When a 100m2 vacant room transforms into a saloon of a western village, it’s not magic, but the work of Gerrit Schneider and Sébastien Broggi. The two scan physical spaces with millimeter precision and creativity into their own virtual worlds – and earn money doing it.

It rains and rains. Gerrit’s sister is visiting Switzerland with her children and ideas for child-friendly excursions are in demand. These circumstances are the trigger for Gerrit’s business idea “Virtual Arena”. During a walk in the rain, his eyes fall on the grounds of the Jungfrau Park in Interlaken. A few days later, Gerrit notices that this 70,000 square meter hall is empty. With the idea of realizing a VR Experience, Gerrit finally turns to the owner, who is immediately enthusiastic. To avoid extensive acquisition costs, Gerrit offers his virtual experience in a franchise model.

The principle is simple: The franchisee receives from the team behind “Virtual Arena” (Gerrit developed the idea together with business partner Sébastien Broggi) the technology and know-how for the operation with its own staff. The operating income flows back to the young entrepreneurs, together with the income from the license fee.

The technology behind it is being developed and researched in collaboration with ETH.

At Virtual Arena, any empty rooms can be measured with millimeter precision and then transformed into metaverse, virtual game worlds. This is done with a specially developed ultrasound technology, which is currently being researched and further developed with ETH Zurich. The young entrepreneurs plan to patent their innovation before the end of the year. In contrast to “social” gaming at home in front of the screen, a lot of calories are burned while playing in the Virtual Arena. To prove this with numbers, the young entrepreneurs measure the steps and distances covered by the players. But usually the sweaty shirt is enough proof.

The start-up “Virtual Arena” is already successful on the market and has six paying customers from the tourism, event management, family entertainment and shopping mall sectors, among others. The two tell of countless positive feedbacks from players, especially children. Even after thousands of sessions, there has not been one complaint or disappointment. “Laughing and excited children who can run, jump and throw themselves to the ground in our Virtual Arena without a care in the world. That’s what we’re most excited about. And that’s what drives us,” says Gerrit Schneider.

Gerrit Schneider and Sébastien Broggi are two of many young entrepreneurs who are in the running for STAGE UP 2022. With their business idea, they have already successfully overcome the first two hurdles – the pre-selection and the elevator pitch. We are excited to see how this business will develop and wish them all the best for the upcoming coaching and workshop phase.

Gerrit Schneider            Sébastien Broggi