VOKE

About VOKE

VOKE, a virtual reality startup founded in 2004, specialized in providing immersive viewing experiences of live events, particularly in the sports and music sectors. The company was established by the husband-and-wife team Sankar “Jay” Jayaram and Uma Jayaram, both of whom were former professors at Washington State University with over two decades of experience in VR. Their journey into VR began in 1994 when they established a VR lab at the university, driven by Jay's desire to replicate the in-stadium feeling of a football game from home. This academic and personal passion culminated in the creation of VOKE, initially named 3D-4U, to allow fans to experience live events as if they were there.

The company's core offering was the TrueVR platform, an end-to-end solution for capturing and distributing live VR content. This technology utilized a proprietary stereoscopic camera system with paired lenses to capture live events in high definition, delivering a panoramic view with realistic depth and proportions. The platform was designed to be multi-platform, allowing viewers to access the immersive content on various devices, including PCs, tablets, phones, and dedicated VR headsets. VOKE’s business model centered on partnering with sports leagues, broadcasters, and teams to integrate this technology into their live event coverage. This approach enabled them to provide content for major events like the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship, NBA games, and even New York Fashion Week.

VOKE's trajectory reached a significant milestone in March 2016 when it raised $12.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Intel Capital, with participation from A&E, the Sacramento Kings, and others. This investment underscored the growing interest in live VR for sports. The relationship with Intel deepened, and by November 2016, Intel acquired VOKE outright for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition was a strategic move by Intel to bolster its newly formed Intel Sports Group, combining VOKE's live-streaming technology with its existing 360-degree replay capabilities from the acquisition of Replay Technologies. Following the acquisition, VOKE's technology was integrated into what became known as Intel True VR, which went on to power immersive experiences for major sporting events, including Major League Baseball and the 2018 Winter Olympics.