But for all the hype, and rise of tech companies delivering jaw-dropping immersive experiences from mindfulness to videogames and workplace training, the wider penetration has been relatively small.

That could be about to change with the rise of the metaverse – the label attached to fully digital worlds where people and businesses can interact rather than operating in isolation.

鈥�With the metaverse being built as we speak, i迟鈥檚 soon going to become more and more normal for us to shift parts of our lives into a fully digital world,鈥� Dr Alex Young, CEO and founder of Virti, tells 老九品茶Cloud.

Virti builds augmented and virtual reality simulations to help people train and learn more effectively. It applies sophisticated artificial intelligence models to analyse a learner鈥檚 performance and provide granular data on their skill development journey.听

鈥淥ur 鈥榁irtual Humans鈥� interact with learners just like 鈥榬eal鈥� humans would – whilst also gathering data and providing feedback to help improve the learner鈥檚 soft skills and communication,鈥� explains Dr Young, a former NHS surgeon.听

鈥�A middle manager could brush up on their communication skills with the help of an AI-powered avatar that can assess and track hundreds of performance metrics; or a sales team member could practice complex product demos in a zero-risk virtual space when using a VR headset.

鈥淐ompanies are operating in an increasingly competitive environment, with hybrid working becoming the norm and the war for talent intensifying. Employers need to seize impactful, digital and efficient strategies to onboard and train their teams.鈥�

With content hosted in the cloud, users can access Virti remotely via mobile, desktop or mixed reality headsets.听

Dr Young built two businesses prior to Virti – an events company then online firm specialising in exam preparation – while also practising full-time as a surgeon.

鈥�Whilst training and practising as a doctor, it struck me that there were very few opportunities for my fellow students and colleagues to access hands-on training for the development of key skills,鈥� he says.听

鈥淭his was detrimental to their learning, their confidence and to patient safety.

鈥�Insights from educational theory tell us that immersive and interactive learning methods are by far the most impactful. They have also been proven to be the fastest route to knowledge or skill acquisition.

鈥淭his explains why immersive training has been proven to be many times more impactful than other online or e-training programs. Learners are fully immersed in the content, so they build familiarity and confidence at an accelerated rate.鈥�

Universities and multinationals

After pursuing a masters degree in education, he set about building a tech platform to support scalable, immersive training for professionals.

Today, world-famous universities, multinational companies and healthcare organisations use the Virti platform to onboard and upskill their remote or hybrid teams.听

Over the past year, it has seen revenues grow by nearly 1,000% while its team has expanded to more than 50 people.

鈥�I taught myself to code aged 14: I used these skills to build my first business as a student, and I have continued to use them in every business venture since,鈥� says Dr Young.听

鈥淓very child should be encouraged to experiment with coding; as our world becomes increasingly digitised, the ability to code will soon become as important as the ability to read and write.鈥�

Games legend Sir Ian Livingstone to launch Hiro Metaverse SPAC

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He joins having acted as an advisor to the company and its CEO, Faisal Galaria, for the past year.听听

A 39-year media agency veteran, Allan was MediaCom’s worldwide chairman and CEO from 2008 to 2020. Prior to this, he was CEO of GroupM UK, and before that spent many years as CEO of MediaCom UK.听

During his tenure, MediaCom saw tremendous global growth, becoming a top-four media agency worldwide. Under Allan鈥檚 global leadership, the agency won many of the industry鈥檚 most prestigious awards and was the first agency to win all six major agency network of the year awards, including Cannes Lions.听

Outside the advertising industry Allan is chairman and co-founder of Rays of Sunshine, a charity that grants wishes to terminally and seriously ill children.听

鈥淚n my advisory role over the last year I have come to understand Blippar and seen first-hand why and how AR is a game changing technology for a wide range of industries,鈥� said Allan.听

鈥淔rom eCommerce to automotive, health and beauty, to education and architecture, AR revolutionises how businesses can engage with their audiences through new immersive experiences.

鈥淚 believe AR is the next generation of human and computer interaction 鈥� some are saying this will come when the metaverse is fully realised, but it is happening right now.听

鈥淏lippar鈥檚 industry-leading creativity platforms and bespoke studio capability put it at the forefront of this fast growing market, making it an exciting time to be joining the board and helping drive its ambitious growth plans.鈥�

Allan鈥檚 board appointment follows the launch of Blippar鈥檚 AR development toolkit, WebAR SDK. Created to empower developers and creatives to build immersive, rich WebAR experiences from the ground up, the toolkit is the next step in Blippar鈥檚 ongoing commitment to opening up AR creativity to everyone, and a foundation on which the first structures of the metaverse will be built.听

鈥淚迟鈥檚 been fantastic to benefit from Stephen鈥檚 experience and guidance over the last year, and we鈥檙e thrilled to now have him on the board,鈥� said Galaria.听

鈥淗aving spent his career realising the ambitions and visions of CMO鈥檚 from global brands and companies, he understands what they demand from their creative campaigns, which is hugely beneficial to Blippar.鈥�

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Blippar, founded in London in 2011,听became one of the UK鈥檚 first tech unicorns but was placed into administration in December 2018 after a major investor refused new funding.听

After it was bought out of administration by existing shareholder Candy Ventures in 2019, it appointed Faisal Galaria, considered something of a turnaround specialist, as CEO in October听of that year.听

The former听GoCompare, Spotify and Kayak executive replaced听founder and former听CEO Ambarish Mitra,听who听now serves as chief product officer.听

Fast forward 17 months and the new-look company has closed a 拢3.6 million pre-Series A round听co-led by Chroma Ventures, the investment arm of Paddy Burns鈥� and Chris van der听碍耻测濒鈥檚听gaming company 4J Studios, and West Coast Capital,听the private equity arm of Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter and family.听听

Blippar’s work with Kellogg’s

Canadian entrepreneur Anthony Lacavera also contributed to the round through his听Globalive听Capital investment firm.听

The new investment听will be used to further develop the company鈥檚 industry-leading technology and accelerate its growth in key markets including the US, Europe and Asia.听

鈥淲e are very excited to have attracted investors of this calibre to听Blippar,鈥� said听Galaria.听鈥�Not only is this a solid vote of confidence in听Blippar鈥檚听technology from some of the most highly regarded industry veterans and business minds, but it also demonstrates sustained validation of the UK tech sector post-Brexit.听

鈥�2020 was a transformative year for听Blippar听with a 200% increase in revenue quarter on quarter, continued strengthening of the senior leadership team, and delivery of cutting-edge AR campaigns for major global brands including OnePlus, Kellogg鈥檚 and Dr Pepper.听听

鈥�We have leveraged our 10 years of investment, provenance, and technology leadership in the AR space to come back leaner, more focused and better than ever before.鈥�听

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Van der听Kuyl听and Burns are best–known for developing Minecraft for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo games consoles.听听听

This week the two entrepreneurs launched Chroma Ventures, a new investment arm for their diverse and growing portfolio of investments, to channel flexible capital into a range of early-stage and established businesses with high-growth potential.听

6 tech stats to make you jump for joy

Van der听Kuyl, who听joins听the听Blippar听board as a听director, commented: 鈥淭he immersive nature of AR makes it one of the most important use cases for the gaming industry.听听

鈥�Blippar鈥檚听AR technology is by far the most advanced and innovative that I鈥檝e seen in years and there is huge potential for AR to power the ultimate gaming experience of the future. We look forward to being part of the听Blippar听journey.鈥�听

Tech entrepreneur Justin Cooke has also been appointed to the听Blippar听board this month. Chief Content & Partnerships Officer of听FutureLearn, Justin is also a Venture Partner at tech investor听Northzone, and an adviser and investor in numerous fast-growing technology businesses.听听

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It says听the听new chapter will听combine听the three pillars of skills, innovation and start up under one roof, with a focus on building a world-leading reputation in data science, AI, gaming and immersive technologies.听听

Based at the heart of MediaCityUK, which was recognised as one of the UK鈥檚 fastest growing tech hubs that will propel the region into recovery after the pandemic, HOST will serve as a driving force to the interconnected and collaborative Salford Innovation Triangle – alongside Salford Royal Foundation Trust, with its global-leading innovation factory; Salford University, the fastest-growing University in the North West; and MediaCityUK, the creative tech and digital hub with 8,000 employees and over 250 SMEs.听听

IN4.0 Group took over management of the hub on 1 October 2020 with plans to build on its great pedigree, and since then it has already made several high-profile appointments and collaborations.听听

HOST has already established significant partnerships with Amazon Web Services, Barclays Eagle Labs, Greater Manchester AI Foundry, AI Tech North and Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, mobilising the most diverse and innovative business community.听听

100 MediaTech Innovators

Simon Benson, co-inventor of PlayStation VR, was appointed听director of听immersive听technology in November 2020.听听

Dr Maria Stukoff, director of the University of Salford鈥檚 Maker Space and former BBC Academy and Sony PlayStation 鈥榠magineer,鈥� recently joined the hub to foster future talent and support the development of its eSports and XR immersive community. 听

Several more high-profile announcements are on the horizon for HOST that will further enhance its capability to help drive the region into post-pandemic job rich recovery.听听

A precursor to this is听FreelanceHER听100, a ground-breaking 12-week accelerator programme that is currently supporting and empowering over 109 women impacted by the pandemic, to kick-start their careers as freelancers.听听

The five floors of the building will also be refreshed to include a state-of-the-art Innovation Lab, which will house a 24/7 security and network operations centre, dedicated to supporting SMEs with secure and scalable digital adoption and nurturing new IP in cyber and AI technology.听听

Mo听Isap, CEO of IN4.0 Group, said: 鈥淲e are delighted to be working alongside Salford City Council as we enter this landmark moment from when The Landing was first established in 2013.听听

鈥淗OST, Salford鈥檚 Home of Skills & Technology, is not just a name-change, it is a representation of the hub鈥檚 mission to establish an ecosystem that supports skills, growth and innovation in the region.听听

鈥淒iversity, accessibility and inclusion are at the core of everything we do, and it is imperative we continue to build on these values as we enter this new chapter with HOST. We are an enabler, not just of productivity, but of prosperity for all 鈥� we may be about technology, but the benefits we bring are all about people.鈥澨�听

/plans-revealed-to-create-world-class-esports-cluster-in-london/

Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: 鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic has pushed an extra emphasis on digital technology and skills more than ever before. Our aim in Salford is to be the UK鈥檚 leader in digital enterprise.听听

鈥淗OST scaling its ambition and driving this important work forward is another piece in the jigsaw to enable us to do that. It is fostering and nurturing talent which is creating growth, opportunities and jobs that local people can benefit from. It is a very exciting time for this city.鈥澨�听

Debbie Brown, Strategic Director of Service Reform at Salford City Council added: 鈥淭he digital sector is continuing to thrive in Salford. HOST will be the engine room to听open up听opportunities for residents and businesses in the city and beyond. I am delighted with the progress and look forward to working with the team on this next step of the journey.鈥澨�听

Stephen Wild, Managing Director of MediaCityUK: 鈥淢ediaCityUK is constantly evolving and HOST鈥檚 ambitions in data science, gaming and immersive technologies will accelerate our position as the home of globally recognised talent and innovation. Through HOST鈥檚 inclusive approach it will make opportunities accessible and help transform visions into a reality.鈥�听听听

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These companies鈥� technologies are allowing start-ups to create disruptive products and services for enhancing 鈥� and challenging 鈥� the traditional methods of everything from luxury fashion retail experiences to crime scene training.听

In 2020,听Augmentor听was delivered entirely online with workshops, mentoring and networking all done virtually.听听

The programme pivoted to focus on business resilience and exploring options beyond venture capital funding, in addition to bringing 24 partners, 41 mentors and 19 community partners onboard to help accelerate growth and investment in immersive technologies.听听

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen some amazing听start–ups听take part in听Augmentor听since the inception of the programme, and it was no different for this edition,鈥� said听Jessica Driscoll, head of immersive technology at advanced digital technology innovation centre Digital Catapult.听

鈥�The quality of the products and ideas was outstanding, and we鈥檙e thrilled to have played a role in helping to give these听start–ups a boost towards investment readiness.鈥澨�听

Transforming the criminal justice system听

Evidential, based in听Manchester,听has produced EVITA, a major incident VR training platform that equips police officers with essential soft and hard skills. Backed by 拢1.3 million Innovate UK funding, Evidential has also developed another product, Golden Hour,听which听uses AR to improve the preservation of crime scenes.听

Helping luxury retail during the pandemic听

Emperia, based in听London,听is creating virtual reality experiences that boost sales and customer engagement for businesses in art and luxury fashion. Improving the way that products can be seen online in 3D,听Emperia听is working with more than 25 clients, including Maddox Gallery and听Skarstedt, to bring the physical experience into the virtual world.听

Visualising data in new ways for remote teams to make better decisions听

Slanted Theory, based in听Sheffield,听has developed a cloud–based 3D data visualisation tool听鈥�Alaira鈥�听which听uses XR and immersive analytics to bring people together from around the world to analyse multiple data sets in real time at the same听time, and听drive a new generation of faster decision making within organisations. Slanted Theory has won multiple awards including Top Tech Awards North 2019 and was named as one of Creative England鈥檚 Top 50 companies to watch.听

Developing a tool for data intensive real-time remote collaboration听听

Fracture Reality,听based in听Hove,听provides mixed reality solutions for remote collaboration and is developing an online mixed reality platform called 鈥楯oin鈥� specifically for data-intensive users. The platform includes immersive 3D features like gestural sketching and avatars alongside traditional online meeting听controls, and is currently being used by more than 20 clients including听Audemars听Piguet and L鈥橭real.听

Disrupting traditional models with rich, high-quality VR training听

MOONHUB, based in听London,听is disrupting traditional training models through a high quality, immersive training product which uses virtual reality to convert e-learning solutions into interactive training scenarios to improve engagement in employee training. Winners of the East London Innovators award in 2020, MOONHUB counts brands including Just Eat among its users.听

Pioneering new kinds of shared audio experiences听

MagicBeans, based in听Wattlington, Oxfordshire,听has developed Roundhead, a platform for creating and delivering six degrees of freedom spatial audio experiences at scale, so users can create, share and listen to spatial audio across multiple devices. Named as one of Createch鈥檚听鈥�Ones to Watch鈥�听at听CogX听2020, Roundhead was winner of The Drum鈥檚 Sponsorship Activation/Event of the Year 2020 for its deployment at Three鈥檚 5G multi-sensory fashion show.听

Capturing fan experiences at live and virtual music events听

Overview Ark, based in听London,听has created a tool to build 1:1 replicas of a live show without the need of programming knowledge. Producers can easily drag and drop special effects and performance dynamics for experiences where fans can watch their听favorite听artists or discover new听ones, and听interact with one another in a hybrid live music role playing game. Overview Ark recently partnered with Dash Radio to bring interactive music experiences into the metaverse.听

Blending the online and real-world personalised shopping experience听

Percept Imagery,听based in听Brighton,听has developed a unique AR platform called听Sprie听that helps retailers to personalise online shopping experiences by allowing shoppers to try products in the real world before buying them. The solution easily integrates into ecommerce websites or social pages making AR more accessible and requiring no app download. 13 brands are using听Sprie听on over 300 products, registering more than 35k virtual 鈥渢ry-ons” per month.听

Empowering creatives to produce 3D animated content听

搁贰罢矛苍铆窜贰, based in听Belfast,听is developing an innovative, fast-turnaround animation software product that utilises immersive technologies. It specialises in the creation of cutting–edge immersive VR content as well as interactive and geolocative AR applications.听Retinize听has received seed funding from听TechStart听Venture鈥檚 capital fund.听

Promoting British Sign Language through extraordinary books听

VIKA Books, based in听Bristol,听is the first fine-art quality non-fiction publisher to use immersive technologies to enhance book design to inspire all families, deaf and hearing, to interact in sign language. It promotes British Sign Language (BSL) as a language for deaf and hearing children alike, and i迟鈥檚 first AR/XR book is a buggy-book and smartphone app. This startup has won multiple awards in the last year including UK Enterprise Awards 2020; Fine Art Publishers of the Year 2020; Bristol Prestige AR Product of the Year 2020; and Best 老九品茶 Awards 2020 for Best Innovation, Best New Product/Service, Outstanding Entrepreneur and Outstanding Female Entrepreneur.听

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The new technology has been developed with funding from the Governmen迟鈥檚 modern industrial strategy by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, focussed on innovation in response to COVID-19.

Holoxica鈥檚 solution uses off the shelf components such as a depth camera with light field 3D display technology to create motion video versions of holographic images.

The tech is designed to enable people to feel like they are genuinely in the room with someone else when video conferencing.

Director of Holoxica, Wendy Lamin said the technology complimented remote working well.

鈥淒uring the global pandemic the business world has turned to videoconferencing to conduct meetings and conversations, but many people are currently suffering from ‘Zoom fatigue'” she said.

:This is not only caused by the sheer volume of meetings but also because it takes more effort to process someone鈥檚 non-verbal cues in 2D than 3D.”

Holoxica鈥檚 3D telepresence demonstration has been built at the Edinburgh offices of Codebase, the UK鈥檚 largest tech incubator, delivering real 3D telepresence over a local area network. The company is now commercialising the 3D teleconferencing system which is expected to start from under 拢1000.

鈥淗oloxica has created award-winning holographic 3D solutions for more than a decade from our base in Edinburgh,鈥� added Lamin.

鈥淣ow we鈥檝e applied the insight we gained from this work to deliver real time headset-free 3D videoconferencing for businesses of all sizes across the globe. We expect a commercial version to be available early in 2021.鈥�

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Envisics has developed a patent-protected, dynamic holographic platform that enables holography across multiple mobility applications.

Hyundai Mobis, General Motors Ventures, SAIC Motors and Van Tuyl Companies become shareholders of Envisics following successful completion of the round.

The investment allows Envisics to scale its business operations globally as it meets an exponential growth in demand for its AR head-up display (AR-HUD) tech from leading automotive manufacturers. It further enables the company to accelerate the development of future holographic technologies.

The firm, which spun out of American augmented reality company DAQRI in 2018, offers what it claims to be distraction free driving information within the drivers existing field of view.

Headquartered in Milton Keynes, with a second facility in Detroit, US, its team is made up of world leading scientists and engineers.

Dr. Jamieson Christmas, Envisics鈥� founder and CEO, commented: 鈥淓nhanced in-car experience is the next automotive revolution that goes hand in hand with electrification and the development of autonomous vehicles. Our technology is class leading and is extremely well placed to meet current and future requirements.

“The addition of these blue chip automotive companies to our shareholder base, will be instrumental in guiding Envisics to future success as we focus upon the commercialisation of our true holographic technology.鈥�

鈥淗yundai Mobis will jointly develop autonomous driving specialized AR HUDs with Envisics, targeting mass production by 2025,鈥� Executive Vice President, CTO, Sung Hwan Cho said. 鈥淲e will proactively present the next generation AR HUD to global automakers with increased safety and convenience to avoid distracting the driver.鈥�

Michael Cohen, Investment Director at SAIC Capital added: 鈥淲e are very excited to be part of Envisics journey to commercialize its revolutionary holographic technology and look forward to partnering with them to deploy advanced AR-HUDs in our next generation of cars for both the Chinese domestic and global markets.鈥�

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Yet does that听jolly听Golden Gate Bridge听background听undermine听what you are looking to achieve?听

HoloMe (since rebranded as Beem)听CEO听Janosch Amstutz听believes so.听鈥淚f your subconscious feels like something is not right 鈥� that it has been doctored, made up or changed in any way, shape or form – it听switches off to the experience,鈥� he tells听老九品茶Cloud.听鈥�As human beings we have this psychological barrier, a primal defence mechanism, that when we view a human-like object or figure,听our subconscious needs to be comfortable with听it.听听

鈥淓ven Zoom has gone down this pathway of eroding trust in communications 鈥� creating false backgrounds, fake face filters 鈥� so you can’t tell what’s real and what’s not more.听I’m not sure how long Zoom is going to continue听as听the business solution of choice if you can’t tell if that person has听makeup on or not; or if they are听actually in听the place where they claim to be. Are they in the office? Or are they on the beach?听听

鈥淭hose things are important when you’re building trust in communication.鈥�听

CEO Janosch Amstutz

Authenticity听is at the essence of what听Amstutz听and his team are looking to achieve with听HoloMe. Winner of听叠耻蝉颈苍别蝉蝉颁濒辞耻诲鈥檚听London Tech 50听innovation ranking for 2020, the three-year-old company鈥檚 technology听enables the creation of life-size photorealistic holograms which can then be viewed anywhere through a smartphone or AR-enabled device.听

London Tech 50

鈥淲e are a communications firm first and a tech company second because we consider the psychological aspects of communication [at the outset],鈥� he explains.听鈥淭he concept is: how do we replicate the physical meeting 鈥� a full-body face-to-face 鈥� in the digital sphere?听

鈥�We want to create a communications method that is as close to normal 鈥� or perfect听鈥撎�as听possible.听We may be the first communications software in the medium of AR and VR that is able to breach the听barrier听our听subconscious puts up.鈥�听

If you download the听HoloMe听app, within moments you can听be听watching听a six-foot听Amstutz听explaining the firm鈥檚 tech in your kitchen or garden. For readers of a certain age, think Rimmer from Red Dwarf minus the H on his forehead.

Today in my garden…

CEO Janosch Amstutz pitches after winning ‘s London Tech 50 ?

鈥� Jonathan Symcox (@JonathanSymcox)

鈥�Your subconscious is comfortable that I exist and听that I am really听doing and saying what听you can see,鈥� he says.听鈥�Our experience is the real human:听there’s no CGI, there’s no processing.听听

鈥淭ech has had a bad rap around communication for quite a while, with social media causing psychological issues and problems with self-esteem. I迟鈥檚 often looked at as a net negative for the world.听We want to听rebuild trust in communication by changing the way that we use the digital sphere to communicate.鈥�听

The concept of the 鈥榰ncanny valley鈥�听鈥� a听concept first introduced in the 1970s by Japanese professor Masahiro Mori听鈥� claims that听as听robots appear more humanlike, they become more appealing;听but only up to a certain point, whereupon a sense of distrust sets in.听

Facebook鈥檚听Codec Avatars听project, which听used AI to recreate听people鈥檚 facial expressions in VR in real-time,听may have been a victim of this.听Instead of pushing through听a听virtual听world where听lifelike听virtual avatars听socialise, it is听rival internal project听Horizon,听where cartoon avatars听without legs听interact, which is being given an alpha launch.听

“Lack of trust听is the issue that Facebook听had听[with Codec Avatars],鈥� opines听Amstutz.听鈥�With Horizon,听the听cartoonish characters听are听so far detached from being a realistic human that i迟鈥�s okay again.鈥�听

HoloMe听has produced virtual catwalks for eCommerce fashion outlet ASOS听and enabled H&M models to show off clothes inside people鈥檚 homes.听The platform has been used to听pre-record messaging听for the听Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation charity and听create听an AR music video for听Warner Music artist Amir.听It has even activated听human holograms out of print media with Esquire.听

HoloMe’s ASOS app

However听there is a low barrier to entry as creators do not require access to high-end equipment.听鈥淲e require just a simple single visual camera: it could be your phone, a studio camera or a tracking webcam,鈥� explains听Amstutz.听鈥淚f you used an iPhone 8 to record me,听at the other end听you could see the stubble on my chin, the weave on my sweater. The quality is that high.听

鈥淥ther businesses have gone听for very heavy studio environments with hundreds of cameras. Intel uses 500 cameras to create the same experience as we听do;听they听also听use 10 terabytes of processing power and five miles of optical fibre cable on their setup.听

鈥淲e create the same experience, but in a much more scalable way using just a mobile phone.鈥�听

贬辞濒辞惭别鈥檚听tech slices听the human being out of听the recorded听environment.听鈥淭he viewer on the other side could be wearing AR glasses or watching through听a phone and see you in their environment as if you were physically present.鈥�听

The intention is听for听the B2B and B2C strands of the business听to coexist.听鈥淲e foresee our听B2C听solution driving a lot of traction into B2B听as听a lot of brands will say听鈥�hey, that solution is amazing…听how can I get that into听my own ecosystem?听That’s the way we drive our business model.鈥�听

Launching later this year is听HoloMe听Real-Time, a听live听broadcast听solution听for the entertainment industry.听鈥�It听could be听used by听a celebrity,听musician,听politician听or听educator听鈥� anyone with听a large audience.听It will听allow听that same听intimate connection you听get inside听a听music concert or major conference centre.鈥�听

Amstutz听spent his听childhood听in Switzerland听and听Australia听within听alternative听hippy communities.听Describing听his upbringing as 鈥�very rich听but very cash poor鈥�, he says he rebelled by becoming a physical commodities trader. When his mother suddenly passed away, he听decided to听realign his听career with his听morals and听life goals, embarking upon research into听the听psychology of virtual communication听which would听culminate听in听HoloMe.听

The firm has an extended workforce of 20 people and has received 鈥渟ignificant鈥� investment.听“We chose London听to launch听HoloMe听because听it’s the best place to start a tech company in the world听–听even听better than Silicon Valley and New York,鈥澨�the Swiss听says.听鈥淚t has a听mixture of opportunity, talent pool, incentivisation, language and the size of the ecosystem.听听

鈥�If we听had听founded in Silicon Valley, the chances of us getting in the door听of听an听Adobe,听Cisco,听Apple or Microsoft听would be听infinitely more challenging than it is in London.听We would be one of 200 immersive tech companies, whereas we’re one in 10 in London,听so the doors open easier.听

鈥�We听now听have a collaboration with Cisco over the next 12 months听for a telepresence solution.鈥�

London Tech 50

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