Launched back in 2016, HTC Vive’s $100m global VR/AR accelerator program, Vive X has helped companies around the world showcase their immersive innovations, via demos days at hubs based in Taipei, Beijing, Shenzhen, San Francisco and Tel Aviv. Today, HTC Vive has announced a sixth hub, bringing Vive X to London, UK covering the whole of Europe.
With the opening of Vive X London Dave Haynes has been appointed as Director of Vive X, Europe. Haynes was formerly part of the investment team at early-stage seed fund Seedcamp, where he led investments into companies including SplashVR and TheWaveVR, as well as setting up Augmentor, a UK-based program for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) ventures. His previous startup experience includes Berlin-based SoundCloud, where he led business development as part of the founding team.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the team at HTC Vive. Vive X is the most active investor in VR startups, and establishing a base in Europe for the first time is an important step,” said Haynes in a statement. “Companies here are already applying immersive technologies to solve valuable problems across sectors such as health, education, design and we’re excited to back the world-class talent that Europe has to offer.”
General Manager, HTC Vive, Europe, Paul Brown adds: “It’s fantastic to have Dave onboard to launch and run Vive X here in Europe, working closely with our global Vive X team. Dave has a deep understanding of entrepreneurs and what it takes to grow an early stage business as well as a passion for backing founders from his time at Seedcamp.”
European companies interested in the Vive X accelerator programme can now apply, with the initiative visiting key cities including London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Helsinki to meet potential candidates. Vive X has invested in over eighty companies worldwide across a range of strategic industry sectors including education, health, medicine and entertainment. Vive X London will accept a broad range of proposals from teams developing VR/AR applications and services but will be focusing on B2B and enterprise use cases in particular. For any further updates on Vive X, keep reading VRFocus.
via Mint VR