French startup METAV.RS is a new white-label solution for brands entering the metaverse. The no-code content management platform provides luxury brands and retailers with a suite of Web3 applications that enable them to manage their own virtual worlds or miniverses.
Directly integrated with a brand’s regular e-commerce site, METAV.RS technology makes it easy to create and sell NFTs or dematerialized goods and create rich customer experiences.
The platform is interoperable between the main metaverses and social networks. It is compatible with the main e-commerce platforms and secure payment systems.
“Our goal is to be the Shopify of the metaverse,” says co-founder Clément Foucher. “We have a similar business model with our plug and play solutions, from virtual dressing rooms to digital twins.”
The team has implemented a 3D reconstruction application (3D Builder), which allows easy scanning of physical objects. The generated models can be used to create digital twins, which can be integrated between metaverses and/or on product pages on e-commerce sites. The goal? Both to democratize access to the brand metaverse and to boost revenue.
METAV.RS is targeting major luxury and retail companies that already have assets for cross-metaverse integration, says Foucher, who has already signed key strategic accounts currently subject to nondisclosure agreements.
The team is currently building a global transformation program for one client in particular, he adds, that involves tokenizing their loyalty program with both digital and real-life rewards.
“Assets could be digital twins, access to specific events, a vote in the DAO. The more NFTs you have, the more benefits you will have,” he says. “It’s a global gamification program for Gen Z. The overall customer experience will be completely reinvented.”
The company based between Paris, Angers, the French ‘Blockchain Valley’ Vierzon and Hong Kong has secured €3 million in seed funding led by Jsquare, a Singapore-based specialist Web3 fund, together with global French consultancy Sia Partners. (through the investment division Studio) , and the investment fund 50 Partners.
The round is also supported by angel investors such as Ledger co-founder David Balland, The Sandbox co-founder and CEO Sébastien Borget, Michael Amar, serial entrepreneur, Thibault Renouf, CEO of Partoo, Joel Hazan, director CEO and Partner of BCG, Sébastien Lalevée, CEO of Financière Arbevel and Jonathan Bordereau, CEO of Golden Bees and head of the 50 Partners web3 accelerator.
The funding will go towards IT recruiting and training to accelerate platform development, staffing and global expansion. METAV.RS is looking to double its team by the end of 2023.
METAV.RS has 20 employees and is incubated at Station F in Paris by Korean web and metaverse giant Naver. It was created in January 2022 by four partners: Simon and Clément Foucher, Jérémie Salvucci and Adrien De Lavenere-Lussan. His background spans entrepreneurship, digital transformation and marketing, 3D, engineering, software development, and video production.
METAV.RS will also be participating and, in some cases, creating NFT collections for various events in the coming months, including the Web Summit in Lisbon, GITEX in Dubai, CES in Las Vegas, and NRF in New York. The startup has already created a MetaJacket NFT for Metaverse Summit that can be integrated into both Decentraland and The Sandbox.
