Ulrico Grech-Cumbo Email & Phone Number

I'm into unconventional entrepreneurship and have sought to work professionally in so-called "blue ocean" industries that leverage disruptive ideas or technologies to create quantum shifts in impact, particularly environmentally/on our natural world. I have almost 2 decades of experience in starting and running companies in these spaces. I've founded or co-founded 5 companies to date, with my first one having been started while I was studying mechanical engineering in the early 2000s.My journey of entrepreneurship has been (and by design, continues to be) the most challenging thing I've done in my life. It's forced me to address more personal blind spots than therapy ever could! I've been charged with roles in top-level management & company strategy, product dev, sales & new business, raising venture capital, project management, creative direction, production management, finance and budgeting, hiring and staff engagement and more. In creative areas, I've led concept development, writing, and directing for over 200 immersive experiences.In my mid-30s, I started feeling a deeper need for the work to have meaning to the world. Having co-founded the biggest virtual reality studio in the southern in 2014, the itch to bring my passion of technology into my work was scratched but as I traveled for commercial projects in so-called pristine wildernesses, I was shaken by the extent of degradation I witnesses. Realising the power of immersive storytelling over the years particularly on cultivating empathy, I founded Habitat XR, an impact-led immersive studio to join the fight for our natural world.Our team has produced work all over the world from the Himalayas in India to the depths of the ocean in Mozambique. From the savannahs in South Africa to the sub-Sahelian deserts of Chad. We've worked with incredible partners including National Geographic Society, Conservation International, WWF, UNDP, Oculus, African Parks, SANParks, the Rwandan government and more. Our work has won many awards including official selections at Tribeca, Venice, SXSW, Jackson Wild, Wildscreen and accolades such as Fast Company's Most Innovative Business in 2019. But more importantly, we've helped our partners achieve record-breaking fundraising results and change the face of community outreach and environmental communication.I give talks on XR, immersion, environmental education and conservation. I've spoken in 8 countries at the United Nations, SXSW, Cannes, Tribeca, TEDx and more. I occasionally guest lecture at Vega.Contact me directly: ulrico [at] habitatxr.com

Listed skills include Entrepreneurship, Marketing Strategy, Advertising, Entertainment, and 22 others.