Mike Shinoda supports a startup that allows you to make video calls as NFT avatars – TechCrunch

While talking to Tong Pow over Google Meet, he appears as a cartoon cat in a medieval helmet, talking and tilting his head, and reflecting Pow’s movement behind the webcam. The visor may be hiding a Cheshire cat grin because Pow has raised $ 6.5 million for its San Francisco-based startup Hologram Labs, just seven months after launch.

NFT avatars have become a common sight on social media platforms, and represent the owners’ identity and status. However, these blockchain-verified jpeg files have limitations; they are static and do not reflect changes in one’s physical self. Hologram wants to change that by bringing NFT avatars to life.

Pow, who worked at Ox Labs, a decentralized exchange protocol builder, and his co-founder Hongzi Mao, an informatics Ph.D. from MIT, has created a desktop tool that uses machine learning algorithms to turn stationary avatars into motion tracking. Hologram is available as a Chrome extension, replacing Pow’s real video feed with the cat avatar – which is part of an NFT collection called Cool Cats.

“Think of it as a machine learning model compressed and distributed to the browser. The technology has only been achievable in recent years, with the speed and efficiency of running in real time,” Pow explains, adding that the AI ​​model is trained using only public available data.

Once the model is distributed to the browser, it feeds the face tracking points captured by the camera into the avatar, which performs the movements live.

“Creating motion-tracked characters requires either high-cost in-depth tracking hardware or certain platforms that do not have the best user experience, so our angle is really to create the tool and application for users to become virtual characters with a click,” says the founder.

This motion-capturing avatar technology is no stranger to Vtubers, or virtual YouTubers who stream or upload videos using live anime characters.

But I’m a little surprised when Pow appears to be a virtual being – he did not warn me. The voice is from Pow, an eloquent, composed young founder, but the cat’s expression is a bit numb, and lacks the sophisticated facial expressions of humans.

Should I have eye contact with Cool Cat at all? I do not completely crawl in the skin, but it is a new experience.

Hologram is working on adding a more sophisticated solution by adding a hand tracking feature. A mobile application is also under development. In addition to animating avatars during video calls, the startup also wants to use its technology to create short and long videos.

The company’s AI model can supposedly affect all static avatars, but the start-up is zero on NFTs.

Not surprisingly, it has attracted a mix of crypto-native investors who come with either financial or go-to-market support. Polychain Capital led the seed round, with the participation of Nascent, Inflection, The Operating Group, Quantstamp, Neon DAO, Foothill Ventures and South Park Commons.

If you remember the name of an investor, it’s probably Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park, who will be working with Hologram on his NFT music project Ziggurats. Other investors include Kalos, founder of Parallel NFT; Richard Ma, founder of Quantstamp; and Naveen Jain, founder of Yat Labs.

Hologram is already generating revenue by helping over ten NFT collections transform their characters into dynamic avatars, including Cool Cats, Deadfellaz and Crypto Covens. Ultimately, the company wants to reach consumers directly. For example, it can let users dress their NFT avatars in virtual branded clothing, one step closer to turning real assets into digital.

CTO Hongzi Mao (left); CEO Tong Pow (right)

The two founders of Hologram are among an influx of Chinese foreign entrepreneurs working on web3 projects. The hybrid of understanding China and the West can, in theory, give them the advantage of reaching investors in both worlds. In fact, Pow says he is looking to pick up from Chinese investors down the road.

Hologram is targeting the western NFT market for now, but Pow sees an opportunity in China. Despite a ban on crypto-commerce, China is urging technology companies to create permitted NFT marketplaces and use them to promote IP protection.

“Crypto is optional for us, and that’s really our advantage,” says Pow. He explains that from a technical and product perspective, the company’s technology is not dependent on global blockchain networks such as Ethereum or Solana.

For many digital natives, Hologram will help them find a place where they belong.