29 Aug Meet Annie Eaton, CEO and Cofounder of Futurus
What inspired you to start your own company?
I’ve always been interested in starting my own business. From lemonade stands with my sister growing up, to a handbag design company with my mom in high school, I was born with an entrepreneurial spirit. When I met our CTO, Peter, I knew that we had a special connection and that we could do great things. We planned exactly what we wanted to achieve and decided to go for it! We launched as ATLvr in 2014.
The company was originally named ATLvr, what was the reasoning behind changing the name to Futurus?
We originally chose ATLvr as our company name because it stated exactly what we did – virtual reality production in Atlanta. As the years went on and we started to evolve, we were not just working in VR and our clients were not all based in Atlanta. We started exploring other options that would allow the company to grow and evolve just as the technology we loved was changing. We decided on Futurus for several reasons. We wanted a symbol of our forward thinking, future-minded work, it was regionally ambiguous, and we could have the flexibility to adapt as technology changed over time. We’re happy with the outcome and we’ve just passed the one year mark with our new name.
How has Atlanta’s VR/AR community changed since you first started Futurus?
We started the company shortly after creating the Atlanta Virtual Reality Meetup group, so we’ve been in the Atlanta VR scene since before many knew it existed. When we first began, one of the main things we had to do was introduce and educate our clients to the technology. Thanks to many releases of consumer headsets and applications, most of our clients now have a baseline understanding of virtual and augmented reality technology. While we still believe education is the key to understanding what we do, we are no longer starting from scratch. That’s a huge change in Atlanta over the past three years.
You’ve witnessed a lot of people trying VR for the first time. What’s the best reaction you’ve seen so far?
One of my favorites was my father-in-law’s reaction. We pulled out all the stops and put him in the HTC Vive with MSI VR One backtop for his first ever experience (one of the perks to having a daughter-in-law who owns a VR company). He was amazed at the intro/educational program Peter created and kept saying, “Oh my Lord,” while he was in the experience. It made me feel great to have such positive feedback – especially from a new family member!
You’re very active in the Atlanta community. What organizations and groups do you recommend other entrepreneurs and those in the tech industry check out?
I always recommend the meetups. They are considered hidden gems where individuals with similar interests and goals gather and meet each other. There are business opportunities, new friendships, and personal/career growth that come out of these groups and I am a huge proponent of them. I’m also a graduate of Launchpad2X, which is a program for women entrepreneurs to gain resources and networking opportunities. It was a huge asset to my career and company growth and I encourage any other women entrepreneurs to check it out.
Your dogs, Eleanor and Clementine, were recently featured on the HTC blog and had their 15 minutes of fame. Have they turned into total divas?
They already were total divas, so of course, the fame has gone straight to their heads. Since the blog, they got a new ride and can be seen cruising the streets of West Midtown.
What’s your favorite VR/AR experience?
The most memorable VR experience for me has to be Tilt Brush. At the time of its release, it was beyond anything I had seen before. The best part was that I was not only experiencing and interacting with the program in virtual reality, I was actually creating something new. I instantly saw this type of application as the future of content production for a younger generation. Similar to how people today use Photoshop or Illustrator, the next crop of talent may exclusively design in 3D, while immersed in VR. Literal tears were brought to my eyes when they introduced the music feature and my creations danced around me to the beat. It was a magical moment.
Twitter: @anniearete
Check out Annie’s recent interview with Hypepotamus to learn more about how she got started and what’s next for Futurus.
