 | |
| Company type | private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Social network |
| Founded | 2004; 21 years ago (2004) |
| Founder | Will Harvey,Eric Ries, Marcus Gosling, Matt Danzig |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | Daren Tsui (CEO)[1] |
Number of employees | 200 |
| Website | imvu |
IMVU (/ˈɪmvjuː/, stylized asimvu)[2] is an online virtual world and social networking site.[3][4]
IMVU was founded in 2004[5] and was originally backed by venture investorsMenlo Ventures, AllegisCyber Capital, Justin Greene, Bridgescale Partners, andBest Buy Capital.[6][7]
IMVU members use 3Davatars to meet new people, chat, create, and play games.[8][4] In 2014, IMVU had approximately six million active players,[7] and had the largestvirtual goods catalog[9] of more than 6 million items as of 2011.[7] The business was previously located inMountain View, California.[10]
The company name was neither anacronym nor aninitialism. IMVU co-founderEric Ries[11] described the accidental process by which the company acquired its meaningless name, and stated "It's not an acronym; it doesn't stand for anything", though he did note the name was originally used because theIM aspect invokedinstant messaging, something the company wanted to be associated with.[12]
In March 2020, IMVU introducedLive Rooms, a feature enabling users to host live events such as fashion shows, lectures, talk shows, and virtual weddings, allowing audience interaction and tipping.[13]
In 2022, IMVU partnered with Spectrum Labs to use artificial intelligence that identifies and rewards healthy behavior in online interactions.[14]
IMVU operates a virtual economy based on its proprietarydigital currency known as credits, which users can purchase with real money or obtain through various in-platform activities. Credits are used to buyvirtual goods such as clothing, furniture, and accessories created by other users for their 3D avatars.[15]
The platform also supports a creator-driven marketplace, where designers sell digital items and earn credits that can be converted to real-world value through IMVU’s reseller program.[3] In 2021, IMVU partnered with the digital finance platform Uphold to allow users to convert their in-platform currency, VCOIN, into real-world money.[16] VCOIN is a blockchain-based digital currency and the first of its kind to receive a no-action letter from theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, providing it with regulatory clarity.[17]
I think the thing I love the most about IMVU is…
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