Date: 28 March 2017
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Today, HTC Corporation (“HTC”) one of the key players globally in virtual reality (VR) technologies, has confirmed Snobal, a Melbourne based virtual reality company, as one of the 33 companies selected for Vive X, HTC Vive’s™ global accelerator program.The announcement confirms the growing appetite for business applications of virtual reality.
HTC’s Vive X Accelerator program was launched in April 2016, accompanied by a $100 million investment fund. It has now invested in more than sixty companies globally, making it one of the leading VR investors in the world.
The global accelerator’s focus is on supporting startups that are building compelling frontier technologies that will help lay the foundation of the VR industry as a whole. The program acknowledged many of the companies selected are more advanced than typically seen in accelerators but have joined the program for strategic reasons.
Vive X locations are in San Francisco, Beijing, Taipei, Shenzhen and the newly launched Israel location. Snobal co-founders Ann Nolan and Murray James will be based from Taipei for part of the four month program.
Globally interest in VR particularly its business applications has been increasing steadily. Late last year investment bank Citi forecasted a trillion-dollar industry by the year 2035 for virtual reality citing wide ranging applications in a number of different industries going forward.
Founded in mid 2014 by Ann Nolan and Murray James, Snobal builds virtual reality tools for business to let organisations use VR for continual business improvement. A prominent player in the virtual reality community in Australia, Snobal was awarded the 2015 iAward Victorian Merit Recipient.
Quotes
“We are incredibly excited to be part of the more than 30 global companies selected for the HTC ViveX global accelerator program. Our focus is on working with our customers and enabling access to VR Tools that make using VR super easy. Partnering with HTC enables us have a clear pathway to integrate our software with HTC Vive VR technology, while also enabling us to expand our operations globally.”
Murray James, Co-founder & CEO, Snobal
“Vive X works with the most promising VR/AR companies to advance innovation and move the whole industry forward. We’re continuing to invest in and support the development of foundational platform services and hardware advancements, as well as expanding areas like enterprise, commerce, education, health, social, and eSports.”
Marc Metis, Global Head of ViveX
About Snobal
Snobal is a Melbourne based virtual reality (VR) company that creates VR Tools for business. Snobal was founded in September 2014 by Ann Nolan and Murray James. Initially Snobal’s focus was on the retail sector, specifically developing for Virtual Reality eCommerce but it soon became clear that their technology had applications to diverse industry sectors.
Media inquiries
Ann Nolan – .