From gimmick to gamechanger: when will XR technologies make the leap into the mass market, become a matter of course and become the industry norm? Predicting the timing of diffusion processes is more fairground magic than futurology. Who is now betting on the much-vaunted metaverse of tomorrow and who prefers to work on the real demand of today? Whenever the topic takes off, KölnBusiness prepares the launch pad: We show ourselves down-to-earth and talk to three proven experts about their projects and about the already existing customer structure, know-how and funding opportunities.
The CEO of CobaltIED Antonia Koop, who supplies customers worldwide with customised simulation and training solutions from the Rhineland, contributes an international perspective.
From the media sector, CEO Elle Langer is striving to return to the cathedral with pimento formate GmbH, where she is implementing, among other things, an AR journey back in time to the art scene of the seventies.
Together with moderator Jan-Paul Laarmann, Dr Dorit Meyer, on the other hand, is developing the topic of extended reality from an economic development perspective and knows the potentials and pitfalls of public funding. Between AR and VR, the panel moves into the phase of Mixed Emotions and offers a joint stocktaking of the topic of Extended Reality in the Rhineland.
CEO of CobaltIED.
Antonia has many years of experience as a war and crisis journalist, was a lecturer at Warwick Business School and founder of several technology companies. She has pioneered the use of
games and virtual reality in training, helped set up ImmerseUK and is on the advisory board of devcom. Antonia is CEO of Cologne-based CobaltIED, a pioneer in the development of XR training in crisis management.
CEO of Pimento Medienproduktion.
Elle is a media innovation manager, change communication manager, design thinking coach, media producer and innovative format developer. She is CEO of her production company pimento medienproduktions and the Creative XR tech start-up pimento formate, which established the brand FUTURELEAF.space as the first media platform with AR formats for webAR/web3. From 2017 to 2020, Elle was on the board of the VRBB (Virtual Reality Berlin-Brandenburg).
Project Manager at KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderungs-GmbH.
Dorit is a project manager for innovation funding and technology transfer in the Business Development department at KölnBusiness, the business development agency of the City of
Cologne. She advises founders, start-ups, companies and scientific institutions on funding opportunities for digitalisation, sustainability and innovation. As part of her tech trend scouting, she analyses innovative use cases for technologies – including XR, of course.
Innovation Manager Creative Industry at KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderungs-GmbH.
Paul’s professional mission is the promotion of creative industries in Cologne. Together with two colleagues, he advises creatives and companies and develops funding structures and strong networks at the economic development agency KölnBusiness. His main fields of activity are design, music, art and advertising. Still impressed by the inventive spirit of Cologne’s media economy, he also is enthusiastic about all projects dealing with Extended Reality.
