How this founder uses gaze control to make money from VR, AR, the blockchain

Photo credit: Pixabay.

Some people think that success comes only to those who are lucky and strong. But there are people who challenge this myth. With all the resources, assistance, and technology available out there, one just needs to go and grab them to make their passion more meaningful.

Jonny Peters, founder and CEO of blockchain startup Gaze Coin, believes in this mantra as well. In a podcast interview on Tech Geeks, I got acquainted with his story, which is truly inspirational, especially for those who are into VR, AR, and the blockchain.

Who is Jonny Peters?

Peters is a VR producer. His recent work, Dream Channel, a 90-minute “choose your adventure” series, got nominated for the VR category at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. He also created a VRR (virtual reality “reality”) format called Gang Green.

But his passion for VR and AR doesn’t stop here.

After working in the VR space for more than 20 years, Peters had to figure out a way to merge VR and AR with adtech and make it commercially available. This is why he founded Gaze Coin, which features a technology that combines gaze control/eye tracking with the blockchain.

The $80 billion adtech industry

According to a report, digital ad sales (US$70 billion) surpassed TV ad sales (US$67 billion) in 2016. The gap is expected to widen in 2017, with digital ad sales reaching US$80 billion and TV ad sales decreasing to US$64 billion.

The question is, how can this US$80 billion adtech industry be further revolutionized through AR and VR technology?

Currently, ads appear on a virtual platform (e.g. TV or website) and interact with the physical world. The opposite will happen in future advertising, where ads will remain in the virtual world and audiences will interact with the virtual world.

Advoge co-founder Varun Satyam explained this on Hackernoon:

Now, AR/VR opens up a completely new world and the level to which data can be precise just from a single data source, i.e. environment. No more guesses of what the user needs or requires, the user behavior can be determined here with absolute precision, as the user lives in the environment.

This is the opportunity Peters is grabbing.

AR/VR monetization through the blockchain

Advertisers often can’t find easy and measurable ways to place their VR content. Peters wanted to solve this through decentralization.

Expanding to the music industry and Asia

Various challenges