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  • 25 Sep 2018 by DigiBC

    The WXR Venture Fund invests in VR/AR/MR startups that are committed to having balanced gender representation. WXR also provides community infrastructure to support women leaders in immersive tech and will invest in early-stage startups with at least one female founder or at least 50% women on the leadership team. Their investment thesis is rooted in both social and economic impact and aims to help build a more inclusive industry from the ground up, as well as leverage the unique economic opportunity that current demographic imbalances create. Their robust community programming, including pitch showcases, a curated mentor program, educational content, and media partnerships, is designed to amplify the impact of the investments by elevating and accelerating their portfolio companies.    


    When was the WXR Fund set up?
    Work started on it in mid-2017 and they hosted their first pitch showcase in January 2018.


    Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
    The three founding partners are Martina Welkhoff, Malia Probst and Abby Albright. Martina is a serial entrepreneur who started her first company in mobile gaming and moved into virtual reality after that company was acquired. Malia is a partner at VRScout, a leading media platform focused on immersive technology. Abby was an early employee at DAQRI, one of the first augmented reality headsets, and is currently completing an MBA at Wharton.  

     

    What was the motivation for setting this up?
    As they move toward the next major computing paradigm, there is a transformational opportunity to build a more inclusive industry from the ground up. These leaders will have a profound impact on what spatial computing becomes. Everything from the products they create, the teams they build, and the way they reinvest their wealth will forever change the technology landscape. The optimal time to make lasting change is during these early days where the industry is forming and norms are being established.


    Who can benefit from this fund?
    Bold women founders in immersive technology and people who value diversity.


    Where can someone find out more information on the WXR Fund? 
    http://wxrfund.com
    https://twitter.com/wxrfund

     

     

     

  • 23 Sep 2018 by DigiBC

    The Vancouver International Film Festival extends its mission of celebrating excellence in screen-based storytelling with the launch of VIFF Immersed. Dedicated to exceptional narrative storytelling in VR/AR/MR, VIFF Immersed will host a two-day conference program where art, technology, and business will intersect. Plus, the three-day public exhibition offers fans firsthand engagement with immersive experiences that are re-imagining storytelling.

     

    VIFF Immersed Conference: September 29 + 30

    New Realities in Storytelling is designed to connect BC immersive content creators with key industry decision makers and creators making work that demonstrates high artistic execution and commercial viability. The conference presents top creators, executives and case studies speaking on content creation, production technologies and distribution.

    BC Immersed is a day of high-value workshops for producers, directors, technologists and content commissioners wishing to understand multiple aspects of immersive production including image capture, production workflow and live 360 broadcasting and more. Top experts in these areas will deliver interactive workshops and BC Showcase presentations will focus on immersive content created by BC-based companies and creators.

    Conference passes can be purchased here - https://viff.org/Online/2018-viff-immersed

     

    VIFF Immersed Exhibition: September 29 - October 2

    Presented by Samsung VR Video, this is a three-day public, VIFFticketed exhibition featuring VR, AR and MR experiences staged on a wide range of immersive technology platforms. It celebrates the best of storytelling; showcases some of today’s most important creators, platforms and technologies; and represents the current state of this burgeoning industry.

    Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased here - https://viff.org/Online/fs429-immersed-exhibition

     

     

  • 19 Sep 2018 by DigiBC

    DigiBC is deeply sorry to hear that Capcom has closed its Vancouver office. We will work to help those affected by allowing companies to post for free on our job board over the next two months. Also, put October 11th in your books for our fall barbeque. Sponsored by CBRE, it's a free event and will be a great place for networking, learning about new opportunities, and meeting folks who might know about the next project you could be interested in.

    Lastly, if we can do anything like host a resume/portfolio feedback session or provide a place for folks to work on their stuff, let us know. Get in touch at team@digibc.org to share your ideas and we'll do our best to deliver on them. Let's work together to keep this amazing talent in BC!


    Brenda Bailey
    Executive Director
    DigiBC

  • 06 Sep 2018 by DigiBC

    The Game UX Summit is taking place in Vancouver from September 26-28 and this is open to anyone in the video game industry. Its purpose is to allow game user experience professionals and advocates to discuss the current state of UX in the industry, share best practices, and spread the love for compelling experiences. The summit brings together renowned speakers from various UX-related disciplines: Human Factors, Human-Computer Interaction, Design, Art, User Research, Analytics, and Business Intelligence, among others. Electronic Arts is thrilled to be the game company this year who will be taking the lead on fostering the discipline and raising the bar on creating amazing UX for players.

    Register for the Game UX Summit here. 

    *Current DigiBC members are eligible for an exclusive discount on registration. Please contact us for further details by emailing team@digibc.org

     
    Keynotes:

    * Erin Hoffman-John - Research and Development at Google, Chief Designer at Sense of Wonder

    * Margaret Wallace – Chief Executive Officer, KijiCo & Co-Founder, Playmatics

     

    Speakers:

    Aleksandar Dimitrijevic - Game UX Researcher, Nordeus

    Ania Rodriguez – CEO, Key Lime Interactive

    Carlos Figueiredo - Director, Community Trust & Safety, Two Hat Security & Co-Founder and Steering Committee Member, Fair Play Alliance

    George Kalmpourtzis, Principal Designer, Infinitivity Design Labs

    Jami Lukins – Technical Designer, Bungie

    Jennifer Ash – UX Designer, Bungie

    Keith Knight - AKA Aieron, Game Accessibility Advocate and User

    Laura Teeples - Workflow UX Designer, 343 Industries

    Matt Dombrowski - Assistant Professor SVAD UCF & Affiliate Faculty/Art Lead at Limbitless Solutions

    Melissa Canseliet - UX Strategist, Ubisoft

    Milad Haji Hassan - Hardware and Software developer, Neil Squire Society

    Mike Ambinder - Principal Experimental Psychologist, Valve

    Nicolas Eypert, Creative Director, The GameDesign Trust

    Orvar Halldorsson - UI/UX Director, Bungie

    Peter Smith - Affiliate Faculty, UCF, Game Design Lead Limbitless Solutions

    Rachel Leiker - Lead UI/UX Designer, Hardsuit Labs

    Robin-Yann Storm – Tools Designer, Guerrilla Games

    Shao-Yu Chen - Associate UX Researcher and Ania Rodriguez, CEO, Key Lime Interactive

    Stephan Dube – Lead UI/UX Artist, Survios

    Tanya Short - Creative Director, Kitfox Games

    Tom Lorusso - Sr. UX Research Lead, Microsoft

    Vanessa Hemovich - Associate Professor of Psychology, DigiPen Institute of Technology