.png){kind=small}
Source: Project Draft
Publication date: June 21, 2023
To view the content on the original site, click on www.projetodraft.com
Name: octaEra.
What it does: It is a platform that bets on technology and the digital world 3.0 to bring knowledge about the native peoples of Brazil and present real places that are difficult to access to the whole world, through immersive 360º and metaverse itineraries.
What problem does it solve: It presents real places that are difficult to access for users from all over the world. People who possibly will never have contact with indigenous villages or the Amazon Forest, for example, have the chance to be “present” in these environments through the metaverse using the computer, cell phone or Virtual Reality (VR) glasses. In addition, the project focuses on the area of education. Through its immersive content, schools, universities and teaching institutes can complement their materials and knowledge of geography, history, biology, art, technology and languages. The contents covered by the platform almost cover the integrity of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) required in Basic and Elementary Education (1st to 9th grades).
What makes it special: According to the founder, what makes octaEra special is offering real 360° images of nature and native peoples. “These images provide a direct connection to the beauty and diversity of the natural world, instilling a sense of wonder and reverence for biodiversity and ancient life,” says Octavio Tristan Morato Leite, CEO and Founder. Another differential, according to him, is the fact that the company works with a social profit model, in which it undertakes to revert half of net profits to socio-environmental development projects. “In addition, the company's proposal is always linked to ESG practices, with direct or indirect action on 15 of the 17 SDGs and seeking ever-increasing organic and sustainable growth.”
Business model: octaEra has two business model fronts: B2C online sales, through the online platform, and direct B2B sales for the education market and White Label projects. Half of the net income will be donated to the participating native peoples with the objective of contributing to the protection of cultures and preservation of nature and the planet.
Foundation: April of 2023.
Partner: Octavio Tristan Morato Leite — CEO e founder
Founder:
Octavio Tristan Morato Leite — 37 years old, São Paulo (SP) — is a civil engineer, with a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from UCSD (University California San Diego). He began his career as an engineer on construction sites, then was invited to work in Germany for a multinational in the medical industry. Responsible for the international development of the technology products division, he grew his markets and delivered results year after year, receiving several promotions, until he realized that he needed to dedicate his life to something with more purpose. He is founder of Like Old Times.
It has begun: After years of experience in the corporate world outside Brazil, Octávio says he decided to dedicate his time and life to socio-environmental projects, in search of a greater purpose. The development of octaEra was due to another personal venture: Like Old Times (LOT), in which he organizes trips to less commercially explored destinations, developing sustainable tourism, living closely with nature and connecting tourists with native communities in places like the interior of Africa or the Amazon. In early 2022, on one of the expeditions, Octavio realized that he could expand the scope of his mission and his life purpose, sharing his experiences and learnings from his travels in an innovative way that could connect people in an immersive and unique way. So, the idea of the octaEra was born.
Current stage: The startup has four people on the internal team and at least 20 people involved and working for the octaEra ecosystem. It is in the user acquisition phase.
Acceleration: octaEra won the QQSU4 acceleration program award in the innovation category.
Investiment received: 300k reais have already been invested in technology, travel and equipment, in addition to the intellectual capital and dedication of the founder and all the partners involved.
Investment need: “We are looking for social investors who want to join us in our mission to create the largest immersive platform for environmental, ancestral and cultural education on the planet”, says Octavio.
Market and competitors: “The metaverse and technology market still has a lot to grow. Combining technology with ancestry, we bring a very interesting differential and something never done by others until now.”
Biggest challenges: “The biggest challenge is to start sales, in addition to finding the best marketing and communication strategy to boost sales on the online platform and keep up with all the news and developments in the technology sector.”
Revenues: No invoices or sales yet
Break-even: One to two years.
Future vision: “We see the company as a national and global reference in the area of education, where schools can bring differentiated content to their students, impacting the next generations in the preservation of the planet. We want to bring all the biomes of the planet, in addition to the maximum number of indigenous ethnicities, to the platform and provide intercultural integrative experiences. In addition, our goal is to get several subscribers to our platform who are seeing the development of all our social projects that will develop from our work”, says Octavio.