IMVERSE: The startup that brings reality live into the metaverse

11.02.2022 07:15, Isabelle Mitchell

A jury of experts and investors went through 90 applications and selected IMVERSE to participate in the Venture Leaders Mobile 2022 roadshow. In February, the software startup and the Swiss National Startup Team members will attend the Mobile World Congress 2022 in Barcelona. Before the 10 entrepreneurs meet with top-notch investors and industry leaders to strengthen their business network and advance their globalization, we want to introduce you to IMVERSE co-founder and CEO Javier Bello Ruiz.

“Beam me up, IMVERSE!” The Geneva-based startup provides voxel [volumetric pixel, the 3D equivalent of a pixel] solutions for live holograms and real-time 3D graphics: IMVERSE can beam people as live 3D holograms using commercial cameras and their real-time 3D graphics engine. If you have attended or watched the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award 2021, you have seen the startup’s technology in action. Besides award shows, IMVERSE’s software is used across enterprise, gaming, education, and videoconferencing.

Name: Javier Bello Ruiz
Location: Geneva
Nationality: Spanish
Graduated from: University of Zaragoza, Spain, with an MSc in Computer Science, 2010
Job title: Co-founder and CEO of IMVERSE
Number of employees: 12
Money raised: CHF 3 million... exciting news coming soon!
First touchpoint with Venturelab: In January 2017, for Venture Kick Stage I and in February of the same year for a Venturelab Acceleration Workshop

Javier, can you summarize what IMVERSE does?
IMVERSE offers software subscriptions for holographic telepresence, real-time 3D human holograms, and volumetric video to bring reality live into the metaverse. We empower people to stream live to their audiences in Twitch as a 3D hologram with amazing visual effects, have a holographic call with their families on their smartphones, and collaborate remotely with colleagues holoported into XR [extended reality]. All powered by our 3D graphics VOXEL engine.

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
We are a spinoff from EPFL, from the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience led by Prof. Olaf Blanke. As 3D graphics and XR engineers, Robin [Mange], IMVERSE co-founder and CTO, and I were closely working with Bruno Herbelin to create XR experiences for neuroscience research. It became obvious that presence, agency, interactivity, and the ability to integrate your own body are key to the experience. At IMVERSE, we combined this understanding with our advanced 3D graphics to create a telepresence solution that will let users be teleported and immersed in the metaverse.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Mobile roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
We expect that the connections we will make and the exposure we will receive during this trip could greatly accelerate our growth during next year. We have been in contact with global telecommunication operators, VR/AR and mobile device manufacturers, and technology and content providers essential to our strategy. But the possibility of meeting them in person again for the first time will catalyze additional partnerships, customer acquisition, and potential investments, given that our products are also strategic to their 5G, edge computing, AR, and metaverse roadmaps.

What is one thing not many people know about you?
I write down important information—things that I need to remember—on the back of my hand. I should probably try and use technology for that.

What was your dream job when you were a child?
Archeologist: I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade too many times—to the point of having memorized the dialogues.

What is the one talent you wish you had?
A talent for musical instruments. I haven’t really tried to learn, but something tells me that I’m not going to be very good at it.

What is a topic you would like to learn more about?
I can go down the Wikipedia rabbit hole for hours, learning about ancient cultures, new languages, and the history of the world.

What is your favorite podcast?
La Vida Moderna, a Spanish comedy radio/podcast/YouTube show. 

What is your favorite book?
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have read it many times: the first time when I was eight years old, during the summer break. For the next four years, I read it again every summer.

What is always in your fridge?
Islay Whisky—but it is not in my fridge but on top of it.

What are you most proud of?
The IMVERSE team: never giving up on goals.

What advice would you give your teenage self?
Play more team sports.

What was your favorite subject in school?
Chemistry, I had a very inspiring and engaging teacher. I briefly considered studying chemical engineering (and fine arts, architecture, physics…), but I chose computer science, as you can create and build like in architecture and art, but the result is interactive technology.

How did you come up with the name of your startup?
Robin and I were discussing what we wanted the brand to inspire: Anybody could create and be present in their own IMmersive uniVERSE, thus the contraction IMVERSE.

What is your favorite productivity hack? 
Using Google Calendar not only to schedule events but also as a to-do list, allocating time for different tasks and visually reprioritizing them during the day and the week by rearranging the blocks.

Where and when are you most productive?
At the office, before lunch. Deadlines, even if self-imposed, are great catalysts.

How and where do you clear your mind?
A good movie in good company. Drawing on a piece of paper. Listening to stand-up comedy.

Who inspires you?
My wife, my family, and my friends. And all those who had a positive impact on my life.

Which startup do you wish you had founded?
Anything that is not merely an improvement of something that already exists, even if fundraising would be easier. But creating something truly revolutionizing is worth it.

What is the most challenging aspect of being a founder? 
Very few people understand the involvement and endurance that founders require, even those who claim they do.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a founder?
Building a vision together with your co-founders. Sharing your vision with your team and inspiring them. Meeting people that are really excited about what the team is creating.

What is something you wish you had known about being a founder? 
It’s a lonely journey, but it doesn’t have to be: It’s very important to surround yourself with people who can help, mentor, and support you.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
The difference between having great ideas and executing them to build a business, including the pros and cons of both.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Professional advice: Is there anything else I could be doing right now that will create more value?
Life advice: Just don’t be an a**hole.

What is your greatest professional failure, and what did you learn from it?
Doubting myself when I was not supposed to.
Not asking for help when I was supposed to.

Last but not least, could you show us your workspace? 
Our workspace is everywhere, or should I say, “real people, virtually anywhere.” Here, you can see my 3D hologram inside a virtual spacecraft that we often use for presentations; people can join us there and explore the room around them while having a conversation with us like in real life.



For more information and updates on IMVERSE and the Venture Leaders Mobile, follow the Venture Leaders Mobile 2022 team with #VleadersMobile on social media or subscribe to our newsletter. 
 
This year’s Venture Leaders Mobile program is supported by Huawei, Swisscom, and VISCHER.