Who is VTRI and what problem do you want to solve?

"VTRI stands for VTuber Research Institute, and as the name suggests, we work with Virtual YouTubers, i.e. people who use a virtual avatar when creating content on sites like YouTube and Twitch.

Finding someone who can create an avatar that can be used for this purpose is currently quite difficult, takes a long time, and carries the risk that customers can be scammed and lose their money.

We are working to build an online platform that can make it easier for avatar creators and customers to find each other, thus increasing the speed, ease of use, and security of the process."

Where did you get the idea for VTRI? 

"We have been working with the idea of VTRI since the end of our first semester in Interactive Digital Media. During our master's we researched the VTuber area very carefully, and as a result we got to talk to quite a few VTubers and avatar creators.

We noticed that many of the VTubers we talked to complained about how long it took to get an avatar, while many avatar creators complained about how difficult it was to find customers.

With this knowledge, we chose to spend the third semester of our master's doing an internship in our own company to explore how we could help both groups at the same time. As a result, we formed VTRI. We will officially start as private company in Q1 2024."

What's next for VTRI? 

"When it comes to VTubers, the next step is to further spread the word about VTRI as the place to go when you want to create your virtual avatar. VTRI will also continue our research and development for the industry and culture that has received us so well and that we personally value.

But VTubing isn't the only industry using virtual avatars. VTRI is looking at an exciting time where the idea of virtual avatars in various industries is evolving. For example, we have seen the use of virtual avatars in education, psychology and, of course, Artificial[LI1]  Intelligence, take off. We expect that our research and knowledge on the more established field's use of virtual avatars can provide a unique angle on how virtual avatars can be used in other industries in the future. So, for us, it’s important that VTRI in the future is not only a service for VTubers, but for everyone who needs virtual avatars."

How does the AAU Startup Grant contribute to your development? 

"The grant provides a unique opportunity for us to accelerate the production of our service without losing our unique scientific approach.

The grant will also help us explore more areas of virtual avatars and their use earlier in the process than we previously calculated.

First, we can use the funds to cover the server costs of our platform. We also plan to get an additional backend developer to help us with developing the platform. In addition, we plan to get legal advice so we can design a contract to clarify who has what rights when it comes to the avatars sold through our platform."