Is it the Right Investment for the Right Time?
As shown here, there is future potential in immersive technologies and the metaverse. ConnectED Labs is uniquely positioned to benefit from an increase in growth in this sector as it already offers an avatar-based metaverse product that can integrate into existing learning management systems. As discussed in the Metaverse Market Potential section of this report, growth in this sector is expected to expand significantly in the next decade. Additionally, as generative artificial intelligence expands and advances, ConnectED Labs could benefit from enabling users to create environments that are more easily customized and adaptable to learners. While some have hyped the metaverse to be the next replacement for the internet (particularly in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic), others, like Bill Gates have pointed to a slower roll-out including more virtual meetings shifting to the metaverse in the next few years (Tucci & Moore, 2024, p. 19). If this does indeed come to fruition, then it is easy to see synchronous online learning shifting from Zoom or Google Meet to other platforms like the one ConnectED Labs offers. Therefore, the timing for investing seems opportune.
Who is the Customer?
There are several other factors besides timing that makes ConnectED Labs an attractive investment opportunity. They offer the ability to customize their learning environments and virtual campuses, which is a unique benefit for educators. They also have a diverse customer-base that shields it from some of the challenges in the education space in particular. While not entirely immune from the problem of being torn between marketing to governments, institutions, or teachers, the fact that businesses and other organizations can host events in the virtual space is an attractive characteristic of this company. That diversity in customer-base and broad global reach could offer some refuge from the traditional problems in the educational venture space. ConnectED Labs lists several important clients on their website, include The Government of Canada (Canadian Heritage), the Canadian Bureau for International Education, and others.
What else should be considered?
One other compelling reason to invest in ConnectED Labs is that it has the potential to be a disruptive force in the learning management systems (LMS) space. ConnectED Labs already integrates with some existing LMS platforms and also offers an in-house option for users as well. It seems conceivable that a 3D digital space might offer more organizational affordances to users and reshape what software looks like in that business. From an investment standpoint, ConnectED Labs appears to be well positioned to take advantage of that disruption if their LMS integration offers good usability and functionality.
While technologies like the ones being developed and sold by ConnectED Labs are still relatively new, there does seem to be an opportunity for those who are willing to take the risk. While the metaverse is unlikely to arrive tomorrow, there are few who doubt that technologies that exist in these spaces will have some common role in the future.