SubVRsive, a “full-service” virtual reality and augmented reality company, has landed a $4 million “A” round from WPP, and has named former Hulu exec Johannes Larcher as CEO.
Founded in August 2015 and based in Austin, Texas, SubVRsive has developed VR experiences with partners that include Lionsgate, MTV, Comcast and Showtime. Showtime, for example, worked with SubVRsive for a VR of a recent bout between Deontay Wilder and Artur Szpilka, and for The Circus, a documentary series that followed the campaign trails of then-presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The startup also teamed with Comcast to help capture the company’s presence at last year’s SXSW conference.
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According to the company, its helps partners conceptualize their VR experiences, and is also involved in their pre-production, production, post-production and deployment. In addition to producing 360-degree videos, it also builds custom apps.
Larcher, SubVRsive’s new CEO, handled Hulu’s business outside the U.S., including the launch of Hulu Japan (Hulu launched service in Japan in September 2011, and Hulu’s Japan business was fully acquired by Nippon TV in April 2014). He was also part of the team that crated paid search at Overture Services (now Yahoo! Search), and was CEO of Academy123, a provider of homework help and self-study guides that was acquired by Discovery Communications in 2006.
SubVRsive said company founder Austin Mace will work closely with Larcher in a new role of chief creative officer.
SubVRsive investor WPP recently joined a group that is investing $50 million toward VR projects with IMAX.
