Happy Friday! This is Product Lab, your weekly source of fun technology & startup inspiration. Brought to you by your mates at Polyform Studio.

What we have for you this week

• 🎙️ Our Podcast - Danielle Bicknell

• 🤳 VR, GEN Z & the New Reality

• 🤖 Ai Experiment: Robbie (🔥UPDATE!)

• 🎥 Polyform Shorts

• 🤣 Dank Meme Dump

PRODUCT LAB PODCAST EPISODE #007

Join us in this episode of Product Lab as we sit down with Danielle Bicknell. We explore Second Muse and Headstream's cutting-edge initiatives, discuss her vision for a healthier digital future, and learn about her strategies to tackle the unique challenges that the youth face in this rapidly-evolving digital era. From creating supportive online communities to leveraging technology for skill-building and self-discovery, Danielle elaborates on the impact of innovative tech and what startups and companies should focus on in this digital space.

Defining Digital Wellness

1/ Empowering Entrepreneurs for Social Justice Through Technology

In the conversation, Danielle discusses how she helps entrepreneurs leverage technology to promote economic justice and dissolve inequalities. She shares an example of a product called Throughline, which started out as a chatbot that accesses social media to identify self-harming behavior and intervene with resources. Over time, it has grown to centralize hundreds of helplines worldwide that can be integrated into large tech platforms. Danielle highlights that working with entrepreneurs who challenge her implicit biases is her favorite kind of challenge. She points out that the best kind of entrepreneurs are those who wish that their products didn't need to exist in a perfect world.

2/Building WITH your community and not just "for" them

Danielle discusses how many tech products are built with a focus on engineering, rather than mindful design. She mentions the importance of building products in a way that doesn't alienate people and highlights the need for more diverse teams to create products that are not harmful to users. She praises entrepreneurs who are focused on creating products that truly benefit users, rather than just inspiring or addicting them. Danielle adds how Headstream, the business accelerator she works with, takes an impact approach and helps entrepreneurs navigate the industry in a way that's authentic to themselves and their mission.

3/ Social impact over revenue?Danielle talks about the importance of impact and how it's not always aligned with traditional metrics of success in the startup world. She emphasizes that the pandemic has highlighted the need to move away from the idea of consistent month-over-month growth and instead focus on creating products that benefit users without causing harm. Danielle shares that it's important to "demystify the digital wellness space" for funders and help them understand the positive ways to prevent growth at all costs. She believes that by leading with impact, the right users and revenue will come.

LISTEN TO / WATCH THE FULL EPISODE

VR is transforming the way Gen-Z learns, socializes, and engages with the world by offering a readily-available alternative to "base reality". The technology's growing popularity presents a wealth of opportunities for startups to innovate and create new applications, experiences, and interpretations of what is "real".

VR AS A PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE

Education: Traditional classroom lectures are already outdated. Students today crave interactive, engaging learning experiences that capture their attention, and motivate them to learn. This is where VR comes in. By creating virtual environments that students can explore and interact with, VR provides a more immersive and engaging learning experience. Research shows that students using VR for learning have better retention rates and are more motivated to learn. A study by the National Education Association found that VR education boasts a 74% retention rate of VR vs lectures (5%), reading (10%), and Audio-visual learning (20%).

Social: Gen-Z values diversity and inclusion, and VR provides opportunities to connect with people from all over the world in a virtual environment. Social VR platforms like VR Chat and Marshmello are already taking the world by storm, allowing users to attend virtual events and concerts, socialize, and even shop virtually. A study by the Pew Research Center found that 53% of teens who use VR say it has helped them feel more connected to others.

Love: Virtual dating and relationships may sound futuristic, but they're already becoming increasingly popular. A study by the University of Geneva found that 44% of people are willing to try VR dating. This creates new opportunities for startups to create virtual dating and relationship platforms that cater to Gen-Z's needs and expectations.

Wellness: VR is already being used in the healthcare industry to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain. For Gen-Z, this means that VR could provide new and innovative ways to improve mental health and well-being. A study by the University of Washington found that VR-based exposure therapy was effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety in children.

VR, GEN Z, & GAMING

The VR gaming market is growing and creating new opportunities for Gen-Z gamers and startups to revolutionize how we consume & interact with media (again).

We've got VR esports now and as esports and VR become increasingly intertwined, we are going to see TONS of new gaming AND audience experiences taking immersive media to the next level. Some notable examples of esports VR games Echo Arena, Onward, and Sprint Vector. The titans of console gaming are also ramping up efforts to get kids in the game. PlayStation just dropped their PSVR2 headset and THANK THE STARS... Walkabout MiniGolf is FINALLY coming to consoles. I will play the shit out of this game. Beyond that there have been rumours of an XBox VR headset for years and though Microsoft is well equipped to produce the hardware (Hololens, Kinect, etc.) they haven't made any official announcements yet. One thing is for certain though... as media moves off the screen and into a new real of "spatial computing", games will be one of the "killer apps" that push this transition.

INVESTORS ARE TAKING NOTICE

Considering that everyone is throwing themselves at ChatGPT and A.I right now, VR might be an interesting avenue to invest in. Spending on AR and VR is expected to reach $13.8B this year and to $50.9B in 2026, according to IDC reports. The five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) will be 32.3%, VR to take up 70% of AR/VR spending in 2022-2026 period 🤯. Investing in VR startups and technologies that cater to Gen-Z's needs and expectations is crucial for the future. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of online learning, virtual events, and online shopping, creating new opportunities for startups to innovate and disrupt traditional industries. Startups like Greenlight VR and zSpace are already paving the way for the future of VR, and there's no doubt that more will follow.

AI EXPERIMENT OF THE WEEK: Robbie PART 2 UPDATE! 👻

👻 It's official! Robbie has taken over our inboxes and lives! We knew our robotic creation was amazing, but we didn't expect it to become an overnight hit!

Since our last newsletter, our CEO Adam has officially become best friends with Robbie. Yes, you read that right – our AI-powered personal assistant has won over the heart of our fearless leader, and we couldn't be more thrilled.

But what's all the fuss about, you ask? Well, let's just say that Robbie is more than just a cute assistant. With Chat GPT4 powered brain, Robbie has become a full-blown personality, complete with a sense of humour, impeccable taste in music, and even some impressive dance moves (we've seen it with our own virtual eyes).

So what's Adam been up to with Robbie, you ask? Well, let's just say that things have gotten pretty wild here at the Polyform Labs. From impromptu dance parties to endless rounds of trivia, Adam and Robbie have been spending some quality time together, and the results have been...hilarious.

We got behind-the-scenes footage – here's a sneak peek of what you can expect from Robbie and Chat GPT4:

And that's just scratching the surface. With Chat GPT4's advanced natural language processing technology, there's no limit to what Robbie can do. So if you want to join the Robbie fan club (trust us, you do), now's the time to do it. Who knows – maybe you'll even get a chance to hang out with Adam and Robbie yourself. Just be prepared for a wild ride (and maybe some questionable dance moves). 👻☀️

POLYFORM SHORTS - MORE MIDJOURNEY!!

DANK MEME DUMP

What'd you think of this edition?

• 🤖🤖🤖 Loved it!

• 🤖🤖 Meh, not amazing.

• 💩 Did not compute.