In 2023, Starholder delves into radical VR innovations and internet reforms with “Together” and “TOCA,” highlighting a year driven by technological evolution and a push for user-centric digital experiences.
The Year In Review:
In 2023, the Starholder timeline intricately explores advanced virtual reality developments, tokenized media landscapes, and the transformative entrepreneurial journeys, creating a rich fabric of digital evolution and personal narratives.
The narrative around “Together” highlights the cutting-edge virtual reality technology enabling immersive user interactions, marking a significant innovation in the VR space. Founded by Elliot Blank, a Stanford dropout inspired by the success of Peared, Together pushes the boundaries of VR to create interconnected personal experiences, reflecting the intensifying fusion of technology and social interaction in the digitalized world.
Simultaneously, “TOCA” represents a groundbreaking shift towards a user-centric internet experience. It challenges the dominant, often monopolistic practices of the digital industry, advocating for a drastically revised approach to how online platforms operate. This initiative aims to reduce user friction and transform the web into a more accessible and equitable space, symbolizing a critical evolution in the dynamics of internet usability and governance.
The year is further characterized by dramatic tales of individual actors shaping the tech industry. Figures like Sonny Kumar, transitioning from the founder of ImmerCast to a significant role in Peared, illustrate the multifaceted challenges and opportunities that tech entrepreneurs navigate. Their personal journeys, intertwined with technological innovation and market dynamics, provide a human perspective to the broader narrative of digital transformation.
2023 thus emerges as a year where the Starholder community experiences profound advancements in VR and strives for a more democratized internet landscape. These developments not only enhance the technological capabilities of society but also underscore the ongoing need for ethical frameworks and user-focused innovations in the ever-evolving digital domain.
Articles and Topics:
- Tokenized Media is Reshaping the InternetThe internet is a living, breathing entity. It’s a complex adaptive system (CAS), a dynamic network of interconnected parts that continually influence and adapt to each other. It’s a system that evolves, learns, and grows, much like a living organism. And right now, it’s on the cusp of a significant evolutionary leap – the rise …
- TogetherTogether is a copycat startup that developed a VR headset and software technology that allows users to pair with each other similar to Peared and Rizon. The company was founded by Elliot Blank, a Standford University dropout, who was inspired by Peared‘s success and decided to create his own company to focus on it. Together’s VR headset and software technology has …
- TOCA – On Being & BecomingEvolving the Internet: From Structures of “Being” to Flows of “Becoming” The digital realm, since its inception, has been characterized by its ceaseless dynamism. From the early days of ARPANET to the globalized web of today, the internet has seen transformations both profound and incremental. Yet, at its core, the internet was conceived as a static …
- TOCATOCA: Reimagining the Internet Experience for a User-Centric Future Introduction: The present-day internet sucks. It is bloated and anti-user, devolving as monopoly practices at the top force smaller sites downstream to engage in desperate acts of monetization and funnel capture. 90% of the friction we experience today is unnecessary. The web is in need of a radical …
- Sonny KumarSonny Kumar is the former founder of ImmerCast and former COO of Peared. As a driven and ambitious entrepreneur, Sonny had always been interested in technology and innovation. He had a natural talent for coding and problem-solving, and he spent most of his free time tinkering with computers and electronics. After graduating from one of India’s prestigious IITs, Sonny …
- Rabbit WilsonRabbit Wilson is the founder and CEO of Peared, a company that came to life with a $14M loan from him to the company. Before Peared, he was at the Smash House. A company where he spent much time and made some great connections and memories, but in the end, he was happy to leave. He had …
- Paolo SotoPaolo was a 32-year-old software developer and former associate of Kendra Godfrey, with whom he attended the University of Southern California. She introduces Paolo to Rabbit Wilson when he comes to her to start Peared. From 12 until he left for the University of Southern California at 17, he had been a wannabe Lost Boy who’d wear leather, sunglasses, …
- MonicaMonica (last name unknown) is a deceased former associate of Kendra Godfrey and girlfriend of Paolo Soto. She was known for her intelligence and her dedication to her work. Born and mostly raised in South America, Monica was always interested in technology and its potential to change the world. Monica and Kendra had a complicated work and personal relationship …
- Malcom DuBourMalcolm Dubour was born in Melbourne, Australia to parents Michael and Anne, both of whom worked as teachers. He was the first child in his family and the only boy, followed by four sisters. Growing up, Malcolm attended the local public schools in Melbourne. He always had a knack for problem-solving and a head for …
- Kendra GodfreyKendra Godfrey is the former CEO of NAM, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) company, and a former member of Square 90 Ventures, a successful startup incubator program. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Godfrey attended the University of Southern California, where she studied computer science and AI. While at the university, she was Paolo Soto‘s resident advisor …