Stories
Stories
Step Right In
A virtual reality pop-up offers a glimpse into what an immersive, white-glove VR experience could beTopics:
Photo via TechCrunch
Photo via TechCrunch
David Askaryan (MBA 2015) has built a virtual reality experience called the Museum of Future Experiences (MoFE), that is elevating VR to a whole new level: Imagine a blend of immersive theater and cool technology with a deep dive into your own psyche. Sound confusing? It is. Fortunately, TechCrunch sent a writer to the MoFE pop-up in New York’s SoHo neighborhood recently to try it out.
As TechCrunch explains it, Askaryan was a product manager at Bridgewater Associates but had long been active in the arts and creative communities. While at Bridgewater, he came to believe that most VR startups were stuck on a fundamental access problem: most people just don’t own VR headsets. And existing VR arcades are “essentially commoditized—it’s shooting a zombie,” he says.
Askaryan saw more potential for the platform, which could incorporate more fluid storytelling and a “white glove” experience assisted at every step by staff. He worked with an artist named Flatsitter to build the MoFE model. Visitors start by answering a set of questions about their hopes and fears; the hour-long content that follows is “curated to your individual psyche.”
The MoFE, which is part of the current batch of startups at Y Combinator, is running a limited engagement this summer in New York. Consumer response will determine whether or not the MoFE finds a more permanent home or expands into other cities.
