We spoke with Rev. Jeremy Nickel about how, over five years, he created and grew a virtual reality spiritual community called EvolVR, and how it was just recently acquired by TRIPP, a similar company that focuses on virtual reality meditation. We learned what his motivations were, and what advice he has to offer other religious innovators who are looking to find their own supportive partnerships.
Q: Some of our readers may just be hearing about your work with EvolVR for the first time. How would you describe yourself and the innovative ministry work you do?
I am a spiritual adventurer; I am an entrepreneur; I am someone who yearns for myself and others to have spaces where we can freely explore and share our spiritual paths, questions, and stumbles – all in a community where we hold each other accountable.
I founded EvolVR, a community that’s existed in Virtual Reality for about five years now. For those who are new to the concept, you put on goggles and you look around and see whole new worlds that we’ve created, moving around these worlds in a virtual body called an avatar. We host events in these virtual worlds like meditation and yoga. We also host discussion groups around spiritual themes like death and uncertainty. Over the last five years we have grown to create a worldwide community of thousands of people who meet together regularly in VR - but live all over planet earth.
Q: I understand that EvolVR, the company you founded, was recently acquired by TRIPP – a company that also focuses on meditation in virtual reality. What has this development meant for you?
I will continue much of the same work I was doing before, but I’m now the Vice President for Community and Live Events at TRIPP. In effect, we’re transitioning from being a stand-alone non-profit spiritual community to being a spiritual community that lives within a for-profit entity.
Q: Sounds like a major change to something you’ve been working on for years. What was your thought process and motivation in deciding to team up with TRIPP?
There were two big reasons. First, our companies really complement each other. TRIPP had been working for years on perfecting this incredibly rich solo VR meditation experience. And we've been working for years on creating a community, a social experience around meditation. Ideally those elements really belong together, so we partnered up.
The second factor had to do with competition. I knew I had to raise a lot of money to invest in growth (in order to protect what we’ve created) because there were major, well-funded players coming into the VR space to compete with us. Partnering with TRIPP unlocked the kind of funding we needed to grow, adapt and stay relevant.
Q: That’s an interesting point: if you were not able to grow and continue succeeding, then someone else was going to do it. And I imagine those other companies may have different values and motivations than you.
Exactly. It would be such a shame if it wasn't us because we've been the ones preparing to do this for years. So - by partnering with TRIPP - not only would we be able to continue the good work we’re doing, but our work has been grounded in UU values from the beginning and I know those values will come with us as we continue to grow.
Q: Was your community nervous about this major change?
The response of the EvolVR community was my biggest concern from the beginning, so all along I’ve been in communication with my session leaders and different community leaders to get feedback about the idea. The good news was that TRIPP was well known to my community and had really good reputation. Now that I’ve announced the acquisition, I can say that 99.9% of our community has been just absolutely enthusiastic about it.
That said, there’s also a small group that’s concerned – and I get it – TRIPP is much bigger than EvolVR, so it would be like if your local church suddenly had 10,000 people show up on Sunday. Existing members want assurance that what they love about the community wont go away. That’s a valid worry, and I don’t take it personally when it’s brought up; I feel like it’s my job to take the time to talk through member’s concerns.
Q: Not many entrepreneurs find themselves in a position to be acquired, but many are hoping for partnerships in general that can help them achieve their vision. What advice would you offer to other innovators who might not know how to attract these partnerships?
One of the most important things I did right for this project was take every meeting I could and then ask every person for two or three other names of people they thought I should meet with. You never know what the relationships will become – some people may become mentors, some may help you with a specific technological problem you’re having, some may provide a valuable cultural perspective, some may connect you to funding. So definitely take every meeting. 95% of them may go nowhere, but a single person can change everything. In fact, the entire opportunity with TRIPP unexpectedly grew out of a single conversation with a mentor. Bottom line: treat everyone you meet like they hold the key to the future of your project, because you never know.
Q: That’s great advice! Did you find it challenging to cultivate this networking skill? I imagine there are a lot of people out there who want to attract support for their project - but they’re nervous about introducing themselves, asking for help, looking foolish, etc.
I’ve been working on developing that skill for a long time. Even if it doesn’t come naturally, you really need to work on it for your project to succeed. There are lots of good books out there, but eventually you just got to throw yourself out there and keep trying. Even if you’re an introvert, I’ve found that you can still build relationships by being genuinely curious about others. And for sure, you will look like a fool sometimes and you will say the wrong thing. I give myself permission to keep trying, to receive feedback, to really hear it, and try to do better next time.
Q: Any other unexpected wisdom you’ve gleaned from this?
Keep an open mind about the future and what you’re building. You may initially have a very specific business or project in mind, but you’re also going to build some real talents and skills along the way, and you’re going to create value in all sorts of ways you didn’t originally envision. Part of what I’ve learned from this journey is to look for possibility in the wholeness of what you’re doing – and be ready to keep adapting and iterating your project to meet the needs of the people you’re serving.
Q: How can people learn more about the work you’re doing?
Check out our websites https://evolvr.org/ and https://www.tripp.com/. And of course, I’m always encouraging people to buy or borrow a VR headset, jump on the AltSpaceVR platform, and experience one of our events first-hand. There’s an amazing revolution happing in those goggles and you have to see it to believe it.