The "Pixar of VR" Wants to Bring Virtual Reality Technology to Everyone
Baobab, nicknamed the “Pixar of VR,” wants to bring virtual reality to the masses.
“Our mission is to create that content that gets people from the age of 5 to 105 wanting to experience VR,” producer Kane Lee, the company’s head of content, told Cheddar. “We can create new characters and universes that way.”
Lee said that, although the technology is still in developmental stages, he doesn’t want VR content to be “pigeonholed” as a niche market, only accessible to the very tech-savvy or those with big pocketbooks.
Baobab, known for animated videos featuring family-friendly content, counts among its investors 20th Century Fox, Samsung, Comcast, and Alibaba’s Youku. The company raised $25 million in funding last fall, and it's reportedly gathered $31 million to date. It’s also received critical acclaim: its animated film “Invasion!” won a 2017 Daytime Emmy for “Outstanding Interactive.”
The content is available for Samsung Gear, Oculus, Vive, Daydream, and Playstation VR headsets.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/baobab-studios-releases-second-animated-movie).
API platform RapidAPI recently became a unicorn with a $1 billion valuation after raising $150 million in a Series D funding round led by Softbank Vision Two Fund. Microsoft's Venture Fund, M12, and Andreessen Horowitz also participated. RapidAPI says it provides the world's largest API hub which enables millions of developers and companies to build software faster. Iddo Gino, founder and CEO of RapidAPI, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
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On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of Achieve Life Sciences discusses a new plant-based compound that's being used to fight nicotine addiction; President & CEO OF DiaMedica Therapeutics explains a new ischemic stroke treatment option that expands the window for effective therapy for stroke patients; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Asteroid Rush.'
We are already starting to feel the effects of summer. Heat waves in Texas and California are already sending temperatures soaring. That could spell trouble for the nation's power supply. there are new concerns about outages in many areas of the country. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier explains the two main causes of blackouts, and what states are doing to keep the lights on and the air conditioning running.
U.S. stocks close Tuesday at session highs after a subpar start to the trading day. Tim Chubb, Chief Investment Officer at the wealth advisory firm, Girard, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. 'We're starting to see the moderation of three core things -- we've seen the moderation of prices, we've seen the moderation of wage growth we've seen in the labor market, and we've also seen a moderation of job openings,' he says.
