Envelop VR

Envelop VR, founded in 2014 by CEO Bob Berry and CTO Jon Mavor, was a Bellevue, Washington-based startup focused on developing enterprise and productivity software for virtual reality. Both founders brought experience from the video game industry, having previously co-founded Uber Entertainment. Berry, in particular, had a long-standing interest in VR, having studied it nearly two decades before founding Envelop. The company's inception was spurred by a demonstration of Valve's room-scale VR solution.

The core of Envelop VR's business was a software platform designed to function as a "VR Shell" for Windows. This allowed users to interact with their entire computer system and all its existing 2D applications, such as Microsoft Office or web browsers, within a virtual environment. The primary benefit was the creation of an unlimited virtual workspace, enabling users to arrange and resize multiple monitors in a 360-degree space, a feature aimed at professionals who traditionally use multiple physical screens, like software developers, financial analysts, and designers. The company targeted early adopters of VR, including developers and enterprise clients, aiming to solve business challenges through immersive technology. A key feature was the ability to render a virtual representation of the user's hands and keyboard in the VR space using a webcam, addressing a significant usability challenge for non-touch typists.

Envelop VR secured significant investment, raising a total of $7.5 million from backers including Madrona Venture Group and Google Ventures. The company launched a public beta of its software in August 2016. However, it faced considerable challenges, including long enterprise sales cycles for a technology that needed to be experienced to be understood and fierce competition from other virtual desktop applications and large tech companies like Microsoft, Valve, and Oculus. Despite some initial success and recognition, Envelop VR ceased operations in January 2017, citing market conditions.

Keywords: virtual reality, enterprise software, VR productivity, virtual desktop, immersive computing, Windows in VR, multi-monitor VR, Bob Berry, Jon Mavor, Madrona Venture Group