Leading the Metaverse Revolution from Aotearoa NZ

Revolutionising how people interact with digital content and applications, Aaron McDonald is setting a new standard for user empowerment and community-driven technological development. 

Co-founded by Aaron, Futureverse is a world-leading AI and metaverse technology and content company based in Aotearoa NZ. Aiming to transform the metaverse from an abstract concept into a practical, accessible, and interactive destination, the company became the first Māori-founded tech unicorn when it successfully raised US$54 million in 2023. The funding is enabling the development of the AI-driven content and technological infrastructure needed to turn the metaverse concept into reality.

By developing data protocols for digital ownership and creating interoperable content, Futureverse allows users to control their data and digital assets. This approach aligns with their mission to place humans and communities at the centre of the digital transformation. Speaking at the EHF Impact Springboard session ‘Transformative Ventures with Global Impact’, Aaron emphasised the importance of community control over technological development:

“If we can't get to a position where humans can have a say about how digital technology is used, how it's trained, how it's applied in our society, then it's going to create some terrible consequences.”

Futureverse enables humans to create the worlds they imagine. (Image supplied)

Futureverse is the driving force of technological advancements that enhance societal infrastructure, and maintain a balance between innovation and community empowerment. Aaron adds:

"The systems and infrastructure that our society is based on is all digital. So with that as context, it's really important that we put humans and communities back at the centre of the platform that drives that world."

Futureverse's technological advancements earned it a place on the inaugural Callaghan 100 Report in 2023, celebrating Aotearoa NZ companies making a global impact and highlighting Futureverse's innovative contributions and commitment to creating world-bettering technologies.

Aaron McDonald at Aotearoa NZ’s biggest creator conference in Auckland, where the world's largest platforms, 250 creators and 250 brands and agencies met and discussed the future of content creation. Aaron presented some of Futureverse’s leading content creation tools to this event of industry experts. (Image supplied)

A major milestone for Futureverse in 2023 was its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery and the creators of Ready Player One. The collaboration aims to bring the iconic franchise to the metaverse, demonstrating the practical applications of Futureverse's technology, when intersected with entertainment. Explaining the implications of this collaboration Aaron said:

“We formed a partnership with Warner Bros, who own the IP for Ready Player One, to activate it using our technology and really show how we can bring different games, applications, experiences, and content together in one place, make it interoperable and give users power back over their data and content.”

In development over five years, Futureverse’s technology stack positions them at the forefront of the metaverse market, projected to reach US$13 trillion by 2030.

Futureverse also announced the launch of Born Ready, a US$50 million venture fund and studio dedicated to early-stage Web3 and metaverse technology investments. The fund has already invested in various innovative companies, including a high-tech sneaker startup and blockchain gaming enterprises. Born Ready will also introduce an accelerator programme to further support emerging technologies.

Aaron's leadership and innovation are driving a more decentralised, equitable, and immersive digital future, ensuring that technological advancements benefit society and uphold sovereignty in the digital realm - and he’s achieving all this global impact from Aotearoa NZ.

Futureverse addresses the key technological and economic challenges hindering true digital ownership and interoperability in open gaming. With innovative solutions like the Universal Blueprint Framework, Sylo, Wearables Engine, Material World, FuturePass, and the ASM AI Protocol stack, Futureverse enables seamless, interoperable experiences for the future of gaming. (Image supplied)

Aaron is part of the Fellow group Kopakopa, which had its Welcome Experience in 2018. Learn more about Aaron via the Fellow Directory on our website.

Find out more about Futureverse at www.futureverse.com

A shorter version of this story appeared in the 2023/24 Hillary Institute & EHF Annual Report on page 27.