Varun Raikar • AR Creator 🚀

13 years ago I started a YouTube channel with only a passion for tech and zero idea where it was going. I made all kinds of videos, tried everything and nothing really clicked. Then in 2021 everything changed when I got my big break as a Meta AR creator. It felt like the beginning of something huge. I truly believed this was it, that it would only keep growing. But then Meta shut it all down. I picked myself back up, moved to Snap AR, became an official Lens Creator, and found my footing again as a Creative Technologist. And somehow, in 2026, YouTube offered me their platform to teach AR to thousands if not millions of people. This moment isn’t mine alone though. Mom, Dad, brother & my person supported me every step of the way, even when I wasn’t sure of them myself. My school friends have seen every version of me and stuck around anyway. @xdgmumbai AR friends, you know who you are. You became family somewhere along this journey and this one’s as much yours as it is mine. @shikhamehta_ @bhatiaojasvi and the Meta folks, thank you for giving me my first real shot and believing in what I was building. @akirahin @youtubecreators @youtube effect maker team grateful for your support and for giving me early access to this amazing program. And to everyone who watched, shared, or just quietly followed along over all these years, thank you. None of this happens without you. Let’s make AR great again 🤍

You all kept asking me how to get into AR. I finally built the answer. Thanks to @kiran_u_a for helping me bring this idea to life 🫶🏻✨

Only Indians will get this xD

Origin story from the archive

🚀 NEW TUTORIAL SERIES: Effect Maker Masterclass! I’m launching a complete tutorial series teaching you how to create custom YouTube effects! Episode 1 is LIVE on YouTube 👆 (link in bio) #effectmaker #tutorial #augmentedreality #effects #filters

Hey everyone! 👋 Shape Ninja is launched for Snap Spectacles, it’s a hand-tracked AR slicing game you can play anywhere. Special shoutout to @jeetesh_singh_209 for helping me take this to the finish line with his spectacular shader and snap skills 🫶🏻✨ 🌍 The World is Your Dojo It’s fast-paced, retro-style and draws inspiration from the cult favorite Fruit Ninja. Just place your arena and start slicing. Your living room, backyard, office or anywhere. The world is your dojo thanks to spectacles. ⚔️ Gameplay Slice the Pure Forms (cubes, spheres, pyramids, cylinders, capsules) to maintain the balance of the world. But watch out, if you hit a Shape Shifter (the morphing anomaly) and the world loses balance. Game over. Summon dual halo lumin blades with fist gestures and slice shapes mid-air with directional cuts. Survive the timer and climb the global ranks. 🎮 Game Modes Normal Mode: Shapes spawn in front of you for focused slicing action. 360 Mode: Shapes launch from all directions. Stay alert and keep moving. (🤫 This mode gives you more points per slice) ✨ Features Fully hand-tracked dual-blade combat Relocatable arena (move your arena anytime using settings) Global leaderboard with top 10 rankings Reply/Restart options Physics-based slicing FOV gating for fair gameplay (using lookAt logic) I’d love feedback, ideas, or questions! Drop them below ❤️

Had the best time speaking at the Build with SnapAR event last weekend, hosted by @bharat_xr , @arexa.xr , and @contentstack here in Bangalore! Here are a few highlights 📸✨ #SnapAR #ARCommunity #BangaloreEvents

| | | | | | Step right up to the Bitmoji Magic Show 🎩✨ Created for the Lenslist X Snap Bitmojiversechallenge — this Snapchat Lens puts your brain to the test! 🧠 👀It’s the classic “ball under cups” game… 🔮 But the magician (👀 that’s your Bitmoji) is hiding your friends instead of a ball! 👶 Easy Mode: 1 friend, 1 cup. 😈 Hard Mode: 2 friends, shuffled chaos. ‼️ INSANE Mode: 3 friends in 3 cups — and the magician might ask you to find any random friend. Can you keep up? 🕵️‍♂️ Find the friend. Beat the magician. Prove your focus. Tag me if you dare to play! 👇 #SnapchatLens #ARGame #BitmojiChallenge #MindTrick #FindTheFriend #SnapLensStudio #MagicianMoves #bitmojiverse #challenge

Seeing is Believing. [ARGlasses, Unboxing, Snapchat Spectacles]

Unlock your inner ARtist with the power of augmented reality! 🖌️✨ What would YOU draw first? #arforcreatives #artmadeeasy #techmeetsart #diydrawing #augmentedreality #davincieyeapp

Progress > Perfection. If you’ve been holding back on an idea, a project, or even a post because you’re overthinking it—this is your sign to just start. ✨ What’s one thing you’ve been putting off? Let me know in the comments—I’ll help hype you up to take the first step! #justdoit #progressoverperfection #creatorlife #inspiration #socialmediatips

This feature is finally available in India and definitely gonna save lot of us getting lost especially when walking and following google maps! Augmented reality, google maps, ARcore