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Kyle Morrand had an idea while living with his roommates. Now he’s turned it into a $2 million vision. The founder leads 302 Interactive, an Orlando, FL-based development studio leveraging game design and emerging technologies to create interactive media, its LinkedIn mentions. It connects clients to resources that supports augmented reality mobile applications, game development, virtual reality and immersive experiences with the aid of its in-house team of developers, designers, and artists. “…The business is a reflection of my own life, ambitions and creativity,” Morrand explained in an interview with Entrepreneur. “…I get to spend my days reshaping our relationship with technology to design lifestyles that are more playful and ultimately eliminate some of the symptoms of depression and anxiety that seem standard to modern-day living.” He says the idea dates back to his time at college in Apartment 302 where he lived with two roommates who were also passionate about gaming. “…The...
Virtual reality gaming just hit a new level courtesy of StatusPRO. In a previous interview with AfroTech, StatusPRO founders Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins and Troy Jones explained their plans to combine augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) to enhance the sports industry as we know it. Now, it looks like they are here to deliver. According to a press release, the former football players have officially inked a deal to create the first VR NFL-licensed football game. “We are a company that wants to democratize what it is like to be an athlete. In XR and VR specifically here, we want to really immerse fans into the shoes of people they watch on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis and give them something they have never experienced,” Hawkins told Boardroom. “As an athlete, being able to continue to bring those experiences to life is amazing. This is the first of many athletes from our company but as football players, you can imagine we want to bring the most authentic version of this to the...
If it is on Nick Cannon’s bucket list, he seems to always deliver. As AfroTech just told you, the television personality and entrepreneur announced his new business venture for the “billion-dollar” Wild ‘N Out franchise, a new sports bar in his hometown of San Diego, CA. “I am opening up a Wild ‘N Out Sports Bar, it would be our second one. Now we’re doing the true flagship one in my hometown of San Diego that opens this month,” Nick Cannon told AfroTech. Nick Cannon’s business is now up and running and the star celebrated the official launch of Wild ‘N Out Sports Bar and Arcade in late February. The 4,000-square-foot attraction is two stories and will become a home for comedians and DJs. In fact, guests can expect special appearances from Nick Cannon and the Wild ‘N Out crew. “It’s a beautiful opportunity to be able to open this up and to have people come out from the community and show love,” Cannon said, according to FOX 5 San Diego. “To really have the people that I came up...
Megan Thee Stallion has proven time and time again that her mind is one to be inspired by. Her creativity spawned the partnership between her and virtual reality (VR) company AmazeVR in August 2021 to take her “wild ideas and make them into a virtual reality,” as previously reported by AfroTech. Now, in less than a year, the superstar is ready to take the center stage in front of her Hotties — in the metaverse, that is. Billboard reports that Megan and AmazeVR announced their first-ever virtual reality concert tour, Enter Thee Hottieverse. The debut music experience is coming right in time for Hot Girl Summer as it’s set to run from April to July across 10 U.S. cities. https://www.instagram.com/p/CaWG0ClIkQy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link “Virtual reality has always been an interest of mine, and I’m glad that we’ll be able to make history with this experience,” Megan said in a statement, according to Billboard. “My hotties will get to watch me perform in a completely different and...
Years ago, a space exploration documentary was watched by a young and curious mind. The experience proved to be life-changing and would instill purpose into Mary Spio, who would eventually become a space engineer. Her heart longed to one day walk on the moon and with the help of an Oculus headset, her dream came true. Now, Spio has become a huge contributor to the shift in innovation and technologies within the movie industry and beyond. She wants to imprint hope and purpose into the next generation of changemakers by making virtual reality accessible globally. “I always go back to this documentary that had me thinking about what if and then led to me creating industry-changing technologies today that have already impacted the lives of so many and multiple generations thereafter. I just want to make these technologies more accessible,” Spio said exclusively to AfroTech.
Tiffany Haddish is venturing into the world of virtual reality (VR). Joining forces with VR fitness app Supernatural, Tiffany Haddish will jumpstart their second annual “This Year Be You” campaign as the workout brand’s first celebrity guest coach, encouraging users to embrace transformation in the new year. “Tiffany is not just a force for joy, she is a force for good, breaking boundaries and expectations with everything she does,” said Supernatural Co-Founder and CEO Chris Milk, according to a press release. “With this series, we’re proud to have her share her unmatched energy with the Supernatural community through sessions that invite you to take on the most welcoming, positive and joyful new year’s resolution possible.”
When it comes to sports and technology, StatusPRO not only gets it right but encourages others to see just how significant technology is to the sports industry and vice versa. As athletes, founders Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins and Troy Jones know the importance of using technology to make training more efficient for sports professionals across the nation. The company marries technology and sports by combining player data, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) to design a suite of training and gaming products. Now, they can continue to execute the vision for their company thanks to a $5.2 million seed round, according to a press release provided to AfroTech. Led by venture capital firms KB Partners and TitletownTech, the round also received additional backing from 49ers Enterprises, Greycoft, Haslam Sports Group, SC Holdings, Verizon Ventures, and a host of other celebrity investors. This is a huge milestone for both Hawkins and Jones. “The XR [AR and VR] market has seen...
Megan Thee Stallion is already dominating the music industry, so it’s only right she takes her talents to one of the next most profitable industries in the world. In an effort to fully immerse her fans in the digital space, the Grammy-winning rapper has teamed up with VR company AmazeVR to create a one-of-a-kind virtual reality theatrical experience that will debut in theaters worldwide early 2022, per a press release. “Creativity is limitless in the world of virtual reality, which means the concepts and ideas I have can also be limitless,” Megan said in a statement. ”I am so excited to work with AmazeVR to take my wild ideas and make them into a virtual reality for all my fans to see. Get ready!” Megan’s influence as a music artist has broken barriers for Black women like herself through multiple Grammy wins, BET Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and so much more. Beyond that, she’s also proven herself to be a well-respected figure in the culture after being named one of TIME’s 100...
Shonda Rhimes and Netflix are doubling down on their business relationship and expanding their scope beyond the TV realm. According to Variety, the two entities — who officially inked their deal back in 2017 — have agreed upon new terms under their extended partnership to exclusively produce, stream and distribute future gaming, virtual reality content, live events and merchandise, in addition to feature films. “When Ted and I decided to break the traditional network TV business model to move Shondaland to Netflix, we were both taking a leap into the unknown,” Rhimes shared in a statement. “Today, Shondaland at Netflix is creatively thriving, profitable as an asset and engaging audiences around the world with stories that fearlessly challenge viewers and keep them highly entertained all at once. Ted, Bela and the entire team at Netflix have been tremendous partners during every step of the process, supporting my creative vision and showing a continued dedication to the innovation...
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation is making more money moves and this time it’s in the virtual reality space. According to a press release, the entertainment company recently purchased tokens from Sensorium Corporation’s in-platform currency SENSO of Sensorium Galaxy — described as a digital metaverse that’s fusing together blockchain cryptocurrency tech with virtual reality (VR). Roc Nation’s purchase announcement suggests that the company is making active decisions to move it toward the digital future. Company CEO Desiree Perez confirmed this claim with a statement that reads, “Sensorium Galaxy is well-positioned to take the entertainment industry to the next level. Their digital metaverse has a strong focus on quality, which is exactly what we want for our extensive artist base.” Sensorium Galaxy was developed in partnership with several chart-topping artists and globally-recognized nightlife mogul Yann Pissenem in an effort to help music artists benefit more from global content distribution, a...
Though concert halls are closed and artists have stopped touring, you can still get a front-row seat to some amazing musical experiences. TIDAL has partnered with Facebook’s virtual reality platform Oculus “to bring live, immersive, and intimate music performances straight into people’s homes,” the press release says. Oculus Quest headsets, much like Facebook, help connect people with each other and the world through innovative, world-class VR hardware and software. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meta Quest (@metaquest) The global music streaming service and social media titan wants fans to feel like they’re standing in the crowd at exclusive performances with VR, high-quality audio, and 2D video. The concerts will be available via virtual reality in the Venues app (found in the Oculus Quest) and in 2D video and high-quality audio in TIDAL. “At a time when livestreamed performances are seen as the new norm, TIDAL’s partnership with Oculus provides music lovers an...
London-based startup Gravity Sketch has raised $3.7 million in funding, TechCrunch reports . In a recent seed round, the company founded by Oluwaseyi Sosanya, Daniela Paredes, and Daniel Thomas received funding from Kindred Capital with participation from Point Nine Capital and previous investor Forward Partners. In addition, the startup previously received grant funding from InnovationRCA and the James Dyson Foundation., which brings the total amount raised by the company to $5.4 million. “Collaboration is increasingly important as time frames are shortened and consumers request products sooner, with more features, and produced more sustainably,” said Oluwaseyi Sosanya, CEO, according to TechCrunch. “There is also a surge in multinational companies growing globally distributed design and engineering teams, who need to stay connected in order to deliver with the same accuracy they once did being in the same location.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gravity Sketch...