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Nomadic (company)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nomadic
Headquarters,
United States
Key people
Number of employees
6 (2017)
Websiteblurtheline.com

Nomadic (sometimes referred to as Nomadic VR or NomadicVR),[1][2][3] is a location-based virtual reality entertainment company based in San Rafael, California, in the United States.

Overview

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Nomadic is a virtual reality (VR) entertainment company based in San Rafael, California.[2][4][5] Nomadic partners with film and gaming companies to create virtual reality "arcades",[3] or various commercial brick and mortar locations such as malls and theaters, where participants' tactile and virtual realities are merged.[2] Users wear headsets and computer backpacks to explore virtual environments, and often use physical props as part of the VR narrative.[3][6] Venues host modular sets that can be easily adapted to accommodate regularly-updated VR content.[6][7]

The company's founders have backgrounds in the brand, film, gaming, and retail industries.[2][6] Doug Griffin serves as chief executive officer, and Rick Schulze serves as creative director.[2] John Duncan is the "head of physical production", and Kalon Gutierrez holds the role of "head of growth".[2][8][9]

History

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Nomadic's initial $1 million in funding was provided by "family and friends".[8] The company had six full-time employees, as of 2017.[8]

The company unveiled its prototype at the CinemaCon trade show, which is presented by the National Association of Theatre Owners,[1] in Las Vegas in March 2017.[1] In June 2017,[10] Nomadic received $6 million in seed funding from Horizons Ventures, Maveron, Presence Capital, Verus International, and Vulcan Capital,[3][4][11] which was used to hire staff, develop technology, and enter new markets and venues.[2] The company's experience was made available to the general public in the Wonderful Worlds of Whampoa mall in Hong Kong in mid 2017.[12] The Technicolor Experience Center, in Culver City, California, hosted a temporary installation in October.[13] Nomadic plans to launch public location-based VR experiences by early 2018.[2][10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Bishop, Bryan (April 1, 2017). "The movie business is in denial". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Marin Co. virtual-reality startup Nomadic gets $6M in funding". North Bay Business Journal. June 12, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Carson, Biz (July 15, 2017). "The 17 best new startups that have launched this year". Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Schubarth, Cromwell (June 12, 2017). "The Funded: Two acquisitions and six new rounds as week starts". Silicon Valley Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  5. ^ Griffith, Erin (June 12, 2017). "Term Sheet -- Monday, June 12". Fortune. Time Inc. ISSN 0015-8259. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Sherr, Ian (March 23, 2017). "I shot down drones and jumped between rooftops -- in VR". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  7. ^ Roettgers, Janko (March 23, 2017). "Virtual Reality You Can Touch: Nomadic Wants to Bring VR Experiences to Malls, Movie Theaters". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c "Can a Location-Based VR Startup Help Revive Shopping Malls and Cinemas?". Fast Company. Mansueto Ventures. March 23, 2017. ISSN 1085-9241. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  9. ^ Lawrence, Christopher (April 5, 2017). "Virtual reality movies, games and ads may be coming to a movie theater near you". Las Vegas Review-Journal. ISSN 1097-1645. Archived from the original on June 10, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Matney, Lucas (June 12, 2017). "Nomadic nabs $6M for its modular VR system for retail spaces". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  11. ^ Sherr, Ian (June 13, 2017). "A mind-blowing VR arcade won me over. It'll get you too". CNET. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  12. ^ Ye, Josh (July 3, 2017). "Li Ka-shing invites shoppers to touch and feel their way through his mall in virtual reality". South China Morning Post. Alibaba Group. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  13. ^ Pressberg, Matt (October 27, 2017). "Is This How Virtual Reality Goes Mainstream?". TheWrap. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
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