BY Saarah Survé < 1 MINUTE READ

Rise above 

Inspired by the raw challenges that comes with being an entrepreneur, Ulrico Grech-Cumbo, Co-founder and CEO of conservation-led immersive storytelling studio Habitat has successfully married tech and nature through virtual reality. Habitat produces specialised virtual reality (VR) content that sends users on immersive wildlife experiences that both educate and evoke a sense of empathy. “By physically involving people in the stories and lives of wildlife and other humans, we can get them to care more, learn more and donate more,” Ulrico says. “We have been producing our own wildlife documentaries as well as immersive experiences for conservation NGOs which are used as fundraisers. We’ve wor-ked with WWF and Conservation International to do this, and they have broken fundraising records and achieved incredible ROIs as well.”

Open season

Given the impact Habitat has had on the commercial VR space, the company is aiming to create a space for people to experience the many facets and narratives of  Habitat’s VR. Creating access for all is a major part of their plan. “These results have inspired the idea to work towards building a physical facility where people can use all sorts of immersive technology to learn about wildlife and the natural world in a deeper way,” explains Ulrico. “Very few people are privileged enough to be able to experience wild animals in their natural environments, and to date, zoos have been the only way for people to learn about them.” And now, that is all about to change.

Read more in the Fast Company March/April 2019 MIC edition.