Nextech3D.ai CEO discusses ARway acquisition strategy - ICYMI

Nextech3D.ai CEO discusses ARway acquisition strategy - ICYMI

Sat, August 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM GMT+3 3 min read

Nextech3D.AI (CSE:NTAR, OTCQX:NEXCF, FRA:1SS) earlier this week announced progress toward acquiring the remaining ownership interest in ARway, a move that Chief Executive Officer Evan Gappelberg said would simplify the company's structure while strengthening its software-focused growth strategy.

Speaking with Proactive, Gappelberg said the transaction should not be viewed as a conventional acquisition because Nextech3D.AI (CSE:NTAR, OTCQX:NEXCF) already owns approximately 40% of ARway and has spent several years integrating its technology, customer relationships and product strategy.

He said completing the acquisition would allow the businesses to operate under a single platform, engineering team and go-to-market strategy while eliminating operational duplication.

Proactive: Welcome back inside our Proactive newsroom. Joining me is Evan Gappelberg, CEO of Nextech3D.ai. Good to see you again. How are you?

Evan Gappelberg: I'm good. Great to be back.

Last time we spoke during one of our live events, investors were asking about ARway and the plans to bring it back into the main Nextech business. You have an update today.

We are moving forward with the acquisition of the remaining ownership of ARway. This isn't a traditional acquisition because we already own about 40% of ARway. We've spent years integrating the technologies, customers and product strategy. What changes now is the ownership structure. We move from operating two companies to one company, one platform, one engineering team and one go-to-market strategy.

The transaction brings about $1.5 million in annual ARway revenue and approximately $1.5 million in profit. It's a very profitable business, so it's immediately accretive from a revenue perspective. It also moves us further toward a software-driven revenue business while simplifying things for shareholders. We've heard questions about ARway, Nextech and even Toggle, so simplifying the corporate structure, eliminating duplication, streamlining operations and creating a more scalable organization is important.

ARway is clearly central to what you're doing now.

It is. Our goal is to become the operating system for live events. Every acquisition supports that vision. ARway has been showing strong growth with gross margins above 90%, so we don't believe it should continue as a standalone company.

Across Nextech, sales momentum is accelerating. ARway is part of that. We're seeing larger enterprise deals and multi-year contracts. Where we previously signed one-year agreements almost exclusively for Map D, nearly every new agreement is now for two, three or four years. That gives shareholders greater confidence because the business becomes less dependent on annual renewals.

From where I'm sitting, I see enormous growth, especially through the AI capabilities we're building. We've communicated this strategy to shareholders across Map D, ARway, Eventdex and CraftyLabs Intelligence. AI is becoming a major growth driver, and customers are responding very positively as these platforms become increasingly AI-enabled.

You're hoping to complete the transaction by October?

That's the plan. Of course, there are lawyers, auditors and all the regulatory requirements that public companies must work through.

To close, this acquisition is about much more than adding $1.5 million in annual revenue. It's about creating a simpler company, a stronger platform, a more efficient organization and a significantly larger growth opportunity, combined with accelerating sales momentum across the business. I believe Nextech is entering the most exciting growth phase in the company's history, and ARway is an important part of that story.

Great to see you again. Thanks for joining us.

Thank you.

Quotes have been lightly edited for style and clarity