Raphael Seghier (EDHEC 2008) transports you to a virtual world with the Homido helmet
Raphael Seghier (EDHEC 2008) teamed up with two partners to take on the market for virtual reality helmets for smartphones. This is a market experiencing rapid growth, and "Homido" has positioned itself as a serious contender to compete with the technology giants.
EDHEC Alumni : Can you briefly describe your career since leaving EDHEC in 2008 and explain in a few words how Homido came about?
Raphael Seghier : I learned Chinese while studying at EDHEC, so I immediately began my career in China once I had bagged my diploma. I started out working for French multinationals: Peugeot in Beijing (during the Olympics) and Vallourec in Xi'an (home to the buried Terracotta Army), where I held management positions in sales/marketing. I then went out on a limb, working for a French start-up in Hong Kong in 3-D cinema, which encouraged me to launch my current project, Homido, with two other partners.
EA : Can you describe Homido?
RS : Homido is a virtual reality helmet for smartphones. You simply insert your smartphone into the helmet so that it acts as a screen which you watch close-up using lenses. This allows you to immerse yourself in all sorts of content: 360° video or VR games, whose special feature is that the user can explore the content in all directions using the smartphone’s movement detection function. This really transports you into a virtual world. Every country already has fans of virtual reality, 360° video, VR games, etc. We are just coming to a shift in the market, from “geeks” to the “mass market”. So we target both fans of VR, which is a market that has already been won over and which is eagerly awaiting the release of our helmet, and a wider market of gamers, gadget enthusiasts, etc. The next phase (fast approaching) is the use of this type of product in new areas (art, games, military, professions, etc.), which will open up many new markets. Our Ulule Presale campaign, which generated 300% of our objective, showed us that our target market is older than we thought (average age of 38).
The market is going to be very competitive in the future, but for the moment ours is the world’s only offer that meets these conditions:
- good-quality product (customised and adjustable optics, comfort and finish)
- extensive compatibility with Android and iPhone smartphones
- immediately available for purchase
- bundle with Homido mobile apps
- bundle avec apps mobiles Homido
EA : What are your prospects for growth?
We’re part of a trend initiated by Oculus Rift (purchased by Facebook for 2 billion USD), with Sony, Samsung and Google all developing projects for virtual reality masks or related items. VR will be the future of video games and many other things besides. There are some very good opportunities in the short term, as we’re the first with an attractive offer in our market segment, so prospects for growth are very strong.
EA : How much capital do you need to raise?
RS : For the moment the project is totally self-financed. We are taking our first orders so we will quickly be able to achieve a balanced position. If we decide to raise capital, it will be to accelerate the company’s growth both in commercial and technological terms, develop our retail networks more quickly, and release new products with an emphasis on technological content, so we’re talking about several million euros at least.
EA : What are your expectations from the EDHEC network of graduates? Have you already benefited from the network?
RS : I participated in EDHEC network events overseas in China. This is the first time I’ve been in contact with the network in France. We are at a phase in the project where we need to make ourselves known. There are loads of business opportunities to seize. Whether in terms of helping us to develop in a particular geographic area, on a particular market (mobile gaming, industrial virtual reality, etc.) or in a niche market (real estate, tourism, etc.), the EDHEC network is an appealing way to get in touch with decision-makers from various industries worldwide.
EA : What’s next for Homido?
RS : We have just returned from the electronics trade show in Hong Kong, which put us in touch with potential retailers worldwide. We will be delivering our first orders in the next few days, putting a new website online and introducing two new mobile applications in November. We are preparing a PR initiative to boost the media buzz as Christmas approaches, and we will be attending the CES, an electronics Mecca, in Las Vegas in January. So no time to be idle for our small team!
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