DC’s Enquire AI just bought land in the metaverse — here’s why

As of today, DC-based Enquire AI officially owns a piece of the metaverse.

Today, the company announced that it had purchased a few parcels of virtual land in the Sandbox metaverse (if you’re not up to date on that term, here’s an explainer). The news follows a December move from the AI-based business intelligence and research firm when it rebranded from GlobalWonks to Enquire AI after receiving a $5.5 million funding round.

Enquire AI made the move into the metaverse, CEO Cenk Sidar said, in a move to keep up with its tech-savvy clients and try a new method of communication after two years of Zoom fatigue.

“We are a company always looking for more innovative ways to provide more real-life experience for this interaction,” Sidar said. “We see Zoom fatigue from the last two years, especially with COVID, and people are getting sick of being on video calls all day now. … People are getting sick of looking at the screen all day with minimal social interaction.”

It’s not the first time that the company has looked into the next big thing in virtual meetings: Sidar said that Enquire AI previously explored holographic meetings (sadly, that one didn’t pan out). Enquire AI won’t be requiring its employees to use the technology, and Sidar thinks it will primarily be used as an option in external meetings. He hopes to start holding said meetings and interactions by the end of the year.

Overall, he hopes it can be a space for connection among the companies he and Enquire AI work with — the type of place where people from DC, London and Argentina could all sit around the same conference table.

“It’s basically going to have a fully immersive experience being in the same area,” Sidar said. “I believe virtual reality, especially, will definitely bring people together in virtual spaces.”

The company chose Sandbox, Sidar said, because it was more open source and a few other noteworthy companies have already begun purchasing and developing there. The fact that other companies are already there is a huge benefit because he thinks that true adoption of the metaverse, and the future of work, will only happen when technologies like this become more mainstream.

Until then, he has high hopes for what the metaverse can offer by allowing people to feel closer and socialize even while at home.

“If you can bring 10 team members together around the round table and feel like you’re in the same office, but you’re home, this is a huge benefit for everybody,” Sidar said.