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May 9, 2023
Making the Metaverse Matter 6:15 p.m. CDT | In-person (including networking) and Online (Zoom) |
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Location
In-person Austin Central Library 710 W. César Chávez St. Austin, TX 78701 Online On Zoom (register for event to receive link) |
Agenda
5:15-6:15 p.m. - Networking 6:15-7:30 p.m. - Presentation 7:30-7:45 p.m. - Q&A 8:00 p.m. - Networking at Trifecta |
Speakers
Ahna Boley, Chief Experience Officer, Double A Labs; Hrish Lotlikar, Co-Founder & CEO, SuperWorld; and Finn Staber, Founder, Programmer, Designer, Chicken Waffle |
Event Summary
Metaverse is not a new concept, but is increasingly in the news recently—for both positive and negative reasons. There are certainly some tremendous successes (popularity and financial) of metaverse technologies and models in online gaming, and some early successes in other areas of entertainment, but widespread adoption has not happened and there are some notable failures as well. Will the ongoing advances in technologies—from performance and visual quality to miniaturization and power efficiency—including new releases from tech giants Sony and (expected) Apple help overcome the remaining barriers? Do metaverse technologies, including spatial organization and navigation of information and artificial environments, have significant enterprise and/or consumer benefits? Can we make the metaverse matter?
Join us for a conversation about the potential use cases and the challenges of metaverse technologies and applications with three leading metaverse experts: Ahna Boley of Double A Labs, Hrish Lotlikar of SuperWorld, and Finn Staber of Chicken Waffle. We will discuss the current state and expected innovations and applications in metaverse technologies and uses. There will be ample time for audience questions, and then networking with the speakers and attendees. And, as always, one lucky in-person attendee will win a badge for SXSW 2024, at which there is sure to (again) be lots of programming (pro and con) about the metaverse!
Registration and Attendance Instructions
In-person
Join us at the Austin Central Library, 710 W. César Chávez St. Parking information can be found here. In-person attendees will also receive all the Zoom information in case for any reason you decide to attend virtually instead. Virtual attendance details can be found below.
In-person attendees, please join us from 5:15 to 6:15 for networking and food. We look forward to chatting with you face-to-face!
Online via Zoom
Once you register via Eventbrite, you will receive the direct Zoom link on the confirmation page, and in your confirmation email. You will also receive the Zoom link in an email from Eventbrite two days before the event and at the event start time. By registering you will also gain access to the Eventbrite Online Event Page, which will be accessible on this page at any time for anyone who is registered. Once registered, you will see an "Access link" button in the Location area to the right. You must be logged in to Eventbrite to access this link.
Metaverse is not a new concept, but is increasingly in the news recently—for both positive and negative reasons. There are certainly some tremendous successes (popularity and financial) of metaverse technologies and models in online gaming, and some early successes in other areas of entertainment, but widespread adoption has not happened and there are some notable failures as well. Will the ongoing advances in technologies—from performance and visual quality to miniaturization and power efficiency—including new releases from tech giants Sony and (expected) Apple help overcome the remaining barriers? Do metaverse technologies, including spatial organization and navigation of information and artificial environments, have significant enterprise and/or consumer benefits? Can we make the metaverse matter?
Join us for a conversation about the potential use cases and the challenges of metaverse technologies and applications with three leading metaverse experts: Ahna Boley of Double A Labs, Hrish Lotlikar of SuperWorld, and Finn Staber of Chicken Waffle. We will discuss the current state and expected innovations and applications in metaverse technologies and uses. There will be ample time for audience questions, and then networking with the speakers and attendees. And, as always, one lucky in-person attendee will win a badge for SXSW 2024, at which there is sure to (again) be lots of programming (pro and con) about the metaverse!
Registration and Attendance Instructions
In-person
Join us at the Austin Central Library, 710 W. César Chávez St. Parking information can be found here. In-person attendees will also receive all the Zoom information in case for any reason you decide to attend virtually instead. Virtual attendance details can be found below.
In-person attendees, please join us from 5:15 to 6:15 for networking and food. We look forward to chatting with you face-to-face!
Online via Zoom
Once you register via Eventbrite, you will receive the direct Zoom link on the confirmation page, and in your confirmation email. You will also receive the Zoom link in an email from Eventbrite two days before the event and at the event start time. By registering you will also gain access to the Eventbrite Online Event Page, which will be accessible on this page at any time for anyone who is registered. Once registered, you will see an "Access link" button in the Location area to the right. You must be logged in to Eventbrite to access this link.
About the Speakers
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Ahna is a founding member of Double A Labs. Having started as a producer, she worked her way to becoming the Chief Experience Officer (CXO). Focusing on the day to day of the SaaS platform, Double A, she has helped shape the innovation behind the metaverse world builder application, partner integrations, as well as overseeing the Customer Success team who are the masterminds that make a brands’ experience in the metaverse successful. Let her show you how to build a thriving digital community that fosters loyal relationships and boosts product sales.
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Hrish is a Co-founder and CEO at SuperWorld. Previously, he co-founded Rogue Initiative Studios (partnered with director Michael Bay), a Hollywood film, TV, gaming, and immersive entertainment studio. He was also the founding Managing Partner of Eastlabs, an early-stage VC fund based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Previously, Hrish was a Senior Business Developer and Global Evangelist at Toptal (backed by Andreessen Horowitz, the Rockefellers & the co-founders of Facebook and Zynga), a venture capital investor at Spencer Trask Ventures, and an investment banker at both UBS Investment Bank and HSBC Securities, where he specialized in public finance, corporate finance, and M&A. He also was an Associate in the Global Business Development Group at management consulting firm Hewitt Associates.
Hrish was born in India and grew up in the United States. He also has spent many years living around the world in Europe, Asia, and South America. He has a close connection to the people and cultures in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Spain, France, Vietnam, China, Colombia, Bali, and Thailand. Hrish holds a BA in Political Science from Rice University and both an MBA and MPH from University of Illinois at Chicago. In his free time, he enjoys working out, fashion photography, and traveling the world. |
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Game Programmer/Designer with a diverse background in Visual FX, Animation, 3D Art, Level Design and Blockchain/NFT solutions. Primary focus on building advanced player controls for cross-platform games, and multiplayer eSports using cutting-edge VR and AR technology. Enjoys creating funny interactive experiences, and donates much of his free time to helping others.
Finn has launched multiple successful tech companies, and has developed award-winning video games, interactive educational content, digital marketing experiences and cyber-security solutions. He is the Founder of Chicken Waffle, and Co-Founder of WaveXR and Failed To Render. He has helped many studios ramp up, and has consulted for some of the leading technology developers in the world. He has worked with several Fortune 500 companies to help them build R&D efforts for XR. His experience with agile teamwork allows him to communicate well with other developers, and his experience as a decorated combat veteran of the US Army instilled the ability to work hard to accomplish difficult tasks. Finn has worked as a voice actor for multiple games, animated cartoons and commercials. He enjoys networking with other skilled developers, and hacking the latest technologies/hardware to create awesome fun experiences. He has often volunteered his free time to teach game development workshops at numerous local schools and universities, and has helped organize developer meetups for the Austin Unity group, AR/VR Tools & Tech and Austin Game Devs (IGDA Austin). |
