The Immersive Wire - 16 January 2022 (Sunday edition)

By Tom FfiskeVR/AR and metaverse analysis every Wednesday and Sunday 

// 16 January 2022

Really enjoyed a work meeting earlier this week, and managed to get three pints in. Wasn't sure it actually happened, so I ordered an inquiry to work it out for me. (Context)

More details on The Metaverse: A Professional Guide

MAIN STORYHungry for venture capital 

So if I were to give you all advice: 

• Keep explaining immersive technologies and the metaverse for a little longer; 

• Talk to people outside your bubble; it helps to give more context to your own work as well; 

• Cut the poor content from your life where possible. 

When I try to explain the metaverse to my mum. Photo credit: Giphy. 

The Metaverse: A Professional Guide sorts the sense from the nonsense, giving experts insights and guidance on how to navigate the burgeoning world of immersive technologies. By the end, you will have a firm grasp of the metaverse and all the contingent technologies that link to its foundations.Out 2 February. Keep an eye on this newsletter for exclusive peeks and updates. 

Q&A

Investing in yourself 

Dr Alexander Young, CEO and Founder of Virti 

What is your background?Whilst training as a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon in the NHS, I realised the importance of access to hands-on practical experience for developing key skills. This experience fuelled my interest in the science behind learning, which in turn inspired me to scale my own education company and complete a master’s degree in education. Continuing to pursue my passion for learning, I founded my own company, Virti, and took on the role of CEO. Our product is a digital people performance platform powered by AI, which learners can use to access immersive, interactive training simulations on mobile, desktop, and mixed reality headsets. What are you working on, and what’s a key learning you’ve had from it?In the wake of a severe shortage of HGV drivers in the UK, we recently partnered with one of the UK’s largest training providers, Easy As HGV, to help them fast-track recruitment and get more drivers on the road. We created a series of immersive simulations which teach some of the core safety procedures and maneuvers required to obtain an HGV license. If I had to pinpoint one key learning from the past few years, it would be the importance of soft skills (or ‘power skills’ as they are now often called) for professional and business success. For years, interpersonal skills like communication, emotional intelligence and leadership have been undervalued - now I think the world is waking up to how important they are.

If you had to give one piece of advice, what would you give?If you really want to make your project a success, you need to invest in yourself and in the people on your team. This means putting your people at the centre of your business plan, and thinking creatively about how you’re going to upskill them, motivate them, retain them and develop them in such a way that increases their value to the company. Make time to care for your own wellbeing and personal development too; leading by example is the best kind of leadership.For more information on his work, check him out here. 

Jobs boardSENIOR COMPUTER SCIENCE and SOFTWARE DEVELOPER (3D, Linear Algebra, C++). We are looking for a unicorn computer scientist from anywhere in the world who can help build the core rendering technology that will serve creators to build custom products in training, marketing, sales, retail and learning in photorealistic, real-time 3D delivered on any device in a browser. Working with our Head of R&D, you will be responsible for creating and implementing new 3D graphics solutions to push the limits of our technology stack.  Solid understanding of Real-time 3D libraries (OpenGL, Vulkan), Linear Algebra, C++ and 3D rendering and game engine technologies. To apply, contact info (at) metavrse (dot) com. XR SOFTWARE ENGINEER NETWORKING, Wikitude, a Qualcomm company. Qualcomm is a company of inventors that unlocked 5G ushering in an age of rapid acceleration in connectivity. Under this dynamic umbrella, Wikitude, a Qualcomm company, shapes the future of augmented reality by empowering businesses and developers. We are looking for an experienced XR Software Engineer Networking to drive the architecture, development, and deployment of core parts of our XR toolkit. A successful candidate has extensive experience in multiplayer streaming and can apply it to XR experiences. Do you have a solid technical background, a passion for the XR industry, and enjoy working with engineering teams? Apply hereXR CONTENT DIRECTOR, Pixo VR. The VR marketplace is exploding, and PIXO is leading the way in on-demand generation and adoption in our industry. With our groundbreaking PIXO ApexTM platform, we provide comprehensive, end-to-end VR content, distribution, and management solutions for enterprise. PIXO VR is searching for an XR Content Director to join our team. Reporting to the COO, the Content Director will manage the overall production, procurement and growth strategy for our XR content library. Working with a team of offshore and onshore designers, engineers, artists, marketers, and 3rd party content developers, the Content Director will ensure PIXO is delivering an exceptional content experience to all our end users. Check out further details here. SDK TECHNICAL ENGINEER, Pico Interactive Europe. As SDK Technical Engineer you will be responsible for investigating/troubleshooting issues reported, and collecting/consolidating customer requirements back to the Beijing DevSupport team. Through this role you will be the technical liaison between Pico Interactive Europe customers and Pico product teams to ensure Europe region's commercial success. In Europe, Pico is one of the premier enterprise hardware companies in the rapidly growing VR market. Click here for more.TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGER, Pico Interactive Europe. As Technical Project Manager you will be responsible for evaluating improvements to the devices, services, logistics, and operations to continue the high growth business of Pico Interactive Europe. In Europe, Pico is one of the premier enterprise hardware companies in the rapidly growing VR market. The Pico Europe business is responsible for all business opportunities in Europe, Israel, Russian Federation and India. Click here for more. DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER. ArborXR is device management for AR & VR devices. We power some of the largest headset deployments in the world with Fortune 500, ISVs and companies around the world. Looking for someone with experience in the B2B SAAS marketing space who would enjoy working with a fully remote team based in the US, Canada and Europe. Would join a quickly growing marketing team with a hot product that is selling rapidly. Click here for more. WEB-AR DEVELOPER wanted to work with veteran AR agency. Experience in JavaScript, Three.js, A-Frame, and 8th Wall preferred. Ideal candidate thrives working remotely. Includes competitive salary and full benefits. To apply, send resume to [email protected].INTERNSHIP, US. The intern will be primarily focused on developing proficiency in the use and application of tools designed for experiences in VR/AR headsets. GRIP-IE interns will assist the Get Real management team and clients in the design, development, and implementation of features within both internal and partner platforms. Interns will follow industry best practices including continuous improvement through code reviews of existing and new code. GRIP-IE interns will also be responsible for managing communication with software vendors on a variety of topics including bug identification, feature requests, troubleshooting, and documentation materials. Click here for more. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, UK. Here at CIRCUS (an award-winning creative agency, specialists of Virtual Brand Experiences) we're on the lookout for an enthusiastic B2B Business Development Manager on a part-time, remote basis. If this sounds of interest and you love all things virtual, we'd love to tell you more. Click here for more. Display your vacancy in front of thousands of talented VR/AR professionals in just a few clicks. Click here for more info.

Refer a friend today

Enjoy the newsletter? Consider sharing it around! Just one referral gives you and the referred a free PDF copy of The Immersive Reality Revolution. Just share the link below, and you get the book. 

How to redeem: Copy and paste your personal referral link to others, then receive the PDF when they sign up:

That's all for this week! Want to have a chat, let me know about a news story, or talk business? Either reply to this email, or contact tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com. Have an excellent day!