Makers of The Metaverse: Jason Rosenstein Of Portion On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
History repeats itself. Passion, drive, and vulnerability.
The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Rosenstein.
Jason is a blockchain developer who identified the transformative and multifaceted capabilities of blockchain technology in 2011. He began building powerful machines to generate cryptocurrency and produced prototypes demonstrating the capabilities made possible by blockchain.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?
I grew up in New Jersey, about an hour outside of New York City. I always had a deep fascination with both higher consciousness and technology. All of the projects I have either started or worked on are an attempt to heighten awareness through the use of new and cutting edge technological advancements.
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda resonated with me on a deep primitive level. I read this book over 5 years ago and to me it represents a new path that I believe may be a part of our world’s future. It is my great hope that technology will grant people access to exploring aspects of themselves that have been within the entire time.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
I have no particular story, but my interest in ‘x reality’ is primarily in the fascination of consciousness existing outside of the body. It seems to me that the Metaverse is a natural next step in exploring deeper states of existence and exploration without having to physically relocate.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
Portion began in 2016 and raised funds in 2018. By 2019, just over a year later, we had hit rock bottom. The world was not ready for what we had to offer. At the point of total failure –$0 left in the company bank account — advisors insisted that I throw in the towel. But, I gave it one last hurrah. I re-coded our Ethereum NFT marketplace smart contracts from scratch and deposited every fiber of passion into the rebuild. And it worked. Just 6 months later NFTs were across the news, from Saturday Night Live to famous celebrity drops. It occurred to me that wherever we invest energy and action the universe seems to react with equal opportunity.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
My mentor once told me: “If you want to make people happy, sell ice cream.” I held to this ideal and stuck to this mentality through the pitfalls of the entrepreneurial roller coaster. It truly was impossible to please everyone. It wasn’t until years later I found out it wasn’t my mentor’s authentic thoughts. It was something Steve Jobs said.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We are building a collaborative NFT auction house where artists can keep up to 100% of the proceeds. Creativity can be funneled into direct financial support for millions of artists around the world. We occasionally pair these ‘drops’ with lively Metaverse experiences.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?
Non-local gatherings and socialization, immersive and therapeutic experiences, and digital land that has true scarcity value.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?
I worry about future inactivity of the human race, improper use of brain computing interfaces with the Metaverse, and a wild west of gambling and other illegal activities.
To address these concerns I recommend keeping power with the people through decentralized forums and DAOs. No large corporation should ever have the full rights to a given Metaverse. The people must vote, and I trust in the innate ethical and philosophical constructs by mass consciousness.
I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?
WFM is the future and covid has expedited the natural transition. The medical industry can particularly benefit from in-depth and realistic VR, AR, and MR training.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
Many are rightfully concerned that the younger generations will engross themselves too deeply into an “artificial” world. It progressed from too much screen time on laptops and cell phones. I believe that the metaverse will allow for better communication and information transference so that younger generations can swiftly resolve concerns and come together through new Metaverse forums.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?”
It is the same thing as any other industry. History repeats itself. Passion, drive, and vulnerability.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Stillness and emotional integration are keys that may unlock a more cohesive planet.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I answer with the cliche. Elon Musk — because I believe he understands the great potential of the evolving consciousness of the human race.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Makers of The Metaverse: Jason Rosenstein Of Portion On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
