Software used in Nike and Carlsberg metaverses raises $18,000,000

Software developer Gemba, which provides a virtual reality training solution for large corporations and their metaverses, has raised over $18,000,000 in a Series A investment round hosted by New York-based Parkway Venture Capital. According to preliminary estimates, Gemba's business is now valued at $60,000,000.

According to the company that organized the investment round, the raised funds will be used to expand the influence of the software in the countries of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as in America.

Gemba's clients include major market players such as Nike, Carlsberg and AstraZeneca. The developer software enables live workouts using VR headsets. Other methods can be used in such exercises, but it was the “live” training that became the unique feature of the Gemba project.

At the time of writing, Gemba is compatible with one VR device so far. Users can conduct such workouts using a set of virtual reality headsets from Meta called the Meta Quest VR. Later, Gemba is going to expand its technical capabilities and expand to other popular devices.

This decision is expected by dedicated users of the metaverse, since the technical implementation of Meta Quest VR so far leaves much to be desired. Journalists who have had time to test the device from Meta reported that their experience with the headset was not what they expected. The headset does not always capture the movements of users well, and the eye scanner is perhaps the main drawback of the device. According to them, users in virtual worlds have a half-drooped eyelid, which creates an awkward moment in communication between users. However, such a shortcoming is unlikely to seriously affect the live training provided by Gemba.

The company should also think about how to optimize the cost of conducting “master classes”. At the moment, one such event can cost clients $7,250. In terms of subscriptions, the corporate membership program currently costs customers $120,000 per year for a team of 50 people. If the client is a person who needs to conduct live training with a large number of people, then in some cases the cost may exceed $1,200,000.

In recent months, we can increasingly notice how companies are joining the culture of the metaverse and investing huge financial resources in the development of these technologies. In 2022, several foundations were created, whose activities are aimed at supporting the metaverses. Some of the major players in this area are the global bank HSBC, the hedge fund Invesco, the well-known chip manufacturer Qualcomm and Animoca Brands, known for its open support for Web3 technologies, including metaverses with NFT collections.

Let's not forget about Meta, who made huge sacrifices for the development of the metaverses. Recall that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg renamed the organization Meta in October 2021 in order to emphasize his commitment to the subject of virtual universes. Investors did not appreciate this desire, because in 2022 Meta shares fell 3+ times, and Zuckerberg's fortune, which is mostly based on these securities, fell from $126,000,000,000 to $36,000,000,000. Meta believe that VR technologies have a lot of advantages and will change the world we are used to beyond recognition. As for Gemba, the company appreciated the opportunities that this company can provide.