No one could have imagined how the COVID-19 pandemic would shape the future of work. The number of people working from home tripled between 2019 and 2021, from 5.7% to nearly 18%, according to 2022 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Many employees would rather quit than return to an office full-time, valuing flexibility and autonomy over higher paychecks. While several employers have adopted a hybrid model to accommodate employees’ preferences, some interactions simply aren’t the same over Zoom.
As a software engineer in 2017, Renji Bijoy noticed that collaborating virtually was difficult in hybrid settings. This inspired Renji to become the CEO/CTO and Founder of Immersed, a Techstars startup, to enhance remote working environments with virtual reality. It wasn’t until remote work became the norm in 2020 that his company gained traction with Meta and Microsoft to build virtual reality offices. Now, Immersed has raised $12M to date and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.