Everything Vr & Ar

Kris Kolo, the Global Executive Director of the VR/AR Association, makes a return appearance to the podcast. Kris talks about industry insights he’s seeing at a global level, the upcoming VR/AR Global Summit related to speakers, topics and experiences you can expect, and it goes into detail about the VRARA industry committees, white papers, and ecosystem reports being generated by these association committees. We also discuss some of Kris’s and my predictions for the coming years in XR. Connect with Kris at kris@thevrara.com.

Alan Smithson, CEO of MetaVRse joins us to talk about MetaVRse and their vCommerce (Virtual & Augmented Reality for Retail and eCommerce). MetaVRse is also building the XR Learning Centre and was recently accepted to the Museum of the Future Accelerator in Dubai. Alan is a LinkedIn VR/AR thought leader with millions of views of his articles and videos. We also talk about his upcoming keynotes at the VR/AR Global Summit in Vancouver with topics including Virtual Conferences of the Future, and Enterprise XR use cases. Alan’s purpose in life is to inspire and educate the next generation of young entrepreneurs to think and act in a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable way. This is a fun and informative discussion with Alan. Find him on LinkedIn searching Alan Smithson, or email him at alan@metavrse.com.

On this episode we talk with Mfon Akpan Assistant Professor of Business at National Louis University in Chicago, Illinois. Mfon discusses the powerful opportunities that we have to apply VR in education. Mfon was originally inspired by the game Second Life, and began thinking about how VR could be applied in a game-like setting to teach auditing and accounting practices in an applied environment. He is now forging new ground in the University education ecosystem that you’ll find inspiring. Mfon is on the Education Committee of the VRAR Association, and will also be giving a TedX presentation in Franklin, NH on Sept. 15, 2018. Connect with him via email at makpan@nl.edu  

Anne-Marie Enns, Executive Producer of the VR/AR Global Summit, shares with us the inside scoop on what to expect at the Global Summit conference, taking place in Vancouver on September 21-22 2018 at the PARQ Hotel & Casino. We talk about speakers, topics, workshops, the startup pitchfest, business speed dating, after-parties and more. This is a fun discussion on the excitement around VR/AR, Vancouver and the global leaders coming together. To connect with Anne-Marie about exhibiting or sponsoring at the VR/AR Global Summit, reach out at am@thevrara.com or visit http://www.thevrara.com/vr-ar-global-summit/.

We are joined by Reekita Shah Alias Gala who is the Founder of Virtual Marketing Revolution (VMR), which is an organization that hosts events in Virtual Reality for the Marketing Industry and also co-founder of Virtual marketing Revolution and founder of VRARE. We have a fascinating discussion about how here team is building a VR conference platform, and how they’re taking consideration of the social networking elements of conferences in VR. Reekita also discusses industry trends and her other two companies VRARE, which does VR and AR training, and XRMR which focuses on consulting businesses on how to apply their marketing strategies within XR. Connect with Reekita on Linkedin at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/reekita-shah-alias-gala-2ab01368 and you can get more information on the marketing conference being held in VR at www.virtualmarketingrevolution.com. Also make sure to visit http://www.ar10xsales.com/ to learn more marketing tips for the AR industry.   Learn more about the VR/AR Association by visiting us

We are joined by Mafalda Ricca, who is the Executive Sales & Marketing Director (Tech and Tourism Sector) of GEMA (Jemma) Digital. GEMA Digital develops immersive and interactive experiences for events, brand activations and museums. Virtual reality, augmented reality, holograms, interactive installations, video-mapping and 4D rooms are examples of what our working animals produce everyday. Mafalda discusses some of the exciting implementations their team has done in Portugal, Mexico, Spain, Brazil and the U.K.. Connect with Mafalda on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mafaldaricca and on the web at www.gemadigital.com.   Join us in Vancouver, Canada from September 21-22, 2018 at the next VR/AR Global Summit! There will be over 70 speakers, 60+ exhibitors as well as 20+ workshops available to attend. Full details on how you can get your ticket are available at: thevrara.com/vr-ar-global-summit

Nick Busietta, Managing Director of Liminal VR is our guest for this episode. Liminal VR is working with a global network of developers, to help create short virtual reality experiences that are designed to empower people to consciously choose how they want to feel and perform. Nick goes on to explain the details of this fascinating challenge that his team is overcoming in VR of using entertainment to help achieve targeted psychological outcomes. Liminal VR is also currently taking applications for their alpha tester partner program so if you are interested in this specific field, make sure to inquire to see how you can get involved. You can find out more about the company and the partner program at www.liminalvr.com or email them at info@liminalvr.com.     Join us in Vancouver, Canada from September 21-22, 2018 at the next VR/AR Global Summit! There will be over 70 speakers, 60+ exhibitors as well as 20+ workshops available to attend. Full details on how you can get your ticket are available at: thevrara.com

Halo Labs Co-Founder and CEO Eran Helft along with Co-Founder and CMO Dror Spindel join us on this episode of Everything VR & AR.  Halo Labs is a VR/AR prototyping, design and collaboration solution. Halo brings all aspects of VR/AR product design under one roof in order to help product and design teams with a fast and efficient way to plan, visualize and communicate VR/AR concepts. Eran and Dror talk about how they started the company and how it’s growing. We also discuss 3 main verticals where they are seeing high growth and also where they see growth geographically. They also recently announced some cool new product features within Halo Labs including team collaboration, and an export to Unity feature. Connect with Halo Labs at https://www.halolabs.io or email them at team@halolabs.io.   Learn more about the VR/AR Association at www.TheVRARA.com

Tyler Kem, Founder and CEO of Visionary Tax is our guest on this episode. Visionary Tax is a R&D tax credit consulting firm focused on providing valuable tax expertise to the emerging technology industries including artificial intelligence, blockchain, fintech, software development including virtual and augmented reality. Tyler talks about how R&D tax credits work, how they evolved, activities and expenses that qualify, and how foreign companies doing R&D work in the US can benefit.  This is actually quite an interesting conversation and applicable to almost anyone working in tech. Reach out to Tyler at tyler@visionarytaxes.com or www.visionarytaxes.com. Consider becoming a member of the VR/AR Association by visiting: www.theVRARA.com.

We’re joined today on the show by John Sallaway, CEO and Co-Founder of vSpatial. vSpatial is redefining the way we meet, and the way we work with VR meetings and offices, allowing people to work from anywhere. John talks about the unique user interface their team built, and the amazingly vast amount of usability within vSpatial whereby they’e integrated most any browser or application you can use on your laptop, into vSpatial. Learn more at www.vspatial.com or contact John at jsallaway@vspatial.com.   Learn more about the benefits of becoming a VR/AR Association member simply by visiting: TheVRARA.com

This episode we talk with Siddharth Saxena, Founder & CEO of Oblix, a VR startup based in Brooklyn New York. Siddarth joins us to discuss their first product release - Go Guess - which is a multiplayer geographic guessing game for virtual reality. It's now available on Steam for Rift and coming soon on VIVE. Siddharth talks about how their team concepted and built the experience, and where the game is headed in the future. He also talks about the industry’s distribution challenges, and how Oblix is tackling it, along with their unique multi-faceted monetization strategies. Connect with Siddharth at siddharth@oblixvr.com or at oblixvr.com.   To learn more about the VR/AR Association, please visit: thevrara.com

On this episode we are joined by Taylor Wilding, Head of Business Development at roOomy. RoOomy is an AR/VR home staging platform whose app allows real estate agents, potential buyers, and sellers showcase a property, without the cost of virtual staging. Users can virtually design spaces with actual pieces of furniture. Further more, they can purchase the home furnishings directly through the app. Taylor dives into their unique approach, and the value that roOomy is bringing real estate agents, home furnishing retailers and interior designers. Connect with roOomy at www.rooomy.com and contact Taylor at Taylor.Wilding@rooomy.com.   More information about the VR/AR Association can be found at: TheVRARA.com

Kalin Stoyanchev, the Project Lead at RNDR and VP of Distributed Systems and Blockchain at OTOY, is our guest this episode. Kalin does an excellent job of explaining how blockchain in general is impacting VR/AR/MR, & where RNDR fits within the ecosystem. RNDR is a decentralized rendering software. Built on a blockchain-based system, RNDR is a decentralized and open global rendering system that makes high-powered rendering tools readily available to Hollywood studios and everyday content creators alike. With a future of AR and VR becoming an increasing reality, somebody is going to need to render all those virtual worlds. RNDR’s parent company, OTOY, is the company who built Octane Render - which is the rendering software used in WestWorld’s show opening. You can find out more about RNDR at www.rendertoken.com.  Learn more about the VR/AR Association and the upcoming VR/AR Global Summit by visiting the following link: www.thevrara.com/vr-ar-global-summit

Ori Inbar is the Co-Founder and CEO of AWE, (Augmented World Expo) and Partner at Super Ventures. AWE is the world’s largest event dedicated exclusively to the AR + VR industry. Ori talks about the beginnings of AWE 9 years ago and how it has evolved into a conference held in multiple locations throughout the world, and specifically the 9th annual AWE USA being held May 30 - June 1 in Santa Clara, CA. Ori also describes the fascinating topic of the AR Cloud. Register for AWE at www.augmentedworldexpo.com.  You can also connect with Ori at ori@superventures.com.   Please help the podcast out by leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: Everything VR & AR Podcast on Apple Podcasts

In this second episode of a two part series, we talk with a number of companies that were at VRLA 2018. We also want to thank those of you who were able to take advantage of the special listener code to attend VRLA 2018. The companies who we talk with on this episode and information are: Quantum Capture represented by CEO and Founder Morgan Young  Website - Quantum Capture Twitter - @QuantumCapture RYOT represented by Nora Kirkpatrick and Chris Smith Website - RYOT.org Twitter - @NoraKirkpatrick Instagram - @chrissmithwho Two Bit Circus represented by Director of Marketing Dorothy Ferguson Website - twobitcircus.com Twitter - @TwoBitCircus XPrize Foundation represented by Jacki Morie and Colin Peartree Website - Avatar.xprize.org Twitter - @xprize Virtual World Society represented by Eva Hoerth Website - VirtualWorldSociety.org Twitter - @VRWorldSociety   For more information about the VR/AR Association, please visit: TheVRARA.com

In the first of a two part series, we talk with a number of companies that were at VRLA 2018. We also want to thank those of you who were able to take advantage of the special listener code to attend VRLA 2018. The companies who we talk with on this episode and information are: Beast Inc represented by Vivian Tan  Website - Beastpets.com Twitter - @beastpets Email to sign up for beta access - beta@beastpets.com Escape VR represented by CEO Simon Chu Website - Escapevrgames.com Twitter - @EscapeVRGames Exit Reality represented by Co-founder Yoni Koenig Website - Exitrealityvr.com Twitter - @exitreality_vr Neurogaming represented by CMO Alex Morozov Website - Neurogaming.global Twitter - @NeurogamingLTD IGT represented by Director of VR Paolo Werbrouck Website - IGT.com Twitter - @igtnews Omnivirt represented by Co-founder and COO Michael Rucker Website - Omnivirt.com   For more information on the VR/AR Association, please visit: http://thevrara.com

We are joined this week by John Buzzell, who is the President of, YOU ARE HERE. YOU ARE HERE is an immersive experience lab that helps agencies and brands engage customers with a strategic mix of innovation technologies for events, marketing, and training all over the world. John is also the President of the Atlanta Chapter of the VRARA, and Co-Chair of the Marketing and Advertising Committee. Connect with John at www.youareherecorp.com, by email at jbuzzell@youareherecorp.com or on Twitter at @buzzer.   For more information about the VR/AR Association, simply visit: TheVRARA.com

This week we are joined by Adam Draper, Founder & Managing Director at Boost VC. Adam is a 2x entrepreneur and a 4th generation venture capitalist. Boost VC invests in pre-seed VR and blockchain companies. Since 2012, Boost VC has invested in 200+ startups from over 30 countries. This is a fantastic discussion about how Adam and Boost VC are viewing the VR and AR ecosystem. Connect with Adam at boost.vc or email him at adam@boost.vc

Nathan Nasseri, Founder of RE in VR, is our guest to discuss how VR is changing the new construction real-estate market by adding cost efficiencies and accelerating the sales process. RE in VR provides an all-in-one solution to real-estate developers, construction companies, and architects to deliver an all-in-one virtual replica of their entire building both inside and out. Their system provides a video fly thru, renders, accurate exterior views, virtual reality tours, photo realistic experiences and interior design tools for every floor plan.   Connect with Nathan at nathan@reinvr.com. Also make sure to find out what is going on at the VR/AR Association by visiting: TheVRARA.com

Cosmo Scharf, Co-founder of VRLA and Co-Founder Mindshow, is our guest this week. This years VRLA is taking place May 4-5 2018 at the LA Convention Center and is one of THE conferences you must attend this year. Cosmo talks about the inspiration for VRLA several years ago, and some of the philosophical questions and opportunities we should all be considering as we leverage the next generation of immersive and transformative technology. VRLA 2018 is expected to see 12,000+ attendees, hundreds of exhibitors, educational sessions and product launches. Listeners can get their passes at http://virtualrealityla.com/ and use discount code VRLA_goodvibes. Connect with Cosmo on twitter at @cosmoscharf. Also check out the VRLA after-party hosted by the VRAR Association’s LA Chapter and Phase Two: RSVP for the after-party here: http://www.thevrara.com/events/2018/5/4/rsvp-now-for-the-vrara-vrla-after-party-vrara-vrla-la-event-party .