Business perspectives: real-world experiences in national initiatives ecosystems

As part of the OPENVERSE dialogue series with National Initiatives on Virtual Worlds, this workshop
introduces a shift in perspective: placing SMEs and startups at the centre of the discussion. While previous exchanges have largely focused on institutional and strategic viewpoints, this session foregrounds the end-users and beneficiaries of national and European virtual worlds initiatives. SMEs and startups are key drivers of innovation, experimentation, and market uptake in virtual worlds. Their direct experiences offer valuable insights into how national initiatives support, or could better support, business development, scalability, and competitiveness within the European Single Market and beyond.

The workshop aims to:

• Capture concrete business use cases of SMEs and startups engaging with national initiatives on
  Virtual Worlds
• Identify benefits, pain points, and barriers encountered in these collaborations
  Enable national initiatives to better understand SMEs’ expectations and refine their value
  propositions
• Reflect on Europe’s competitive advantages and opportunities from the European Digital Single
  Market in Virtual Worlds
• Discuss the effectiveness of national and European support services for scaling and
  internationalisation

By presenting a “customer perspective,” the session encourages constructive reflection and mutual
learning across the ecosystem.

The workshop is designed as a highly interactive session to encourage participation and open exchange.

Opening session:
A short introduction by the OPENVERSE project, outlining the objectives, agenda, and broader
context of the workshop within the OPENVERSE activities.

SME and startup interventions:
A selected group of SMEs and startups from the networks of National Initiatives will present short,
experience-based contributions addressing:

• Business use cases in Virtual Worlds
• Tangible benefits from collaboration with national initiatives
• Key challenges and unmet needs

Agenda

15:00-15:10 | Opening

15:10-16:00 | Presentations by SMEs and Startups
Sam Shennan (Veles Production/XR Polska)
Adele Keane (Imvizar)
Damon Hernandez (Mixxreality)
Florian Waldeck (C4Trends)
Silvo Katalenić (Art Rebel 9)

16:00-16:30 | Q&A and open discussion with national initiatives

Registration form