Dear Inside Community, Our most popular event series is coming back on May 24 and 25, and we want you to be there! Meet Our Fund 3 brings together an all-star lineup of venture capitalists ready to pitch you on what they invest in and how they add value for founders. Register here, and check out the speakers we have already announced. There will be plenty more to come in the weeks ahead. It’s going to be our biggest Meet Our Fund yet. —The Inside Team | |  Courtney |  |
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 Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta's plans to release AR glasses to "redefine our relationship with technology" by 2024. Dubbed "Project Nazare," the glasses will not require a phone but will be sold alongside an EKG-tracking watch that the company hopes will be able to predict the user's movements. While the company does not have a wearable prototype yet, Zuckerberg announced his plans to release AR glasses in an apparent effort to boost employee morale following the publication of leaked documents exposing Meta's disregard for user privacy. More: - The company does not have a wearable prototype yet but plans for the first generation of AR glasses to be worn inside, capable of interacting with 3D graphics, people, and holograms in a large field of vision and fashionably designed.
- The AR glasses should weigh the same as a typical pair of glasses, ~100 grams.
- "He wants it to be an iPhone moment," said one Meta employee.
- The glasses could position Meta alongside technology giants like Google and Apple.
- The company does not expect the first generation of glasses to be mainstream.
- Meta expects sales in the low tens of thousands.
- Materials alone will cost thousands of dollars, so the sales price will far exceed the $299 price point of the company's Quest VR headset.
- Zuckerberg is under a lot of pressure as Facebook use is slowing.
- Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen recently expressed trepidation regarding Meta's capacity to handle privacy and safety concerns in the metaverse.
- In a recent interview, the former Facebook product manager said, "They've made very grandiose promises about how there's safety-by-design in the metaverse. But if they don't commit to transparency, access, and other accountability measures, I can imagine just seeing a repeat of all the harms you currently see on Facebook."
- The company plans to use the camera to track users' eye movements, and the watch will monitor the wearer's heart rate.
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 In Niantic's newest VR game Peridot, players raise creatures from birth to adulthood. Each pet is 100% unique with distinctive looks and temperments using technology based on real-world DNA. Players can even breed their pets, whose combined DNA profiles produce distinctive creatures. More: - The makers of Pokémon Go have married the gameplay behind the blockbuster hit with that of a Tamagotchi, giving players the capability to care for, play, and grow their pets.
- Ziah Fogel, the game's senior producer, says the pets "feel real."
- Not only is each pet unique, but the creatures will be able to "recognize different real-world surfaces such as dirt, sand, water, grass, and foliage."
- The pets will "never die." As Fogel explains, "There is no punitive element in this game. Instead, we try to reward people for coming back and playing with their creatures more often."
- As in Pokémon Go, Peridot players are encouraged to go out into the real world and discover new kinds of gameplay.
- The game, which is currently being slowly rolled out, was built using Niantic's Lightship platform.
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 A message from LOHIKA Q: How do engineering leaders at Okta, LinkedIn and Collective define the strategy and vision for their teams? A: Register for our online event this month to find out! On April 26, 2022 at 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET, we’re co-hosting an online event "How to Define the Strategy and Vision for Engineering Teams" with our friends from Managers Club. Vidal Graupera, Engineering Manager, Productivity Tools UI/UX and IDEs at LinkedIn will moderate a panel discussion. The panelists: The panel will discuss: - How do you define a strategy and vision in the first place?
- What’s the basis for a strategy and vision – business goals, executive mandates, other?
- What’s the best mechanism for communicating the strategy?
- … and more!
We hope you can join us!
Register Here
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 South Dakota State University (SDSU) announced it would join the growing ranks of "metaversities" thanks to a partnership with VictoryXR. VictoryXR provided the school with 50 Meta Quest 2 headsets, which will become available to students this Fall. SDSU will become a leader in VR education, offering students the capability of attending classes in-person or via VR headset. More: - Other so-called "metaversities" include Morehouse College, University of Kansas School of Nursing, New Mexico State University, West Virginia University, University of Maryland Global Campus, and Southwest Oregon Community College.
- Morehouse College in Atlanta was the first metaversity.
- More metaversity announcements are anticipated this May.
- VictoryXR not only provided SDSU with VR-capable headsets but designed the campus's digital twin, built to scale for VR headset users.
- Students will be able to attend courses at SDSU's virtual campus by August.
- VictoryXR designed the virtual campus using Engage VR.
- Professors will receive VR-teacher training at SDSU's Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and its Learning and Instructional Design Services.
- A PwC report found that 40% of VR learners are "more confident in applying what they've been taught," and 150% reported being more engaged.
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The metaverse firm Infinite Reality will purchase the esports company ReKT Global for $470M. The all-stock deal boosts Infinite Reality's value from $2B to $2.47B. By integrating the esports platform, Infinite Reality will expand its offerings, which currently include social, gaming, NFT minting, and metaverse creation. More: - ReKT is renowned for its two high-performing esports teams; Team Rogue London and the Royal Ravens.
- Team Rogue London has won 14 World Titles and 23 championships.
- The famous DJ Steve Aoki is one of the team's most notable investors.
- ReKTGlobal Founder and Chairman Amish Shah commented on the merger, saying, "We are beginning the next chapter in our evolution into the metaverse."
- Infinite Reality was the product of a merger between Display Social and Thunder Studios.
- The law firm O'Melveny & Myers was the legal force behind the $470M acquisition.
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 A message from EQUITYBEE When you leave a startup job, you only get 90 days to decide whether you’d like to exercise your options. NOT an easy decision. In fact, 55% of US startup employees give up on exercising their ESOs. Some aren’t aware of the potential. For others, the cost of exercising ($50K on average) is too steep. Exercising when the future of your workplace is uncertain can feel risky. Still, you don’t want to be that person who lost out big just because they didn’t have the foresight (or the budget). That’s why Equitybee can be great when there’s no clear exit in sight: The good part? You only need to pay Equitybee and the investors back in case of a successful exit. Yup, that’s right. Apply for funding
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According to Piper Sandler's "43rd Semi-Annual Taking Stock with Teens Survey," 26% of U.S. teens own a VR-capable device. However, engagement is low, with only 5% using it daily and 12% reporting "moderate use." Meanwhile, 48% of teens reported being "unsure" or uninterested in the metaverse. More: - TikTok surpassed Snapchat in popularity among teens.
- Instagram was the third most popular social media platform.
- The survey comprised responses from 7,100 teens across 44 states. The average age of respondents was 16.2 years old.
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The augmented reality company Imagine AR Inc. is signing a three-year SDK licensing agreement with two indoor football teams: The Arizona Rattlers and Tucson Sugar Skulls. Over the three years, the teams will integrate Fanmaker, an AR SDK (software development kit), to introduce immersive, mobile campaigns. More: - The company will share revenue on AR activations and sponsorships.
- Alen Paul Silverrstieen, the CEO of ImagineAR, expanded on the agreement, explaining that the partnership would "deliver immersive fan engagement campaigns to further grow [The Arizona Rattlers' and Tucson Sugar Skulls'] fan base and drive new sponsorship revenue. Player holograms, AR Treasure Hunts, Sweepstakes, and coupons can be integrated with campaigns during game days."
- Fanmaker is available on iOS and Android smartphones.
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Quick Hits: *This is sponsored content.
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Upcoming events at Inside: - April 13 - Achieve 1M+ Record/Second Kafka Ingest without Sacrificing Query Latency. (Register Here) *
- April 14 - Shopping In The Metaverse (Register Here)
- April 21 - Why a Disaster Recovery Plan is Vital for SMBs (Register Here) *
- April 26 - Need To Know NoCoder - Gautam Nimmagadda (Quixy) (Register Here)
- April 28 - Alternative Investments 2: Crypto Safety Standards (Register Here)
- May 12 - Making Metaverse Dating a Reality (Register Here)
- May 18 - Need To Know NoCoder: Jatin Arora (Utilize) (Register Here)
- May 19 - Understanding Fractionalization (Register Here)
- May 24 - Meet Our Fund 3 (Register Here)
- May 31 - Ethereum Merge with Anthony Donofrio (Ethereum) (Register Here)
- June 01 - Selling Consumer Goods in Web3 (Register Here)
- June 09 - Empowering Content Creators with No Code (Register Here)
*This is a sponsored listing.
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 |  | Courtney Rawlings is an Inside Research Analyst living in Los Angeles, California. She has returned to her hometown of LA after spending several years working at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is completing a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History. While working toward her Ph.D., Courtney has developed an interest in the language and history of the tech industry, especially regarding metaverse technologies, streaming, and podcasting. In fact, she hosted her own podcast Low Culture Boil! You can find her on Twitter: @ckayerawlings Email: courtney@inside.com | | | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford. | |
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