With Merge VR, We are Betting on Both
The eternal conflict for every gambler at the race track: Should I bet on the fastest horse or the most talented jockey? This same tug-of-war occurs with every Wildcatter when trying to decide which investment to make.
Just as the fastest horse does not always win the race, it is not uncommon for some of the greatest business ventures to crash and burn. Conversely, history books will confirm that several exceptional jockeys have taken an average horse straight into the Winner’s Circle.
Although a constant conflict, Wildcatters have learned, oftentimes painfully, that a great idea only succeeds if you have the right person leading the charge. That is why the vetting process on any new submittal into the Wildcatters Network always begins with the team assembled to implement the business plan.
Although we could share a few horror stories of some very exciting projects that just had the wrong “jockey”, our libel attorneys recommend that we stay focused on the stories with a more positive spin.
Here is one of our favorites:
The Wildcatters Network has made a sizable investment into San Antonio-based virtual reality company Merge VR. Merge has an excellent product line, however the real secret to their success is the two founders who are uber-committed to the company.
Merge VR was the brainchild of Franklin Lyons, a design expert in the technology space with a very impressive resume. Every visionary needs a cohort to help keep the ship on course. In this case, Lyons made the extremely wise strategic move to partner up with co-founder Andrew Trickett. A Wharton MBA, Trickett is a veteran of the tech start-up world and was a part of the successful liquidation of Virtual Alert.
The sales of Merge’s mobile-base virtual reality headsets skyrocketed in 2016. However, the company made an even bigger splash when they recently unveiled the world’s first holographic toy, the Merge Cube. With strong distribution channels already in place, the Merge Cube has the ability to take Merge to the next level.
Technology consulting firm Digi-Capital predicts that $17 billion will be spent on AR/VR in 2017. This number will increase to an astonishing $120 billion in 2020. The Wildcatters Network is extremely excited about the products, team and vision of one our favorite investments: Merge VR.
