IRVINE, Calif. – IMMERSE, the world’s leading virtual reality language teaching and learning platform in the metaverse, today announced that it has raised $9 million in Series B funding. The round was co-led by existing investor Eagle Venture Fund and new investor Mustang Creek Capital, and includes participation from new and returning social impact investors. This investment brings the company’s total capital raised to $11.5 million.
Founded in 2017, IMMERSE disrupted the language education industry and pioneered social VR language learning with the first synchronous VR language teaching and learning platform. The commercial platform was used in partnership with the world’s top language schools to deliver VR English language learning experiences to students in the Asian, European and Latin American markets.
IMMERSE is now poised to become the first subscription-based VR education service company in the metaverse and will bring its fully immersive, instructor-led, multiplayer language learning experiences directly to language learners worldwide. IMMERSE will launch its consumer-facing VR world languages learning app on the Meta Quest store this summer starting with the release of their Spanish language learning program. A French learning program will be released in spring 2023, followed by English, German, Japanese and Italian in the months to come.
The new funding will enable IMMERSE to significantly grow its team, to invest in continued product innovation and to launch its VR app onto other major VR platforms. IMMERSE plans to grow its global team from 12 to 35 over the next four months and is already hiring for a variety of education, engineering and marketing roles.
Unlike the gamified language learning apps that utilize rote memorization techniques, or online language courses that include scripted dialogues in a flat 2D environment, IMMERSE transports learners into a fully-immersive virtual world where, through the eyes of their avatar, they can socially and physically interact in real-time with their peers and instructor in the target language. No longer does learning a new language have to end in stagnation and unfulfilled promises. IMMERSE’s novel approach to language immersion enables users to express themselves authentically, to engage in deep, meaningful conversations in 3D worlds and to build real-life fluency.
IMMERSE’s VR language learning experiences, like live lessons and conversation events, give Members the opportunity to:
- Collaborate with their peers to solve problems while escaping a deserted Island
- Give and follow directions while cooking a meal in the chef kitchen
- Discuss abstract art while painting together in an art studio
- Improve their storytelling skills around a campfire
“Over the last four years, we’ve developed a revolutionary product that is fundamentally transforming the way languages are taught and learned. We’ve partnered with some of the largest language institutions to launch their VR English programs, helped hundreds of ambitious language learners develop real-life foreign language communication skills from the comfort of their home, built an incredible team, and attracted world-class social impact investors,” said Quinn Taber, co-founder and CEO at IMMERSE. “Having this additional capital behind us accelerates our mission to become the foremost educator in the metaverse.”
"Education is one of the most exciting applications of virtual reality since gaming and fitness, and we are thrilled to partner with IMMERSE to bring language immersion to the masses,” said Wes Lyons, general partner at Eagle Venture Fund. “This is a laser-focused team that has already proven itself as a VR pioneer and education disruptor through its B2B work in English language learning. We are not only huge fans of their technology, but also their values-driven culture. We are proud to support their work as they strive to deepen human connection and to create positive social change in the world."
