23 Mar Meet Futurus’ CEO, Annie Eaton
If you are a recent follower, friend or acquaintance of ours, then you’ve likely seen us talk about “our CEO, Annie Eaton”. Not only is she Futurus’ CEO, but she is also the co-founder of Futurus, alongside Peter Stolmeier, CTO. To continue our celebration of International Women’s Month, we would like to introduce you to Annie Eaton.
Annie earned her degree from The Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2014, she created the XR Atlanta meetup to bring VR/AR/MR enthusiasts and professionals together to learn from one another. The meetup has inspired many others in the Atlanta ecosystem to pursue careers and create businesses centered around immersive technology. Annie shares her knowledge of VR/AR and emerging tech with others at industry events around the nation. She was honored with the TAG Young Professionals’ Technologist of the Year award in 2017, the Rising Star for the Women in IT Awards, named one of the top 39 Atlanta Female Leaders to Follow on Social Media, and was listed as one of the Best Augmented Reality Experts under 40 by PeopleMaven. With her passion for educating and sharing her experiences and knowledge, Annie always takes the time to answer questions and was happy to be available to answer some questions relating to the past, present, and future.
What was the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
“Learn when to say no. Then do it.” I’ve been told this by several people – more in my entrepreneurial journey and not necessarily in a corporate environment, which is probably saying something. There is so much power in the ability to say no to things. It helps me stay on track with the goals and vision of my company and I notice that when I practice it, Futurus thrives. I always try to explain why I’m saying no, whether it’s in the office, with a prospective customer, or in my personal life. It makes the process more understandable for everyone involved and keeps relationships intact.
What has been your greatest lesson learned?
There are so many! I think the greatest one though has to do with communication and fearlessness. An effective communicator is able to share the good news and the bad. Bad news and negativity were (and still are) hard for me to communicate because I didn’t want to put anyone in an uncomfortable position, which has resulted in me shutting down. I learned very quickly that if I don’t communicate what’s wrong, how can I expect things to be right? It’s still a work in progress but I’ve actively been facing negativity and turning it into a positive outcome through better communication.
What is your favorite headset and/or game? Why?
While I absolutely love the HTC Vive, I’ve grown very fond of the Oculus Quest. I love its portability and my friends and family like that I can bring it to their house to play games together! My favorite game is definitely Beat Saber. We have a friendly competition going on in my house and it’s extended to some work competition as well. I like that I can compete for the global leaderboard as well as locally on my device. Growing up, I was extremely involved in dance and music, so when I found a game that combines both of those with my love for virtual reality, I was sold!
If someone wants to learn more about AR/VR, what accounts/people are helpful to follow on social media?
I get most of my news by connections on LinkedIn, so I would recommend Cathy Hackl and Alan Smithson as a couple of my favorites to follow. They not only share relevant industry news but are also fantastic about starting conversations and getting the world thinking on how immersive technology can be applied in so many creative ways. They also highlight cool projects so I recommend tagging them when you publish something amazing!
How do you see AR/VR helping companies and people stay connected?
There is a lot of flak on digital communications driving apart human connection. However, I see these tools as incredible ways to bring people together (and I think the world is realizing this VERY quickly too). In the transition from physical connection to digital, I want to be open in sharing with others what has worked for me. I love professional chat and collaboration platforms like Teams and Trello, I like social VR platforms like AltspaceVR to engage with others in the VR community (although headset not required), and I like having video calls with my sister who lives in another state with Snapchat or Messenger so I can use AR filters while I talk. These are my go-to solutions but there is a different technology fit for everyone. I see augmented reality as a huge asset in showcasing products during the sales process when the salesperson isn’t in the same room as the customer. I envision virtual reality as a great way to be collaborative with others in a focused, distraction-free environment. These technologies will help us stay connected more than ever, even when we can’t be with each other physically.
