"The metaverse is a fusion of physical and digital worlds.”

By Greg Kahn
Founder & CEO, Emerging Tech Exchange
March 18, 2023

Thanks to Kathi Sharpe-Ross for inviting me to join her on her podcast this week.

I shared my outlook on mixed reality, how it can transform the way we interact with each other and how it can impact our daily lives in a post-COVID world.🌍 Listen in as Kathi and I talk about the latest trends and innovations shaping the digital and physical worlds.

🎙 Our discussion can be enjoyed on all podcast platforms including Apple, Spotify and Google => 

https://loom.ly/-yFCo50

The Metaverse’s Second Life 🤘🏼

By Greg Kahn
Founder & CEO, Emerging Tech Exchange
March 20, 2023

“The metaverse has hit a snag, and leading technology companies such as Meta, Microsoft and Apple have reduced their focus on the R&D behind the virtual world,” writes VentureBeat’s Victor Dey.

I’d say it’s more a matter of perception. The metaverse – and our understanding of it – is more a matter of evolution. And evolution is not a linear process, the late Harvard professor Stephen Jay Gould famously observed.

Progress “zigs and zags,” Gould noted.

What can be called “snags” can also be considered growing pains of an idea larger than what any one platform or tech company (even the giants) are attempting (or appearing to back away from).

As I pointed out in this VentureBeat article, the lead on the metaverse will come from the likes of brands who are finding the use cases, rather than the companies trying to craft the infrastructure. Brands as diverse as McDonald's and Gucci and Nike and PepsiCo and the LEGO Group are creating real value in immersive worlds.

And worlds take time to build… Read more here ➡️

https://lnkd.in/e2GiqKuE

#innovation #metaverse #immersivetechnology #immersiveexperience

The atmosphere of anxiety, and, yes, continued celebration at SXSW

By Greg Kahn
Founder & CEO, Emerging Tech Exchange
March 16, 2023

The Wall Street Journal’s Katie Deighton, writing in the #CMOToday newsletter, weighed in about the atmosphere of anxiety, and, yes, continued celebration at SXSW, even as the ongoing situation with Silicon Valley Bank hangs over every conversation:

“It’s a tale of two cities,” said Greg Kahn, CEO of GK Digital Ventures, a media technology and advertising advisory company. “Half of the folks that are here are just super happy and very pleased to be here, and the other half are dealing with SVB.”

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The way the Silicon Valley collapse is being felt — and not being felt — here in Austin

By Greg Kahn
Founder & CEO, Emerging Tech Exchange
March 16, 2023

Spoke with Jason Abbruzzese of NBC News at #SXSW about the way the Silicon Valley collapse is being felt — and not being felt — here in Austin:

“You have two very different camps here.”  That’s what I told NBC News correspondent Jason Abbruzzese when he asked for my take at this year’s SxSW. He caught up with me at the JW Marriott. It was right after the news broke Friday about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. 

I expanded on that reaction in a conversation with WSJ CMO Today newsletter editor Katie Deighton: “Half of the folks that are here are just super happy and very pleased to be here, and the other half are dealing with SVB.”

The mood was pretty surreal — I’m factoring in the gathering’s usual craziness —for the closing days of SxSW. For the most part, after attending a whirlwind of major business/tech events this year — from CES to Davos — SxSW was something of a break, even with the market-shaking news. 

SxSW is such a terrific event to gather investors, operators and entrepreneurs who strive to make a difference in the world.

These are true change makers.

I hosted several dinners in Austin this time out. Before I get into the details, I have to shout out Jason Wagenheim of BDG; Beverly Rider⚡️of TONOMUS; Sara Fischer of Axios for the insightful discussions. Those on stage discussions continued after the event thanks to the attendance and thoughts by incredible pioneers from Paramount, Northwell Health, Red Bull, P&G, Vayner, Coinbase, Spotify, Warner Music, LEGO, and so many other companies who joined us.

I’m extremely grateful for the Austin community and the change-makers who support GK Digital Ventures and Emerging Tech Exchange.

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