10 Lessons in 10 Years – HYPERVSN Hits a Decade!

In 2012, two smartly-dressed young men entered the Dragons’ Den with hopes of delivering a winning pitch and walking out with a business mogul as an investor. They knew their product worked, they knew the technology was groundbreaking, and they knew that, whatever happened in the den, they were headed for success. They perhaps didn’t imagine that they would end that experience having said no to not one, not two but THREE dragons…but that’s exactly what they did! Those young men were our founders, Kiryl Chykeyuk and Art Stavenka, who officially launched HYPERVSN two years later, attracting funding from Richard Branson and Mark Cuban along the way. It’s been a wild ride since then but we’ve made it to our 10-year anniversary! If you’re a start-up founder, you’ve undoubtedly heard that 70% of businesses fail within the first 10 years. So this is a huge milestone for us and we’re grateful to be joining the 30% of success stories! To celebrate a decade of building a world-class business, we asked our team to share some lessons we’ve learned along the way. From product to mindset, their answers touch on the major considerations for scaling a start-up.

Chart your own path and stay the course

It’s easy to get caught up in what you ‘should’ be doing. Whether it’s fundraising, hopping on social media trends or going global, you might feel pressure to follow the proven path. But every business is unique — get clear on your unique path and stick to it. Many founders dream of securing investment on Dragons’ Den but Kiryl and Art passed up this opportunity because they knew it wasn’t the right path. 

Back yourself! 

Backing from investors, industry experts and early adopters can take a business from zero to a hundred, but nothing is as important as backing yourself! You must believe in your start-up and, perhaps more importantly, your ability to make it a success. Revisiting Dragons’ Den, Kiryl and Art weren’t willing to give up the stake that investors requested because they backed themselves and understood the value of their idea. 

Adapt to survive 

It’s no secret that you need to adapt to stay relevant but, remember, you must adapt while staying true to your unique path. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of businesses panicked and released new products or services that reflected the global situation but weren’t fully aligned with their brand or customer needs. We used this time to instead focus on increased research and customer training so that we were able to hit the ground running when the world opened up again. As a result, 2022 saw the rollout of the HYPERVSN SmartV line, our most advanced product range yet, boasting an array of new applications with a particular focus on interactivity. 

Embrace innovation early and often 

As a tech company, a commitment to innovation is at our core. We place huge importance on quickly learning about and – where relevant – implementing emerging technologies, as displayed by our early adoption of ChatGPT, integrating it with a holographic avatar while others were still debating its utility. The result, our SmartV Digital Avatar isn’t just a fad – it’s an application of AI that has the potential to make impact in so many scenarios, and it’s already making waves. But innovation isn’t just about technology. You can set your company apart from others by innovating your approach to remote work, your team structure or even your marketing. 

Build – and retain – a winning team 

The value of a talented team can’t be underestimated. In a world where employees often need to move companies every few years to hone their expertise and access the best opportunities, we have committed ourselves to making HYPERVSN a place where our people grow with us. We’re grateful that many of our employees have been with us from the start, deeply immersed in our technology, products and mission. We’re always on the lookout for new talent, contact us if you’re interested in joining the team. 

Think big 

What does success look like for your start-up? And now what if you think bigger? And even bigger? We continuously push the boundaries of what our technology can do and how it can make an impact globally. ‘Big’ doesn’t have to mean global – it could be about the kind of clients you work with, the number of stores you have or your revenue goals. But whatever it is, don’t be afraid to think big…and then bigger! Last year, we took thinking big to a whole new level by doing something that, frankly, we weren’t 100% sure we could do. But by combining tech excellence with sheer determination, 2023 saw us unveiling the world’s largest hologram at The Sphere in Las Vegas!

Invest in what works

When you find something that’s like a silver bullet for your business, invest in it heavily! For us, attending events and watching our technology captivate audiences has been that silver bullet so we’ve made events a key part of our strategy. Check out this video to see highlights from our time at CES 2024. 

Relationships grow businesses 

It’s difficult to express just how important relationships are to the success of any business. For us, it’s the relationship with our network of over 1,000 global partners that has been key to our success. For your business, it might be retailer, stakeholder or influencer relationships that give you the edge over others. 

Give people an experience they won’t forget 

This Maya Angelou quote is over-used but it’s because it’s so critical to success in any field “People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. Experience is everything. From how your employees experience your office environment to how shoppers experience your stores, people will remember how you made them feel, so make it count. While our product is immersive experiences, we prioritise creating exceptional experiences at every stage of our business, for partners, clients, customers and staff. 

Listen to your customer 

This seems obvious but it’s so easy to get tunnel vision and become laser-focused on what you think your customer wants, or even what they have wanted in the past, and forget to listen to what they want now and in the future. Your relationship with your consumer has to be a two-way one, so get their feedback whenever you can! We love getting feedback on our products as it helps us innovate and improve. In one such example, we kept hearing from customers that they would love to be able to interact with our 3D visuals. Thanks to our team listening to this feedback, we now have a fully interactive SmartV 3D Modeller on the market, which invites consumers to be co-creators in the holograms they see – whether it’s designing your dream car or customising a pair of sneakers, the interactive nature of this product has been game changing. 

Ten years ago, those two hopeful entrepreneurs launched their idea and technology to the world at CES 2014. 143 employees, over 1,000 partners, thousands of clients (including many of the biggest international brands) and over 2million 3D holographic videos later, HYPERVSN is a world leader in creating immersive experiences with 3D holography. The above lessons in strategy, product, mindset and approach have brought us this far. We can’t wait to see what the next decade will bring!

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