DVRSTY Office Hours #2

We believe that the next generation of the Internet should be built by a more diverse* set of founders than the last. DVRSTY exists to help accelerate those founders in creating ambitious new companies within the Metaverse and Web3. We do this primarily by connecting them with capital, network and talent. The applications are open for the second edition of DVRSTY Office Hours.


➣ What You’ll Get

The Office Hours is designed for founders currently starting their company and/ or raising their first capital. You’ll be given 20 minute private sessions with seasoned experts and investors. This is not a pitching opportunity but a safe environment to learn, ask tough questions and make valuable connections.

HOW TO APPLY

  • Simply fill in the application form by April 11th

  • Please complete all fields to the best of your ability

  • We will announce the participants at the virtual networking event on April 17th and send confirmation emails on April 18th. Please keep your calendars free for April 26th.

  • Spaces will be limited but if demand is strong we will arrange more sessions

  • We are considering open sourcing a list of all companies that are interested in being contacted in the future by other investors. We will ask for your permission if we do this.

ELIGIBILITY criteria

  • Founding team must include at least one diverse women* founder

  • This is for founders at the beginning of their journey (from pre-launch to seed)

  • You have raised less than £1m so far

  • If pre-launch you must already have an MVP or a strong idea of what you want to build and be within 3-6 months of starting

  • The company should be based in Europe

  • You are company building under the broad definition of the Metaverse

  • includes adjacent areas incl. web3, realtime 3D, enterprise metaverse, spatial computing, AI

  • You shouldn’t be pure content or service-based business (eg. pure studios, agencies)

  • You need to be able to join the Office Hours by video call for the entirety of the scheduled time

*by this we mean every woman, (including trans and non-binary) and from any background.

What will happen?

  • Office hours will be held via video call, with each meeting lasting approx 20 mins

  • Each meeting will be private and consist of yourself (co-founders can join) and two of our investors/operators

  • Office hours should be constructive and the investor you meet may or may not want to follow up afterward

  • There is an opportunity to network with other founders after the private sessions

  • The sessions are not intended to be pitch sessions. You can use the 20 mins as you wish but we would suggest the following:

  1. Founder presents what they’re working on, with slides if preferred (3-5 mins)

  2. Founder comes prepared with 3 or 4 areas they want feedback/help on. Prepare specific questions beforehand. For example funding advice, feedback on product/market/idea, Go To Market etc (15 mins)

Supporters Behind DVRSTY

DVRSTY is a community-driven initiative, led by FOV Ventures, with the support of a growing number of partners including WiiT (Women In Immersive Tech) and XRDI. Virtual networking and investment readiness workshop is part of the WIIT Meta grant 2023. We have also partnered with AWE to provide 15 founders with a free ticket for the upcoming AWE USA conference in Santa Clara, California. All applicants will have a 20% coupon code. If you’re an investor, operator or potential partner that would like to get involved then don’t hesitate to contact us.

the final selection for our DVRSTY#2 campaign

At the kick-off and virtual networking event on April 17th in Meta’s Horizon Workrooms we’ve announced the final selection out of our applicants.
The final selected female-led startups met with seasoned investors to test the waters at the Office Hours #2 on April 26th for 5x private 20min sessions for their respective projects. Behold as their journey continued in May with an investor readiness workshop with the expertise and extended experience of our co-founder Leen Segers.

finalists & prizes DVRSTY 2023 edition

The DVRSTY team rewarded those who they believed would benefit the most with the following rewards:

A full pass and a travel stipend of 500€ each for AWE USA 2023
Altr - SensiVR - Imvizar

A 3-day trip to London from June 27th > 29th including an exclusive Investor Dinner at the Ivy Tower Bridge the 27th, a full pass for the Economist Enterprise Metaverse Summit and participation to the WIIT Meetup UK on June 28th, a full pass for SEG3 on June 29th, travel & accommodation for 1 person.
Altr - Imvizar - Arrival.space