[창업도약+경북대] Bibimble “We will provide virtual experiences beyond your imagination with Vickers and Vertudio”

※ The Kyungpook National University Startup Support Group, together with various organizations such as the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development, is actively promoting regional specialized and cutting-edge innovative startups such as ▲medical care ▲smart cities ▲smart cars ▲robots, with the goal of becoming a ‘Dalgubeol KNU that connects the future and entrepreneurship’. We support you. IT Donga introduces cutting-edge innovation startups selected for the Kyungpook National University Startup Support Group Startup Leap Package.

[IT동아 강형석 기자] According to the Metaverse Market Trend Report 2024 published by the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA), the global Metaverse market size was estimated at $92.46 billion (approximately KRW 129.775 trillion) in 2023. It is expected to grow to $128.98 billion (approximately KRW 181.1395 trillion) in 2024 and become a large market worth $2.3697 trillion (approximately KRW 3328.67 trillion) by 2033. In particular, it was analyzed that the expansion of the use of virtual (VR) and augmented (AR) technologies in the medical and entertainment fields played a significant role in driving the Metamus market. ▲Working from home ▲remote education ▲expansion of social media platform interaction is also expected to add strength to the metaverse market.

Among the industries that have introduced the metaverse, the field that is changing rapidly is the entertainment market. A variety of content is being poured out with a focus on interacting with the public. In the beginning, realistic content using equipment was the main focus, but recently it has developed into enjoying content or trading creative works in virtual space. Virtubers and virtual idols, who create characters that reflect the public’s tastes and conduct online broadcasting activities, are also popular.

Junyoung Bang, Director of Bibimble / Source = IT Donga

Bibimble is a visual tech startup developing a one-person virtual entertainment solution. We developed ‘Bicus’, a metaverse platform that allows anyone to create their own space, and ‘Virtudio’, which supports the creation and operation of virtual idols. Founded in 2018, Bibimble is a talented startup that has developed HoloMR content, which combines virtual reality (VR) content, holograms, and mixed reality (MR).

Everyone becomes a protagonist in the virtual space ‘VickersㆍVertudio’

“After the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a change in the lifestyle of enjoying entertainment. The hybrid method of holding online and offline concerts has become common, and when children are asked what their future hopes are, they often say YouTubers or streamers. Recently, with the emergence of several generative artificial intelligence technologies, the virtual character market is also rapidly expanding. Even if you don’t put your appearance first, you can still be active through the power of technology. Bibimble developed Vickers and Virtudio to respond to the emergence of new business models.”

Junyoung Bang, Director of Bibimble, explained that after the coronavirus pandemic, he thought about a new virtual space and developed the Vickers and Virtudio services. Rather than simply providing a 3D immersive space, it is possible to deliver value beyond content by providing personalization elements such as ▲attractive virtual characters, ▲a space that is easy to decorate, and ▲your own virtual space exhibition. The reason PC and mobile platforms were chosen was because of their high accessibility and easy interaction with the public.

If you create a character in Virtudio, you can perform various activities within the virtual space / Source = IT Donga

Vickers implemented a space like a shopping mall, rather than a place where many people gather in one space like other metaverse platforms. Participants can explore spaces where performances and events take place or visit spaces created by other participants and communicate. In personal space, transaction of objects created by participants is also supported. Director Bang Jun-young explained that various exhibition events have been planned and carried out within Vickers, including ▲Seoul Fashion Week performance ▲opening of a fashion brand promotion hall ▲E-Land Museum ▲performance by YouTubers and celebrities. It feels like a virtual realization of a huge shopping complex.

“Vickers is a space for everyone to enjoy with fun content. Above all, I focused on making the space feel attractive when entering it. In addition, we plan to continue operating a virtual exhibition hall containing various contents.”

Vertudio’s character creation process. We plan to support the creation of various types of characters in the future. Virtudio is currently registered in early access form on the game distribution platform Steam / Source = IT Donga

The service prepared by Bibimble together with Vickers, which is both a virtual cultural space and a commerce space, is Virtudio, targeting the virtual idol market. In the past, virtual idols were not a field that received much attention, but it is one of the fields that is growing along with ▲generative artificial intelligence technology ▲digital humans. In Korea, many virtual idols such as ▲Play ▲Lee Sedol (Idol from Another World) are active, and many online streamers using virtual characters are also active.

Bibimble established the Virtudio service based on the belief that a virtual tech solution appropriate for new changes was needed as the virtual idol industry, which had been a non-mainstream industry, emerged into the mainstream.

Director Bang Jun-young said, “The market is growing, but it is difficult to create and operate virtual characters for broadcasting. This is because the process of planning a character and then modeling it is complicated. Additionally, the process of establishing a separate development team takes a lot of time and money. However, Bibimble Virtudio was developed as a SaaS/PaaS-based real-time broadcasting solution that allows anyone to easily start one-person entertainment.”

Bibimble plans to expand its business area by utilizing Vickers and Virtudio / Source = Bibimble

Developed based on Unreal Engine, Virtudio creates your own virtual character, just like creating a character in a game. It is possible to create ▲realistic ▲semi-realistic characters, and in the future, ▲animation type ▲webtoon type characters will be supported. In addition, it supports ▲costume ▲face ▲background change work using generative artificial intelligence. A characteristic of the service is that it is cross-platform, with character creation on PC and linking on mobile. When creating a character and streaming with a smartphone, the face is recognized using the smartphone camera and the facial expression is created. Single-person activities are also possible by linking to social media and Chat GPT.

We want to become a company that realizes what we imagine and brings joy and inspiration to people.

Bibimble is expanding its market using Vickers and Virtudio. We are planning performances using virtual characters and collaboration between the entertainment industry, and we are also conducting a virtual idol training audition program through various broadcast channels. Director Bang Jun-young explains that he wants to go beyond character creation and create a gateway to becoming a virtual idol.

Junyoung Bang, Director of Bibimble / Source = IT Donga

The background to Bibimble’s expansion of its virtual content business area and increased growth engine was the help of the Kyungpook National University Startup Support Group. It was effective to suggest various specialized programs such as mentoring and open innovation meetups necessary for business operation and overseas expansion. Director Bang Jun-young said, “The Open Global Road Program has been a great help in increasing the value of Bibimble through various programs in addition to arranging meetings between foreign companies.”

As a visual tech startup, Bibimble wants to continue preparing and presenting various contents. Director Bang Joon-young said, “The elements that the public will experience while interacting within virtual content have endless potential for development. Bibimble will continue to strive to develop content that allows people to interact and communicate together.”

IT Donga Reporter Kang Hyeong-seok (redbk@itdonga.com)