Dear Inside Community, Meet Our Fund 3 goes live this week, Tuesday, May 24, and Wednesday, May 25. If you don’t already know, this is our most popular event series, where VCs pitch their funds directly to startup founders. Just look at this week’s guest list. Registration is free, and if you’re a founder who might be raising soon, we know you’ll want to make MOF3 a priority. See you there! —The Inside Team | |  Courtney |  |
| |
 RECON Labs's PlicAR platform uses photogrammetry algorithms to transform 2D footage into 3D AR projections. The e-commerce-facing company says the entire process takes only a couple of hours. RECON recently raised $4.4M Series A to grow its team and expand its offerings. More: - The 3D renderings allow customers to view potential purchases in real space.
- According to a survey of ~16,000 Snapchat users, 92% of people would use AR for shopping.
- RECON labs is a growing company currently being used by numerous Korean-based retailers.
- The company has reproduced ~10,000 2D objects in 3D.
- The product can be customized for each business's unique requirements.
- A recent partnership with The Sandbox metaverse augurs a future use-case for RECON Labs, whereby users can introduce 3D assets.
- The company plans to open a Bay Area office by the end of this year.
| |
 Digital doubles of Abba will begin a seven-month tour on May 27. The digital twins will perform "live" in London at the specially created ABBA Arena in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The so-called "Abba Voyageshow" depicts each band's members as they were in the 1970s. The "Abbatars" were designed by Dolce & Gabbana with technology developed by George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). This is ILM's biggest project to date. More: - The digital creations are given life-like bodies using an ILM-created lighting system that projects from the stadium's bespoke roof.
- Abba Voyage comprises ~1,000 virtual effects.
- The group has made it a point to distinguish the members' "digital versions" from "holograms."
- The "Abbatars" were created using motion capture technology.
- The doubles were created over a month and a half while the real-life bandmates donned motion-capture suits surrounded by a 40-person crew and 200 cameras.
- The band also re-recorded songs at the Swedish Film Institute.
- Abba will play a 22-song set during its "reunion" tour.
- Abba has not gone on tour in 41 years.
| |
 A message from BUBBLES Bubbles released a new version of its video collaboration tool. Users can start a bubble using video, screen share, image, or a mix of these media types. This allows users to get their message across by engaging in a more human style of async communication. More: -
Async tools are becoming crucial to enabling effective teamwork in remote work environments. -
HBR columnist Steve Glaveski: “[async collaboration] truly gives people the freedom to decide when and where to work.” -
-
More teams are transforming how they work with bubbles—saving time, making faster, better decisions, and building great products. -
| |
 Located in the local 19th-century Torre Girona chapel is Barcelona's MareNostrum supercomputer. City officials, including project-head and deputy Barcelona's mayor Laia Bonet, say they are using masses of data found on the supercomputer to create a "digital twin" of the city to "anticipate [urban planning's] impacts and avoid the negative ones." The supercomputer has been housed in the chapel since 2005. More: - A pilot program began in Bologna, Italy, to try out "potential city planning projects."
- According to Bonet, "instead of implementing flawed policies and then have to go back and correct them, we're saving time by making sure those decisions are right before we execute them."
- The program is currently in Beta.
- The goal is to minimize pollution, reduce traffic by 21%, remove cars from 60% of streets, increase park and other green areas, and move close to the ideal "15-minute city."
- A 15-minute city is an urban planning concept where all necessary services are located within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from any person's home.
- The twin will also highlight where new access to public transportation is needed.
- The city uses the open-access technology "OpenStreetMass" to create the virtual double.
- The city hopes the twin can help bring Barcelona closer to its goal of being "climate neutral" by 2050.
| |
 Clients shopping for private Airbus Corporate Jets (AJC) can now customize their future plane in VR. Airbus' TwoTwenty creative studio is headquartered at the company's Toulouse, France offices. While there, customers can enter a showcase machine that allows users to experience the company's newest 22-cabin plane in VR. More: - The $80M device projects one of four "cabin atmospheres" that clients can customize in real time.
- Future jet owners can choose materials, colors, wood, finishes, and metals while moving through digital space.
- The VR helps the customer visualize the final product and walk through their future plane in 3D.
- Airbus' newest jet offers 786 square feet, which, according to AJC VP Chadi Saade, is "two to three times the size of other aircraft for the same acquisition price. On top of that, it comes with 30% lower operating costs."
- The use of private jets has grown substantially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| |
 A message from ADOBE COMMERCE The Business Value of the Adobe Commerce Cloud Platform Is Adobe Commerce Cloud worth it? IDC finds out. If you’ve ever wondered about the value of investing in a new e-commerce platform, check out the IDC Business Value Paper, sponsored by Adobe. It takes a thorough, unbiased look at the massive benefits organizations are seeing thanks to Adobe Commerce Cloud. Is switching to Adobe Commerce Cloud worth it? The latest IDC research found that interviewed participants saw a 247% ROI over three years and broke even on the investment in less than a year. Sounds like a good move. Read the full paper. Download your report now
| |
After announcing a recent hiring freeze for its Commerce, Messenger Kids, Facebook Dating, and gaming departments, it was discovered that ~21% of Meta's workforce is employed with Reality Labs. Meta has paused entry- and mid-level data scientist hires and some engineering positions. There may soon be freezes for Meta's Reality Labs. According to an internal memo from CTO Andrew Bosworth, the company plans on announcing changes to Reality Labs shortly. More: - Reality Labs employs ~17,000 people, comprising nearly one-fifth of the entire company's workforce.
- Meta has grown its team from 58,604 employees in 2021 to 77,805 employees in 2022.
- CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently said the company is not planning on laying anyone off but says he may "reconsider."
| |
In a recent interview with The Drum, Snap's EU gaming Head Tarika Soni teased coming voice-enabled AR technology and new gamified experiences. She believes Snapchat will lead the charge in encouraging marketers to use AR gaming to engage customers. According to Soni, Snap is unique in that it married gaming with social experiences. More: - Soni explained what differentiates Snapchat users from others when she said, "The [Snapchat] community by nature doesn't need to be taught how to use the camera; it's actually an extension of themselves. It's the Snapchat generation of players – they know how to use AR in a different way because their communication style is through snaps versus chat."
- Active engagement transforms users into brand ambassadors.
- Snapchat's ~250 million active daily users are well-versed in AR.
- Soni also foresees a move away from tap-to-activate technologies toward voice-activated ones.
- The company is also working on launching new "city-based AR" programs that would, according to Soni, turn "cities into gameplay."
| |
Quick Hits: *This is a sponsored post.
| |
Upcoming events at Inside - 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 06, June 07, June 08 - June 09 - In-Person RSA Conference 2022: Control IT, security, and SaaS complexity with Axonius (Register Here) *
- June 09 - Empowering Content Creators with No Code (Register Here)
- June 15 - Need To Know NoCoder - Artem Harutyunyan (bardeen.ai) (Register Here)
- June 16 - Future of the Art Market (Register Here)
- June 30 - HR Strategies to Retain Remote Employees (Register Here)
*This is a sponsored listing.
| |
 |  | 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. | |
Get your point across with video recording and screen sharing right from your browser with Bubbles. | |
| |
Comments
Post a Comment