Virtual reality startup Pixaera has raised $5.7m (£4.9m) in an early-stage funding round for its VR gaming for enterprises platform.
Founded in 2020, Pixaera is trying to gamify workplace training by applying the principles and mechanics of VR gaming to businesses looking to upskill their workforce.
VR workplace training has grown in popularity as the technology has improved and the buzz around the metaverse lingers.
Companies like FundamentalVR, Virtus Tech, and Moonhub, have started to rake in funding for virtual skills training for professionals.
Pixaera, however, claims the difference between its platform and others is that it retains the core elements of the gaming side of VR, despite being designed for workers.
Company founder and CEO Mousa Yassin said that the inspiration for the company came when he wondered why video game companies “had not considered building for the corporate and professional world”.
Yassin said that gamers will willingly spend hundreds of hours improving their skills in an immersive entertainment experience and decided to apply that concept to professional training.
“By replicating the fun and absorbing nature of gaming, we can transform how professionals learn and connect with one another across all sectors and industries, with huge implications for productivity and business success,” Yassin said.
Corporate clients listed by Pixaera include Shell, BP, and GE. The skills training offered by the startup includes leadership, mental health support, and safety.
The seed funding round was led by LocalGlobe and featured participation from ERM, York IE, and the founders of the gaming platform FACEIT.
“Our belief is that learning through ‘play’ is vastly more effective than learning through traditional educational formats. Playing is doing, playing is experiencing. The immersiveness of the medium creates real-lasting memories, said Ziv Reichert, partner at LocalGlobe.
“It is also fair to say that learning through gaming is significantly more enjoyable and that is not to be underestimated. There is now a whole generation of gamers entering the workforce who have grown up immersed in ‘play’ and will certainly opt to learn that way.”