This week,
Website Planet had the opportunity to interview Danny Stefanic, CEO of MootUp. We touched bases on company’s beginnings, how it evolved over time, and discussed the future of the industry.
Please present MootUp to our audience
MootUp was founded in June 2020 by Danny Stefanic, creator of the original web metaverse.
MootUp is the first 3D virtual events and meeting solution for the metaverse, powered by Hyperspace, the Metaverse for Business platform. MootUp provides organizations with the ability to create virtual worlds to host meetings & events, communities, and remote work in a truly immersive 3D environment. The metaverse technology can be accessed across devices, without headsets or downloads, and offers partner integrations including Zoom, Hopin, Teams, BlueJeans, Slack, and more.
Customers already hosting events in the Metaverse for Business include TEDx, United Nations, Novartis, Dell, and thousands of other brands finding new ways to create shared experiences to enhance human connection.
Please describe the story behind the company: What sparked the idea, and how has it evolved so far?
I have been working in this space for over two decades: back in 2003, I pioneered the concept, design, and launch of the 3D internet, back when everything was just domains and search bars. Since then, 3D content has become viewable in browsers. All major devices, platforms, and browsers now support this medium. It’s a fundamental shift. The 3D media type is the core building block for the Metaverse, and along with VR and AR, it’s now universally available.
MootUp, therefore, was born out of a passion for 3D web technology and is now made up of a dedicated team who all believe in the power of immersive technology to bring teams together around the globe. During a time where tech innovation, digitization, and the Metaverse are at a transcendental peak; we’re proud to be the torchbearer of this and the Metaverse for Business movement.
During the pandemic, uncertainty threw organizations into a spin, and many of them came to us looking for a solution.
More and more, this is becoming about the value and benefits of high-touch user engagement. Previously, when the metaverse was even more in its infancy, businesses either lacked the resources or technical know-how to be able to integrate it into regular working practices, much less understanding its value.
They’re now beginning to realize that mini-sites with webinars aren’t actual events. It’s similar to our experiences with virtual calls during the pandemic: it just feels like another work meeting where there’s often no agency or impact. Smart organizations, therefore, are adopting metaverse events because they do have these advantages and are actually changing the way in which we engage with online events.
What services do you offer?
Immersive 3D solutions for virtual and hybrid events and meetings, with the option to create a persistent metaverse with high interoperability and scalability.
What is the mission of MootUp?
To bring the “metaverse for business” to the widest audience possible. Empowering organizations to build their own unique customized experiences with zero coding. And deliver deep engagement and satisfaction to their participants.
What separates you from other similar websites/companies?
MootUp is a 3D immersive no-code, web-based metaverse platform. Unlike other platforms, which require users to download software or require VR headsets, MootUp runs on any browser and any device with no downloads or installation.
All online events can be accessed via a web link, meaning that anyone can access the 3D virtual environments in a matter of seconds using their own unique 3D avatar.s.
How do you envision the future of your industry?
It’s easy to see that 3D is the next major media type, alongside the text, images, audio, and video. As technology improves the fidelity and functionality of 3D will unlock new possibilities for human communication.
We are at the foothills of the next revolution in media, it does not matter if it’s consumed on flat screens, VR or AR. We have thousands of metaverse worlds based on our Hyperspace.mv platform already and we are seeing these worlds begin to connect, allowing avatars to move from organization to organization for meetings, events, training, and marketing experiences.
A natural step is to see 3D experiences deployed as easily as websites and for them to be connected or “hyperlinked” together to create a web of worlds… what some might call the Metaverse.
