Ålesund, Norway-based tech start-up Ocean Visioneering has brought in NOK 9 million (USD 1 million, EUR 905,000) in a recent fundraising round, which will help it expand its B2B virtual reality business networking technology.
On 2 November, the company announced it had received NOK 4 million (USD 462,000, EUR 403,000) from Innovation Norway to help it finance the development of CONVRS, a virtual reality exhibitions, network-building, and branding platform. The owners of Norwegian seafood companies Salmoserve AS, Global AS, Strand Fiskeriselskap, and Fjárfestingafélagið Fjörður ehf also contributed to the fundraising round.
“We know the need and see that the timing is very right for improving and enhancing the efficiency of the way we work and present ourselves,” Ocean Visioneering Chief Visionary Officer Unni Grebstad said in a press release. “A global demand for new ways to interact, with less traveling and emissions, plus equal opportunities for participation, is the driver for developing our CONVRS platform. COVID-19 has merely confirmed and strengthened our business model.”
The CONVRS platform is built upon on the Unreal Engine from Epic Games, and will be available for use with PCs and free-standing VR headsets from Oculus Quest2.
“Games technology using 3D and VR avatars which allow us to meet in 3D models already exist, and it’s only a matter of time before this really takes off,” Grebstad said. “The games industry also has a number of exciting business models which permit scaling up in quite different dimensions than we’ve been accustomed to.”
Ocean Visioneering Co-Founder Vibeke Hanssen said earning the backing of major seafood industry players gave the company credibility in addition to capital.
“Ocean-based industry is known for adopting new technology, so securing the trust of the largest industrial players in this market is a big strength for us,” Hanssen said.
Global AS CEO Mikael Rønes said his investment in the company is an endorsement of how disruptive technology can improve all aspects of the seafood industry.
“The whole business concept for Ocean Visioneering is constructed on sustainable principles, and demonstrates how new technology can support our own goals and visions,” Rønes said. “Digital tools that lay the basis for an efficient and visual communication, and which ensure good interaction and training will be critical for success. Ocean Visioneering’s market focus and understanding, and the people behind it, make this company very attractive.”
Photo courtesy of Ocean Visioneering
