Meta launches mixed reality program in India with $250k grant – The Indian Express
Meta today launched a new Mixed Reality Program in India with a grant of $250,000 (approximately Rs 2,05,07,050) that will be given to Indian startups and developers to build apps and experiences on the company’s Presence Platform.
Meta’s Presence Platform is a range of machine perception and AI capabilities for the Meta Quest Platform and the company’s dream of the Metaverse. With the fund, it hopes to foster innovation and nurture an ecosystem of extended reality technologies in the country.
Under the program, up to five Indian developers and startups will get a financial grant as well as mentoring and guidance from Reality Labs experts in the company. The program will also give them an opportunity to become part of Meta’s developer ecosystem and upload their product to the Quest App Lab. The company also says that selected startups will also get an introduction to “leading” local venture capital funds at the end of the program.
This announcement from Facebook’s parent company comes shortly after Apple announced its entry to the mixed reality space with its Vision Pro headset, which the Cupertino-based tech giant says will go on sale in 2024.
According to Meta Vice President for India Sandhya Devanathan, India is set to have the world’s largest developer base by 2024 and the new fund and the program is an acknowledgement of the need to foster innovation and emerging technologies in the country.
Meta’s Presence Platform is a suite set of technologies and design created to help developers build compelling Mixed Reality experiences that can “seamlessy blend virtual content with the physical world.” Some Presence Platform capabilities are already incorporated into some of the most popular apps on Quest, according to the company.
