Company:Gather
| Founded | May 2020[1] |
|---|---|
Key people | Phillip Wang (CEO)[2] |
| Website | www |
Gather (also known by its domain name gather.town) is a web-based social media and collaboration platform in which users interact via avatars in 2D virtual environments.[2] Gather spaces have been used as virtual offices for companies, as well as for events such as games, academic conferences, and churches.[2] Gather has also been used for distance learning in universities.[3] Gather was founded by Phillip Wang in 2020, as many companies shifted to remote work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Each Gather user is represented by an avatar and can customize its hairstyle, skin color, clothing and accessories.[5] Users can interact with other users in a Gather space via video chat. The platform uses spatial audio technology in which other users sound louder the closer they are to the user in the virtual space.[6] Users can also "shoulder tap" other users to invite them to chat.[4]
The layout of a Gather space can be selected from an array of templates or customized to the creator's preferences.[5] Videos, virtual whiteboards, and external applications such as Google Docs can be embedded in Gather spaces.[7] Gather spaces may also include objects such as bookshelves, pool tables, podiums, and indoor plants.[4][5]
In March 2021, the company raised $26 million in a series A round led by Sequoia Capital.[6] It raised $50 million in a series B round in November of the same year, attaining a valuation of $700 million.[8][9]
On June 2, 2022, Gather laid off about 30 of its 90 employees. According to Phillip Wang, the company had experimented with diverse use cases such as virtual events during the pandemic, but was pivoting to prioritize remote work, its main use case.[8]
References
- ↑ "About Gather". https://www.gather.town/about.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Melendez, Steven (2021-11-03). "Gather offers a more inclusive vision of the metaverse—no VR required". https://www.fastcompany.com/90692692/gather-inclusive-metaverse-vr.
- ↑ McClure, Colin D.; Williams, Paul N. (2021). "Gather.town: An opportunity for self-paced learning in a synchronous, distance-learning environment". Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching 14 (2). https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/compass/article/view/1232. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Mascarenhas, Natasha (2020-11-18). "Virtual HQs race to win over a remote-work-fatigued market". https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/18/virtual-hqs-race-to-win-over-a-remote-work-fatigued-market/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Zhao, Xin; McClure, Colin D. (2022-05-09). "Gather.Town: A Gamification Tool to Promote Engagement and Establish Online Learning Communities for Language Learners". RELC Journal. doi:10.1177/00336882221097216. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00336882221097216. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mascarenhas, Natasha (2021-03-11). "Sequoia Capital puts millions of dollars into Gather, a virtual HQ platform". https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/11/sequoia-capital-puts-millions-of-dollars-into-gather-a-virtual-hq-platform/.
- ↑ "Gather Help Center Home". https://support.gather.town/help.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cai, Kenrick (2022-07-08). "Virtual Office Startup Gather Laid Off About A Third Of Its Employees Last Month". https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2022/07/08/gather-town-layoffs-virtual-office-startup-june-2022/.
- ↑ Copans, Victoria (2021-11-04). "Gather Raises $50M in Series B Funding as It Builds its Metaverse". https://www.livedesignonline.com/b2b-experience/gather-raises-50m-series-b-funding-build-its-metaverse.
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