Makers of The Metaverse: Yann Toullec Of Univers On The Future Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Motivation- This space is in constant fluctuation and new ideas are everywhere. You have to be motivated to push your idea forward or it will get lost in the flood.
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 Yann Toullec.
Yann Toullec, Univers CEO, is a serial entrepreneur in the media and tech industry. Independent from a young age, Yann has always been driven by his ambition for creative solutions to real world problems and is now devoted to championing the future of the metaverse industry.
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 without screens and was mainly fascinated by books, poetry, and storytelling. My main passion since childhood was always how to solve problems. I would imagine futuristic creations and solutions for improving the world.
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?
Bienvenue à Gattaca because of the fact that it highlights that there are no fatalities and that no one should follow a designated path for external reasons, but instead follow their own instincts and let that dictate their journeys.
Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in the X Reality industry? We’d love to hear it.
Alice in Wonderland and Mary Poppins. These stories are full of creativity and magic, but also full of personal growth and strong character development. I think it’s important to live with a childlike curiosity so I pursue ideas that are both exciting and have the potential to expand our physical reality.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?
I have a strong belief in Karma in the sense that when many negative things have occurred, life will balance out and positive shifts will begin. I believe this is especially true when it comes to business. With the Covid19 pandemic, many of my businesses were devastated. When the world began to open back up, I found myself surrounded by only my most loyal and steadfast relationships. My love of nightlife and socializing has helped me make some of my best friends in some of the strangest circumstances and now I have an incredible team and a revolutionary project!
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?
Looking for fame more than value, I built my first company in the movie industry in order to meet Emma Watson at the Cannes Film Festival. I was more passionate about meeting her than the movie I was making!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I attribute my success and direct my gratitude towards my Mother. It was she who fueled my mind with books and poetry from such a young age. It was my Mother that showed me what true hard work was and the value of investing in your own mind. My Mother is a brilliant woman both personally and professionally and has a strong passion for adventure. Growing up with this incredible woman more than anything or anyone else in life, is what helped shape me into the person I am today.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
My current project is Univers. Univers is an ever-expanding network of interconnected projects and dApps built on the blockchain. Our technology enables metaverse interoperability, meaning any project, application or platform may connect to or build on the network through any reality such as VR, AR or 2D interfaces. Metaverse interoperability provides asset liberation and increased utility as avatars, in-game assets, NFTs and tokens may be accessed while participating in any experience connected to the network without third party involvement, (eg., exchanges).
We’re increasingly seeing the ways in which our physical and our virtual world are blending. We at Univers truly believe the metaverse is simply another incredible extension of our reality and as such, we should all work together to shape it and ensure it is a place where we can all be free to create, explore, and make our own choices. Univers will help society by providing opportunities to unleash and expand their horizons creatively, socially and financially–collectively.
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?
Freedom , collaboration and organic growth. These are relatively new technologies and new spaces. If we can approach these technologies while honoring those three qualities, then VR, AR, and MR could be an amazing opportunity for truly harnessing collective consciousness and communal exploration.
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?
Data exploitation. Digital asset exploitation. One person or corporation with complete industry control/dominance. I believe the metaverse should be a space where each individual gets to be involved in decision making. If one corporation gains complete control of the space then we will likely experience a lot of the data and digital asset exploitation that we are currently subjected to online and in social media by corporate giants.
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?
Humans communicate in far more ways than in written and spoken words. These technologies offer us opportunities to communicate in new and different ways as well as create new experiences. This can be beneficial to brands because they can effectively create entirely new worlds for their consumers to participate in and experience their brands in more emotionally stimulating ways. It also provides more opportunities for consumers to connect with brands they may never have known about or had interest in. Ultimately it broadens opportunities for both companies and consumers.
Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?
Humans have a knack for inventing and then reinventing. One invention usually leads to a series of other inventions that often have even more profound effects than the initial invention. I think VR, AR and MR will start off as a place we get to connect, socialize, earn and explore new realities, but then evolve into something more incredible than we can predict right now. Maybe we’ll find new medical applications. Maybe medical students will perform their practice surgeries on avatars or get to explore 3D scans of clogged arteries. Maybe students with learning disabilities will be able to absorb more knowledge through VR education or story books will be full adventures that readers are completely immersed in. I believe the more open we are to accepting these technologies, the quicker we will find the many benefits.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about working in your industry? Can you explain what you mean?
In the blockchain industry there are a lot of “get rich quick” projects or “trendy topics”. The trend right now is the metaverse. A myth I’d like to dispel is that very one. Not all projects are just trying to make money quickly and then disappear. Some projects like Univers are dedicated to the long term elevation of this space. Find those projects and stand by them.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The VR, AR or MR Industries?”
Motivation- This space is in constant fluctuation and new ideas are everywhere. You have to be motivated to push your idea forward or it will get lost in the flood.
Creativity- You need to be creative in every regard or else your idea and solutions will not be unique enough to stand apart from the competition.
Resilience- There are tons of hurdles in this industry. It’s essential to be solution oriented no matter how many challenges present themselves.
Team- Network is your net worth. Surrounding yourself with talented and experienced people who truly believe in your idea and can further elevate it is crucial. You cannot do everything yourself and you cannot do everything best.
Loyalty- Building a loyal following who believe in your project and want its success is a must. A strong and dedicated community will ensure your project survives the tumultuous markets.
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. 🙂
The movement I want to inspire is choice. We have the ability to choose where these industries are headed and how much control we have within them. Get involved. Talk to the projects you believe in. Take charge of your future in immersive technologies and invest your attention in the companies committed to our free future
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 would love to share a meal with either Elon Musk or Keanu Reeves. Elon, so I could ask him about his vision and strategic choices, and Keanu so I could hear him speak about his philosophy on life.
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
Makers of The Metaverse: Yann Toullec Of Univers 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.
