Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Virtuix raises $2.5 million with its mini IPO, which will go toward its Omni active VR system

Albert Khoury
By
Virtuix Omni - Now You Can Invest in VR and Virtuix
Virtual reality allows you to experience anything a developer can come up with. Sights and sounds are brought directly into your headset, and you can just sit on the couch and take it all in. Controller support and other peripherals allow you to interact with your virtual world, but you can still remain mostly stationary. For those who want to immerse themselves further in the fantasy, there’s active VR. Virtuix’s Omni, a system that combines a treadmill, harness, and special shoes to give you a broad range of movement, allows you to run, backpedal, and even jump. Originally launched on Kickstarter in 2013, the company has now released a mini-IPO publicly, raising $2.5 million in the first 24 hours.

According to a press release, over 500 private investors, along with five institutional investors, have purchased shares, including 2020 Ventures, Scentan Ventures, Western Technology Investment, Tekton Ventures, and Scout Ventures.

Recommended Videos

“Virtuix is transforming the inherently limiting seated or room-scale VR setup to a fun, engaging, and social Active VR experience,” says Noriaki Okubo of Scentan Ventures. “We invested in Virtuix because they are the Active VR category leader with a passionate and driven team that is determined to revolutionize VR gaming, fitness, training and simulation, and many other applications.”

Historically, investors in private companies were vetted by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and approval was based on income and net worth. Only two percent of Americans were eligible for this type of investment. Thanks to new regulation under Title IV of the JOBS Act, which passed through congress in June 2015, the general public can now invest in private tech startups right alongside the heavy hitters. Virtuix is offering Series A preferred stock to the public at $2.33 per share as of this writing.

“We are thrilled to see the overwhelming response to our stock offering,” says Jan Goetgeluk, founder and CEO of Virtuix. “We are excited that our community can now participate in our financial future and be part of the next chapter of our story.”

We tried the Omni at CES, which was available with three FPS-style games. Armed with a virtual rifle, we made our way through one of these games and were impressed with the layer of immersion.

Texas-based Virtuix has raised over $9 million in private funding over the past two years. The VR firm has pre-sold more than 4,000 Omnis and started shipping units to customers in December 2015. With the new capital injection, the company seeks to grow (the team currently consists of 31 people) while further refining and developing its products and technology. Home and commercial applications can include entertainment, training and simulation, and virtual tourism. The Omni is compatible with leading headsets and is available for pre-order at $700. Virtuix is accepting investments through the online SeedInvest platform.

Topics
Albert Khoury
Albert Khoury
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Al started his career at a downtown Manhattan publisher, and has since worked with digital and print publications. He's…
Save $150 on a lifetime license for Microsoft Office for PC
microsoft office professional 2021 deal stack social april 2024 bundle

For one of the cheapest Office deals today, check out Stack Social which currently has a lifetime license for Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows for just $70. The product normally costs $220 so you’re saving $150 off the regular price, all while gaining a lifetime license for some very useful software. If you’ve been considering getting Office and don’t want to deal with the ongoing nature of Office 365, this is a good opportunity to do so for less. Here’s what you need to know before you click the buy button.

Why you should buy Microsoft Office Professional 2021
If you’ve been reading up on whether to use Microsoft Word or Google Docs and you’ve settled on Word, snapping up Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is a great way to do so for less. Described as everything a pro needs, Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is pretty great.

Read more
Best Squarespace deals: Save on domains, web builder, and more
A laptop with Squarespace displayed on the screen.

Nowadays, everybody has a website, whether it's for personal stuff, to show off their online portfolio, or even to sell something. Of course, building a website isn't always easy, especially for those who aren't tech-savvy, but you'll be surprised at how easy it is to build a website with Squarespace, even for beginners. Luckily, there is currently a great sale going on at Squarespace to give you an extra nudge to grab yourself a subscription, with annual plans giving you up to 36% off, as well as a short-term 20% off sitewide with the code W4D20.

Besides just website building, there are a ton of perks of subscription, from hosting to email campaigns and even Squarespace Courses, which is pretty unique for a website-building website. So, if that sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, we've listed all the ways you can save on Squarespace subscriptions below.
Today’s best Squarespace deals

Read more
Microsoft Word free trial: Get a month of service for free
A person using MS Word.

It may not feel like it, but Microsoft Word is probably one of the most popular word processors out there, along with Google Docs, and pretty much everybody has likely used it at some point, regardless if you prefer Microsoft Office to Google Docs. Of course, if you want to get your hands on it these days, you're going to have to buy it as part of Microsoft Office, as opposed to getting it as a standalone product like you used to. While you do have to pay for the subscription, you can get Microsoft Word for a month using the free trial before it reverts to a paid subscription. Also, be sure to check out some of these useful Microsoft Words tricks and even how to run Microsoft Office on the Quest 3.
Is there a Microsoft Word free trial?

Microsoft Word is actually part of the company's wider Office app suite. Now known simply as Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office), Microsoft's enterprise software is available in a number of different packages that are now subscription-based; the company has retired the older bundles that were available for a one-time payment. That means if you want a Microsoft Word free trial, you'll need to sign up for the Microsoft 365 trial.

Read more