Virtual reality experts in BELFAST After experiencing a year of explosive growth, Immersonal is preparing a significant corporate restructure.
The business was founded two years ago as a sister company of Sentireal, a pioneer in software development for virtual and augmented reality in the UK.
Additionally, as they grow their teams to fulfill demand from regional, national, and worldwide clients, both businesses will now operate under the Immersonal brand.
The startup won a contract with the Scottish government in April for a revolutionary program that lets crime victims virtually tour a courtroom before the trial, lessening the stress of testifying.
All 52 Scottish courts are currently undergoing the technology’s rollout.
Since businesses all over the world are leveraging the company’s distinctive platform to achieve a competitive advantage, many of the firm’s contracts remain confidential.
Immersonal, which developed a distinctive platform that has made the technology more accessible and inexpensive for any business, is at the forefront of virtual reality development.
According to CEO Tom Houston, there was some hype surrounding virtual reality three to four years ago, but it turned out to be a bit of a false dawn.
Chief executive Tom Houston says: “Three to four years ago people were talking about how virtual reality was going to be the next big thing, but it was a bit of a false dawn.
“While the cost of VR headsets like the Oculus Quest fell to an affordable level, the development of applications remained high because it required a team of trained developers and 3D modellers to create what the customer wanted.
“We created Immersonal so that non-technical subject matter experts could create their own VR experiences and make them available.
“Our benchmark was Microsoft’s Powerpoint, and at every stage we asked ourselves were we making Immersonal as easy to use.”
“We believe we succeeded,” he continues, “and now a variety of people who would never have dreamed they could make their own VR application are utilizing Immersonal.
“Some of the biggest businesses in the world, including Meta, Bytedance (owner of TikTok), HP, and HTC, dominate the market for VR headsets. With Apple’s entry into the space, it’s safe to say that VR has entered the mainstream.
“Our sector pays a lot of attention to gaming, but the main application of VR is in corporate training.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the organizations dominating their sectors are those that use a mixed learning approach, which combines traditional training with VR to support it.
Tom claims that what Immersonal has accomplished with virtual reality (VR) is a game-changer and he took great satisfaction in his team for having invented it, creating enormous prospects for the regional business in the US, South America, and Europe.
“Given our growth this year, it made sense for us to merge the two businesses, allowing us to pool our expertise,” adds Tom.
“We have a team of highly skilled software developers who have all graduated from local universities. It is part of our ethos to employ locals.”
In addition to growing its employees in Northern Ireland, Immersonal has also established a new office in Scotland in response to demand from the rest of the UK.
“AR and VR are having their moment right now, and we are thrilled that a small company like ours in Belfast is right at the forefront of the wave, generating incredible opportunities for businesses,” the company said.
In addition, the business is in the process of rebuilding its website (Immersonal.com), which it wants to launch at the end of October in time for a subsequent big announcement planned for December.
