IMPULSE PROGRAMME - The European XR Accelerator
IMMERSIVE OPPORTUNITIES for Tech Ventures, Academics, and Content Creators
WHAT IT IS
XR4Europe, Laval Virtual, Stereopsia EUROPE, and VRDays Europe have teamed up, alongside IFFR Pro, to foster growth for entrepreneurs, creatives, and academics by creating an environment for development and facilitating the matching of high-potential projects with their scaling counterpart. It is dedicated to three verticals: Content, SMEs, and Research. For each one, there are scouting, training, access to market, and nurturing phases involved in the Programme, for a holistic engagement with each selected project.
Dedicated to facilitating meaningful connections for early-stage projects, the IMPULSE Programme is now seeking both applicants and commercial partners or investors to participate in its three phases:
- First phase: All interested project holders have until 15 September (SMEs vertical) & until 30 September (Content & Research verticals) to apply. Accepted projects will be notified on 30 September (SMEs vertical) & date TBD (Content & Research verticals) after an evaluation and validation process by Stereopsia EUROPE, VR Days Europe & XR4EUROPE, alongside European experts.
- Second phase: Project holders will receive coaching, grooming, and a confidence boost from industry mentors, before one-to-one pitching sessions organised at Stereopsia EUROPE (Brussels, 17-19 October), for the SMEs vertical. As outcome, around ten proposals per vertical will be selected for the next phase.
- Third phase: For SMEs and Content verticals, the final pitch and meeting with investors will take place at VRDays Europe (28 November – 2 December) for selected projects of each vertical.
Those three phases will be followed by a fourth and ongoing, nurturing phase, to build and solidify the IMPULSE Community. The Programme will also feature lectures and networking meetups, mainly during all four partners’ events.
Throughout the IMPULSE Programme, attendees will increase their industry connections, their funding potential and further mature their individual projects. Content creators can thereby meet producers or distributors, and entrepreneurs be confronted to investors and venture capitalists.3°
FOR WHOM
The IMPULSE Programme is an amplifier of European reach: A unique, productivity-inducing, win-win situation for XR professionals and talents, industrials and investors wishing to develop their XR portfolio and knowledge, or integrate these technologies in their own companies, or provide reach and visibility to immersive artworks.
It aims to nurture the development of new European initiatives, targeting three verticals:
1/ Springboard for Storytellers: IMPULSE | CONTENT
Immersive narrative content creators encounter financiers, producers, and distributors.
2/ Finding the Next Unicorns: IMPULSE | SMEs
Matching tech startups and scaleups with investors.
3/ From Lab to Market: IMPULSE | RESEARCH
Connecting researchers with investors and entrepreneurs.
PROGRAMMES
- IMPULSE | CONTENT
IMPULSE | CONTENT is an initiative that promotes and supports European content creators in their quest to finance their projects. It consists of the FUNDING MARKET held at Immersive Tech Week.
FUNDING MARKET is hosted in collaboration with IFFR Pro and presents a total of 10 XR projects, 5 will be selected during THE BOOSTER at Stereopsia EUROPE alongside an additional 5 XR projects from the IMPULSE open call. A selection of these projects will be invited to CineMart 2023, the international co-production market of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) where a carefully curated lineup of projects in development are presented to international industry representatives and receive vital mentorship and networking opportunities. FUNDING MARKET has been made possible with the support of Creative Europe MEDIA.
Deadline: 30 September 2022.
- IMPULSE | SMEs
IMPULSE | SMEs is an accompaniment programme to prepare entrepreneurs to face investors, during multiple online sessions over the course of three weeks with mentors, to improve their business proposal, to strengthen products value proposition, and to learn how to best defend a project and a vision.
Accessible to all XR – hardware and software, immersive environments, metaverse – startups and small enterprises, this Programme enables meetings with potential investors and VCs to the best scalable ventures.
!! As a follow-up for both IMPULSE | CONTENT and IMPULSE | SMEs, 10 projects will have the chance to continue the journey and receive free accreditation to VRDays Europe Immersive Tech Week (28 Nov-2 Dec), where they will have their place in the Market and will meet with investors and coproducers.
Deadline: 15 September 2022.
- IMPULSE | RESEARCH: Healthcare & Well-being
IMPULSE | RESEARCH: Healthcare & Well-being is on a mission to bridge the gap between academia, entrepreneurs and industry.
Introducing VR/AR healthcare and well-being startups to a network of entrepreneurs and corporate and institutional investors to support and fast track the ‘make-it-happen’ process.
All information available HERE.
Deadline: 30 September 2022.
DATES
Calls open
Calls deadlines
Acceptance confirmation
Stereopsia EUROPE
Immersive Tech Week
CineMart hosted during IFFR
12 April
15 September (SMEs) and 30 September (Content & Research: Healthcare & Well-being)
Dates TBD
17-19 October (Brussels, Belgium)
28 November – 2 December (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
29 January – 1 February 2023 (Rotterdam)
PARTICIPATION FEE
IMPULSE | SMEs Participation fee of €300.
IMPULSE | CONTENT no fees for applying.