Key takeaways

When you start a business you may set out with one customer base in mind but always be open to going in a different direction if it still remains close to your values.

If you explain your company’s mission and ethics well, you’ll be amazed at who might follow you and contribute to your success.

The five co-founders of New Zealand company Avatars Global started out a year ago to use AI in ways that elevate human creativity and to bring social good.

The start-up’s mission is to use AI in ways that elevate human creativity and bring social good, says Chief Creative Officer, Paul Jason (PJ) Young.

“Whether it’s using avatars to enhance communication in healthcare or crafting immersive digital experiences that connect people, we believe in the power of tech with heart,” he says.

Thanks to these values, while Avatars Global has a team of 11 it also has an enviable list of creatives it can call on from companies like Lego, Pixar and Disney.

The Auckland-based business now has two promising channels of business, areas they didn’t plan to be in when they first launched, according to CEO, Trevor Topfer.

The core business is hand-crafting avatars for global brands going deep into well known global brands to understand how the avatar is appropriate for the brand or experience. It also creates brand mascots.

Avatars Global's Trevor-Topfer_Richard-Chew_PJ-Young (1).jpg

The other path the business has gone down is the development of an immersive game experience, Team XYZ, created for children aged eight and upwards, aimed at encouraging them to do more physical activity.

Children will be able to choose from five avatars - a skateboarder, a surfer, an inline skater, a BMX champion and a snowboarder to be their “digital best friend.”

Parents will help configure the game for their child and the avatar will remember conversations with the young person and give them tips on how to do physical exercise like learning to skateboard.

“We’re taking a lead from Pokémon GO, which proved people are happy to participate in physical activity if it’s a game,” says Trevor, who is trialling the game with a number of primary schools.

Avatars Global is seeking to raise $2 million from investors in New Zealand and the United States at the moment. If that all goes well, the game’s MVP will launch in March and Trevor is hoping 10,000 customers will be onboard by the end of 2025.

“Team XYZ will become revenue generating,” says the CEO. The game will have a subscription model with children paying less than $10 a month.

Go to Stuff for the full article.

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Physical vs Digital

An AI avatar start-up is using its skills for the greater good