So Many Stealth Virtual Worlds Companies I've Lost Count

If there is one thing I've noticed recently is that there are more virtual worlds companies now operating in stealth mode than ever before. I've lost count in fact.  mycosm, C3L3B Digital, Wello Horld, and Viximo are some names that come to mind.  And then there's ______ ...er oops...  truth be told there are some projects that are so stealthy that even the company name has been stricken from the record to protect the guilty - at least for now.  And I'm not talking about just guys in a garage but guys (and gals) in a garage with funding - some of it venture funding, some angel funding. I'd hazard a guess that there must be more than 20 of these stealthy companies now in operation. 

They range in focus from virtual goods and economies to lifelogging to 2d and 3d virtual world destinations to platforms and tools companies and more.  And we're also knowledgeable of several innovative startups that have yet to be funded - some here in the US, others in Australia, China and Europe.  A majority of these companies - both the funded and unfunded - will be attending Virtual Worlds 2008 next month in NYC. 

In fact we have over 700 people registered for the event currently and we're still 30 days out.  Some of these startups will be using VW08 as a launch event, so get ready for a lot of buzz and interesting developments in the space.  Others will continue to ride low for some time as they continue to refine their technology, file their patents and build out their management team.

If you're at a stealth startup and we're not aware of you yet be sure you reach out and say hello so we at least know you're there.  And of course send us a note when you're ready to talk.

One thing is for certain: this industry is exploding with innovation and its simply a blast to be at the epicenter of it all.  See you in New York.

Chris Sherman
Editor / VirtualWorldsNews.com
Executive Director / Virtual Worlds Management

Comments

[RIP]

I have to argee Chris this year is shaping up to be very interesting indeed. There are so many interesting projects going on, just keep up the reporting the best you can.

[:-p]

We agreed you would not mention us ;)

[Prokofy Neva]

I can't wait for when they all come out of hiding! Especially WELLO HORLD which I hope will enable me to pay for real-life pizza in Second Life in Lindens and get an instantly beamed "best route" to work through the use of well-placed RFIDs with pushed selected media material into my i-Phone that adjusts restaurant recommendations by my location. Why make a virtual world when you can virtualize the real one?