Changing the Enterprise World with VR - With Visos CEO, Matt Shumer

Visos CEO, Matt Shumer on Changing the Enterprise World with VR — The Studentpreneur Show Episode

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with Matt Shumer, CEO of Visos. Visos is a virtual reality (VR) company developing technology to help with industrial training, education, medical simulations, and design.

Current VR headsets are not built for enterprise purposes. Many headsets available are either “too expensive and difficult to use, or lack the visual quality needed to run enterprise-level simulations.” Visos aims to address that gap.

Listen along as Taegan and Matt also talk about the reality of working with investors, using college resources, and balancing life as a CEO and college student.

What is Visos?

Visos is a startup company working to build the world’s most powerful VR headset for enterprise use. The goal of Visos is to help companies become more efficient.

While it is a young company, Visos is making big strides and has even bigger plans. They are currently in partnership with investors and several large companies. They are also part of the Techstars network.

Matt chose to work in VR because of the tremendous medical applications possible. He realized that not many are taking advantage. Visos will fill that void in the industry and make a positive impact on the world.

How did Matt Shumer start the Visos business?

Like many businesses, what Visos is today, isn’t what Matt originally conceptualized.

In April of 2018, Matt pitched a new VR headset concept at a high school competition. While the idea was great, he put aside taking any steps on it until college. One he began classes at Syracuse Matt picked up the idea again and gained traction.

At first, they started as a consumer-based company creating a headset with social features. Realizing that this version would not compete with other companies in the tech industry, they quickly pivoted to focus on enterprise. Jumping into the enterprise sphere was the best decision they could have made.

It’s been less than two years since Matt pitched his idea at a high school competition and today Visos is about to deploy the first headset. It will be on the market soon!

Lessons learned beyond Virtual Reality

While only a sophomore in college, Matt has gained tremendous business wisdom since starting Visos.

One of the biggest lessons is that work is rarely linear. From the focus of their VR headsets to the connections made and goals, everything has the potential to shift.

Working in tech means that the business has extra challenges. Due to the nature of the work, having technical needs (and a lot of them) means things can run at a different pace and you may need to wear many hats or bring in resources you didn’t originally plan to.

Being a business owner and a college student means you’re pulled in many directions. It takes some creativity and dedication to do both.

Matt is currently learning how to be sustainable. Like many business owners, Matt is aware of how quickly burnout can catch up to you. Between school and work, he’s been working long hours. He’s now looking for opportunities to have fun and relax in addition to hard work so he can go the distance with Visos.

Matt and his team have also learned a lot about working with investors. He shares that it’s difficult to get their initial interest, but once you have it, there is a lot of excitement around what is possible.

Managing time and projects is not one of Matt’s strengths, so he turns to tech for help. He uses a desktop/mobile app called Notion to manage the entire company and Slack to manage communication with the team. “Knowing what is going on with the company and making sure every base is covered” is critical to forward movement in any business.

Last but not least, Matt has learned the value of a great team. Building a strong team helps you do more. We’re all limited to 24 hours in a day, so together we can do more. He also comments on how critical it is to ensure that your teammates are aligned with your mission and values.

What helped Visos grow?

Visos has grown a lot these past two years. For Matt to grow the business, he knew he needed support. He credits a lot of great networking and resourceful opportunities for Visos’ tremendous growth.

Blackstone LaunchPad is a resource in which students can build their businesses with support. This accelerator gave Matt connections, expanded his network, wisdom from business consultant and increased his access to resources on campus.

Incubators like Blackstone LaunchPad are so helpful, shared Matt. He also joined a student entrepreneurship-focused cohort called LaunchPad Lift. Visos has grown so much since starting with this cohort.

Matt also shares the value of networking. In his experience, who you know can really help. The connections can determine how well the company does in the long run because you can expand your thinking and opportunities. It also can help you with your career. “You need people to help you. [Networking] gets you people who can be mentors.”