HTC launches $10m VR fund targeting positive social development

Visual from HTC US website

By Shiwen Yap

January 19, 2017

Taiwanese consumer electronics corporate HTC Corporation has announced the launch of a $10 million virtual reality (VR) fund – VR for Impact – that is aimed at ventures with a social goal of fostering sustainable and positive social development.

In an announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the company unveiled its virtual reality (VR) fund for content and technologies that will drive sustainable development around the world.

The fund will promote content that supports the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2020, with VR being an instrumental tool in working towards these objectives.  HTC Vive will fund and support content and technologies that create the most powerful experiences to transform our world.

The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The fund will promote experiences that improve awareness, education, and lead to action.

In a statement on their website, VR for Impact states: “We believe that virtual reality has the potential to change the world unlike any technology before it. Mankind’s challenges have never been greater than today, and virtual reality’s unique ability to immerse people into an experience is unmatched. Virtual reality can connect us and create empathy by opening our eyes to someone else’s perspective.”

The use of VR as an educational tool that prods immersive learning experiences has the chance to create and deepen awareness. It facilitates opportunities to develop and share ideas in impactful ways This will enable it to spur greater calls to action and development, given the increased empathy that such immersive experiences might engender in those that undergo them.

“The potential for Virtual Reality to help us learn, understand, and transform the world is limitless. VR for Impact is a challenge to the VR community and content developers across the globe to help drive awareness and to solve the biggest challenges of mankind,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO, HTC.

“HTC Vive will fund the best ideas using Virtual Reality that truly drive awareness and positive change in our world. We encourage all players in the VR eco-system to join as only together can we drive real impact,” she adds.

Also Read:

HTC, Quanta invest $30m in Israeli AR startup Lumus

China: HTC unveils $1.5b investment fund, research center for virtual reality

China Digest: LeEco to invest $3b in auto plant; Alibaba-HTC in VR partnership

HTC scales up $12b VC consortium, forms first batch of Vive X startup accelerator program

HTC to launch $100m virtual reality-focussed accelerator programme

Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
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Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW