Lurling, chief executive officer and co-founder of iOpener. "It is a total immersion experience."