Irvine-based VR edtech startup Immerse Inc. raised $5 million in an internal funding round last month.
“This puts us in a position of strength,” Quinn Taber, CEO of Immerse, told the Business Journal.
“Where other companies are firing, we’re able to strategically ramp up on headcount and marketing.”
The company raised double its expectations, putting its total funding to date at $16.5 million.
Immerse bills itself as the first and only language learning platform with live instructors that teach lessons via virtual reality.
Taber recently appeared on ABC’s “The View,” the No. 1 daytime talk show, to discuss about Immerse and its partnership with Meta Platforms Inc. (Nasdaq: META).
Meta Research Grant
Immerse has teamed up with Meta over the past year to study how VR can improve language learning in schools.
Meta awarded Immerse with a research grant in October 2022 and supplied the company with 500 Meta Quest 2 VR headsets.
Through this partnership, Immerse has brought its lessons to 10 underserved high schools and more than 1,200 students.
The findings have been promising so far, Taber said.
More than half of the students reported that Immerse improved their speaking confidence and focus during class, according to the study.
Immerse currently offers lessons in Spanish, French and English with high demand to add Japanese to its lineup.
