Helsinki XR Center has recently established a new networking platform, HXRC Network, to fill the gap between extended reality (XR) providers and customers in Finland.
People at the Helsinki XR Center’s Industry Roundtable event in April 2022. (Photo: Kira Vesikko)
Helsinki XR Center (HXRC) has acted as a hub for extended reality (XR) solution providers, and connected a great deal of stakeholders manually for years, but there has been a growing need for a wider, more attainable, and more visible network.
People have hoped for a platform that would give a clear overview of the Finnish XR organizations, creators and individuals, and where you could easily connect and chat with them. A place to find the right people for your XR needs, whether it’s about starting a single project or a longer-term strategic partnership. A place that anyone could join, and preferably for free.
And to answer these hopes and needs, HXRC Network was established.
HXRC Network’s first steps
HXRC Network was built on top of the digital LoftOs platform by Innoloft GmbH during the year of 2022. It was used in Helsinki XR Center’s biggest annual event, Match XR 2022, to arrange 1-on-1 meetings. Around the event, over 300 individuals and 100 organizations signed up as members to the newly established platform, and started building the foundations of the HXRC Network.
The main objective of the HXRC Network is to collect stakeholders of the Finnish XR community together in one place to find clients, start cooperation, share knowledge, and promote their products. The platform will also be a portal for customer organizations, like educational institutions, to connect with XR companies, and find talents and solutions for their needs.
In addition to connecting within the HXRC Network, the members can reach companies and individuals around Europe by browsing other networks that are also part of the Innoloft Ecosystem.
The moment we are writing this article, HXRC Network has 165 organizations (including 39 companies, 94 startups, 11 research institutions, 7 investors, 2 incubators and 12 public institutions) and 349 individuals, already giving a clear view of what the Finnish XR field has to offer.
If you aren’t a part of the network yet, read more and register for the HXRC Network now.
Together building an active XR network
The online platform is mainly designed for business to business (B2B) interactions, and therefore organization profiles play a very important role within the HXRC Network. While every individual creates their personal profile when signing in the platform, they are encouraged to either join an existing organization profile or create an organization profile for themselves. Personal profiles without an assigned organization cannot make offers and requests on the platform.
To make the HXRC Network a lively ecosystem that offers valuable services and meaningful content, members are encouraged to post news, offers and requests on the platform. They can, for example, promote that the company is hiring, tell about their new solutions or give an update of an interesting project. At the time this article was written, HXRC Network had 27 offers, 13 requests, 9 projects, and 7 news articles published.
The HXRC Network has already 349 members from 165 different organizations, including companies, startups, research institutions, incubators and public institutions, as well as investors.
You could say that the HXRC Network is just one social platform among the others, but what makes it so special is that it’s dedicated truly for the XR & emerging tech industry, and connections between the people within it.
If you have anything at all to say on the topic of XR and other emerging technologies, you can be sure that the people in this network really want to hear it.
With this said, the HXRC Network aims to be one of the best ways to keep track of what is really going on in the Finnish XR & emerging tech scene and what it has to offer to the world. If you belong to this scene, and have not yet joined the network, please do it now, and help us create the best one-stop-shop to search, discover and network with XR solution providers in Finland – and around the world!
For XR providers:
- Find new contacts within the XR ecosystem
- Promote your organization and solutions
- Write offers and requests for your needs
- Share news about your project/organization
- Start conversations about XR & emerging tech related topics
For customers & partners:
- Find talents and solutions within the XR ecosystem
- Write offers and requests for your needs
- Read news and updates of what is happening in the XR field
- Start conversations with XR & emerging tech professionals
Spread the word, expand the industry!
Helsinki XR Center is continuing the promotion of HXRC Network among XR solution providers, metaverse tech developers, and web3 service innovators. If you and your company do not already have a profile in the platform, we encourage you to create one, and start networking right away.
In the future, Helsinki XR Center will keep the platform active by writing articles and sending newsletters of the things happening in the platform to those HXRC Network members. But us being active on the platform is not enough: we hope every HXRC Network member keeps this platform in mind, and lets the network know any time there is something newsworthy going on in their organization.
Photo: Kira Vesikko
During the spring of 2023 Helsinki XR Center is going to start promoting the platform to potential XR customers and project partners. If you belong to that target group, it is also time for you to create a profile and start to look for XR professionals! If you are not sure if you are a match for the network, or are otherwise uncertain about joining, do not hesitate to contact us: info(at)helsinkixrcenter.com
And guess what: there is something that you can do to help! For the common good, spread the word that there is finally a platform for finding professionals of XR related fields. Only together we can help the Finnish XR scene shine, thrive and expand to new heights!
“If you have anything to say on the topic of XR and other emerging technologies, you can be sure that the people in this network really want to hear it.”
All articles about HXRC Network
HXRC Newsletter: October 2023
In October’s newsletter we share updates about events and initiatives at the Helsinki XR Center, including the Exhibitor Open Call for Match XR 2023, the Generative AI themed FIVR meetup, our involvement in European research projects, and the creation of the Finnish National Metaverse Strategy, along with reminders about HXRC Network and the Guide to Buying XR.
HXRC Network: Offers & Requests
Our series of HXRC Network related articles continue! This time we are deep diving into HXRC Network’s Offers and Requests functionalities.
HXRC Network: Make your Organization profile shine like a diamond
A well designed organization profile creates a much bigger chance in finding clients, starting cooperation and promoting your products within HXRC Network. By reading this article, you will learn how to elevate your organization profile to its full potential!
Quick Manual for HXRC Network
This quick manual helps you to get started with HXRC Network, the networking platform that brings XR providers & customers together.
The funding for HXRC Network and its upkeep has come from Assisting XR Entrepreneurs Forward (AXE4) and PedaXR projects.
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