CIPS CONNECTIONS
Podcast/Video Interviews by Stephen IbarakiA Chat with Alan Smithson: Serial Entrepreneur; Founder; Futurist; DJ; Author and Julie Smithson: Co-Founder and CEO of METAVRSE; Co-Founder of Unlimited Awesome; Co-Founder of XR Women
This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with ALAN SMITHSON and JULIE SMITHSON.
ALAN SMITHSON is a father, founder, futurist, author and DJ. His purpose in life is to inspire and educate people to think and act in a socially, economically and environmentally responsible way. He makes creator tools including; METAVRSE, 3D creation platform for the spatial web, Your Director AI, automatic AI video switching and Emulator, a touchscreen system for the music industry. Alan is also working on building a 1 million sq ft clean, nuclear powered data center. TEDx Talk - The Marriage of Education & Technology. 2030: A Blueprint For Humanity's Exponential Leap (Book)
Alan is also a board advisor to HSTAR Space, a space transportation company, and Lawfully Minded, a new AI legal resource. He was a juror for The One Creativity Awards and Named Top Retail Expert, 2023 and 2024, Alan is a proud Father, Business Leader, TEDx Speaker, and Podcast Host. He co-invented the world's first touchscreen DJ system, Emulator and has been featured on Dragons' Den, G4TV, WIRED and won DJ Mag's Innovative Product.
Alan's purpose in life is to inspire and educate people to think and act in a socially, economically and environmentally responsible way.
- Host @ Daily Tech News w/ Alan Smithson
- Co-Founder @ METAVRSE, 3D creation engine for the spatial web
- Co-Founder @ TheMall, world's largest virtual mall
- Co-Founder @ Meetopia, virtual collaboration platform
- Co-Founder @ Your Director AI, automatic AI video switching
- Co-Founder @ Emulator, world's first touchscreen system for DJ's
- Board advisor to HSTAR Space
- Juror for The One Creativity Awards (gaming)
- DJ for more than 20 years performing for millions of people (Lord Alan)
- Won DJ Mag's Innovative Product of the Year in 2011
- Named 50 Digital Futurists (2022)
- Top Retail Expert in (2023 & 2024)
- TEDx Speaker
- Podcast Host - XR For Business Podcast
- Featured on Dragons' Den, G4TV, & WIRED, Economist, Harvard Business Review, MIT Technology Review, Forbes, etc.
- Presented at TED, CES, SXSW, AWE, Economist Summit, Korea AI Summit
Social Media: @METAVRSE #METAVRSE
JULIE SMITHSON is the Co-Founder and CEO of METAVRSE, a 3D creation platform the spatial web, akin to 'Canva' for immersive experiences. Julie is also Co-Founder of Unlimited Awesome, a venture focused on implementing success principles to drive digital innovation. With over 15 years of deep technology experience, she has led the development of more than 200 award winning and world-first interactive experiences, including Metaverse, XR, 3D, AI, Web3, Touchscreens, Interactive Training, Product Marketing and Immersive Collaboration for clients such as Microsoft, Mastercard, Samsung, Siemens, JP Morgan, T-Mobile and others.
Her technical expertise and passion for immersive technology inspired her to transform education, training, and collaboration, driving her mission to help humanity realize its full potential. Julie reshapes how we approach learning and teaching, combining technological innovation with humanistic values to create a meaningful impact in the digital age.
As Co-Founder of XR Women, Julie leads the world's largest global community dedicated to empowering women in virtual platforms. Over the past four years, she and her team have organized more than 192 immersive events, featuring prominent women speakers from the industry and engaging a diverse, growing membership of over 1,200 women across 60+ countries.
Julie's spatial awareness and perseverance continue to shape the way we learn, teach, and adapt in an increasingly digitized world, preparing society for the challenges of a post-AGI future.
Julie's personal mission is to 'inspire and educate people to think and act in a socially, economically and environmentally responsible way'.
VIDEO: The Emulator DJ Controller by SmithsonMartin
Julie's Network
Leadership Roles:
- CoFounder & CEO of METAVRSE
- CoFounder of Unlimited Awesome
- CoFounder, XR Women
- Host, WebXR Awards, The Polys
- Co-host WebXR Summit Series
- Co-Host of MetaTr@versal Interoperability Standards - 2022