Tech startup raises $12M in pre-seed funding to accelerate convergence of the physical and virtual worlds
Peer, Inc., a metaverse company based in Seattle, is launching out of stealth mode with a vision for bridging the gap between the physical and virtual worlds. According to Tony K. Tran, Peer Founder and CEO, “The metaverse that we both want and need is a human-centered, immersive experience that envelops the physical world.”
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“Ever since the digital world came into existence, we’ve yearned for ways to bridge the gap between physical and digital realities,” explained Tran. “The metaverse is the convergence of these realms. It will foster unimaginable technological progress and help bring the rest of the world to the table. It will draw us more into the real world instead of taking us further away from it.”
Tran believes virtual escapes are too finite and exclusive and that the real opportunity for innovation is to make the metaverse accessible to everyone, regardless of geography or socio-economic status. “What big tech is building are technically meta worlds. A metaverse is a network of devices and software that enables meta world contents to be experienced in the real world.”
Tran is a designer, inventor, and technologist with more than 20 years’ experience in product strategy, development, and design. Since launching Peer earlier this year, he has raised more than $12M in private placement to develop hardware and software to help realize the metaverse. “It might be the largest pre-seed fund ever raised,” said Tran. “Early results of our work show that the metaverse will not have the same problems of social networks. That’s already huge and a crucial part of conversations . Our support comes from people who deeply want change, and this rally speaks volumes to that end.”
That’s why as part of the launch, Peer is releasing a series of videos with the hashtag #unblind to help people understand the perils of social experiences and provide hints about Peer’s metaverse solution. “Blinders have been used for centuries to control and direct attention. The algorithms that social media platforms apply to a confined space like a news feed are an abstraction of these age-old physical devices. They are the blinders that make social networking harmful to users .”
The rise of the metaverse
Prior to 2021 the Metaverse was an obscure concept known primarily to tech enthusiasts, gamers, and the crypto community. , experts say the rise of the metaverse signals a paradigm shift that could fundamentally change the way we work, play, and communicate for generations to come.
“We certainly believe this is a multi-decade transformation akin to the rise of the internet in the 80s and 90s, and then the advent and proliferation of the mobile internet in the 2000s and 2010s” said Matthew Ball, CEO of Ball Metaverse Research Partners in a recent television interview about how to invest in the metaverse.
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According to Tran, the metaverse will emerge in three stages, each stage building on the last, to elevate humanity to ever greater heights. He outlines the three stages as the Social Metaverse, the Ambient Metaverse, and the Singularity Metaverse.
Phase I — The Social Metaverse
In the Social stage, a new software principle will be created to connect people to meta worlds. “We’ve already discovered a higher-order bit that can ignite the spark that will jumpstart the metaverse – the digital Big Bang if you will,” said Tran. He expects this initial step to activate a whole new generation of creators and businesses, leading to a flourishing of creativity and prosperity in the lower socio-economic strata. Peer is slated to launch The Social Metaverse in Q1 2022.
Phase II — The Ambient Metaverse
As demands for greater connection to the Social Metaverse exceed the confines of today’s mobile devices, a new class of devices will emerge to serve this need. “People will want better access. That access will be any surface, any screen, on us and all around us. That is Ambient Computing, and it is clearly next. It will place each individual at the center of the metaverse wherever they are.” Peer is already developing a new proprietary hardware and operating system in advance of this predictive outcome.
Phase III — The Singularity Metaverse
This stage is the final realization and maturation of the metaverse, where the world will become hyper-connected, advanced by artificial intelligence, ambient computing, electrification, and decentralization. According to Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank, the singularity will happen by 2047. “These phases will happen on decade-long increments, so I believe his prediction is perfectly on target,” said Tran.
“We are in the middle of a digital revolution” concluded Tran. “Peer will accelerate the advent of the metaverse by building platforms and devices that put us back in touch with ourselves, each other and the world around us. Do reach out and join us.”
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