We are thrilled that we had the chance to be involved in AWE EU 2022, as one of the startups. Moreover, being one of the 9th finalists at the Auggie Pitch competition.
It is a huge privilege to be part of this expo that leads to the development and growth of startups. AWE is a great opportunity for all entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas and get noticed by the big players in the industry.
About AWE
Augmented World Expo (AWE) is the leading series of worldwide events focused exclusively on the business of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and all known forms of extended reality (XR). Extended reality refers to any technology that expands upon or enhances our real-world experience.
Since 2010, over 5,000 companies and 60,000 professionals trusted this inspiring community to connect, learn and grow their businesses in the field. Starting from end-users and solution providers to creators, developers, and brands, AWE brings all the people together to the one big idea known as the XR ecosystem. The community operates online and offline all around Europe, Asia, and the USA. This year, the AWE EU took place in Lisbon, Portugal.
AWE aims to advance the state of AR and VR to make real-world improvements. With one billion active users of AR on the horizon, over the next decade, AWE plans to guide and grow with the industry by enabling people around the globe to learn and connect through XR.
The AWE community is focused on building an XR industry worth more than a trillion dollars by 2030 – to ensure that we can leave the world in better shape for future generations.
The AWE includes:
- A series of major conferences and exhibitions featuring leading companies in XR, as well as some of its most notable speakers.
- AWE.Live – which is an always-on platform for the XR community to keep growing, with year-round online mini-events and meetups in 30 cities around the world.
- A series of classes and workshops conducted by the community’s best instructors – to upskill XR developers.
- Up to date news digests, talks, and demos, job listings for both startups and major companies interested in this technology, along with information about events happening around the world.
- The Auggie Awards which is the industry’s most prestigious and long-standing award competition.
Crosscreators took a deserved place in the AWE exhibition. All the investors, potential clients, and the XR community itself had a chance to meet with us and each other, and share expertise and ideas. As mentioned already, besides the exhibition our company had an opportunity to participate in the Auggie Pitch competition, where Crosscreators made it to 9 finalist startups. It is, without a doubt, a huge success for the company.
Let’s go through the benefits of AWE for startups specifically and take a closer look at the main segments of the event.
The benefits of AWE for startups
AWE provides a unique space where startups can learn about the latest business trends. It helps AR/VR startups grow by providing them with opportunities for networking, mentoring, showcasing their products, and raising capital. The organization also welcomes companies that are creating enabling technologies for spatial computing. Joining AWE gives startups access to a diverse range of professionals, all eager to discover what a startup has to offer for the XR industry.
Main and the most important activities for startupers on AWE:
- There is space on the expo floor dedicated to showcasing new startups and their innovative XR solutions.
- AWE’s conferences host the Auggie Awards, which give startups a chance to win recognition among leading industry players.
- XR entrepreneurs can reach new customers and investors by attending the conference. Attending AWE’s leading global AR/VR conferences and events can help you grow your brand and user base.
- Engage with customers, investors, the press, and colleagues via AWE’s 24/7 community portal.
- AWE’s growing library of best-practice resources surrounds legal, partner, hiring, and other areas.
Additionally, there is a growing interest from active investors in immersive technology who are looking for the next innovative company. Startup companies can find strategic partners, sell their products, and raise capital at AWE’s in-person events. Last but not least, media coverage of the event helps to spread awareness and gain popularity, globally.
Exhibition
This year, there were almost 100 companies and startups at the exhibition introducing their product and sharing their experiences with each other and participants of the event. We were among these startups which is a reason for us to be proud of. It is a great opportunity to network and get inspired.
Furthermore, our company was introduced to new investors, potential customers, partners, and other stakeholders. The experience gave us the opportunity to both share our knowledge with others and get to know them and vice versa. This led us to development opportunities.
Networking is not the only value to be gained from this opportunity; In addition, learning new skills in other areas, although not directly relevant to our specialization, is also a great value that is increasingly important in today’s society.
Conference
At the AWE EU 2022 conference, leaders of the industry shared their knowledge with attendees about AR/VR. Among these leaders were CEOs, developers, and creators of leading XR companies. They spoke about important features of the XR ecosystem that includes AR, VR, Blockchain, Metaverse, Web 3, 5G, and many other topics. This is extremely crucial for tech industry enthusiasts and not only.
Attendees can get the latest information about the industry and learn from experienced speakers how to use XR technology effectively for business needs. The Forum is a place to connect with the most influential people in the XR industry. It’s a great chance to meet, learn and create new opportunities for business development, partnerships, and more.
Pitch Competition
See Ani’s pitch at 29:00
We were among the 9 finalists in the pitch competition and that is a triumph for us. It’s not easy to get into the finals in a competition like this.
The pitch competition was a great opportunity to get feedback from investors and also meet with them one-on-one after the pitches.
The Auggie Awards Competition is the largest global competition recognizing excellence in augmented reality and mixed reality. AWE encourages excellence in XR by recognizing outstanding achievements on various platforms across many categories.
The Competition was created to bring the best in AR technology to the public and highlight achievements that demonstrate how AR can make our lives more interactive, engaging, productive and fun.
CEO and Co-founder of Crosscreators, Ani Manjavidze shared her 13 years of experience along with new ideas. As brands are shifting from 2D to 3D, AR becomes more and more demanding. Ani spoke about challenges producing AR, including complex tools, time, and expenses. She pitched how Crosscreators is resolving those challenges by matching and bidding, direct hiring and creating AR asset stocks. Ani also explained the company’s business model and analyzed current marketing opportunities. The CEO of course defined advantages of the company: How crosscreators give SMB’s AR content 60% affordable and 3x faster.
That is exactly why there are more than 1000 successful campaigns made through Crosscreators.
The pitch was a huge success, and gained the interest and attention of many stakeholders. Ani was invited at Immersive Tech Week, as a speaker. Two American venture capitals also took an interest in Crosscreators.
To round off
It was a privilege and an honor for us to be chosen as one of the startups and finalists to participate in AWE EU 2022.
We are extremely happy to be part of this program. It is clear that we are moving in the right direction and we will continue on our path toward innovation greatness. And it certainly proves that there is more good work ahead for us.
As a matter of course, if you want to build your company’s AR marketing strategy from scratch talk with us and let’s immerse ourselves into the AR world.
