Virbela
Virbela builds cloud-based 3D virtual world platforms — including a browser-based product and an AI-powered leadership training layer — serving enterprises, universities, and event organizers with remote collaboration, learning, and large-scale events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersDartmouth, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Virbela does
Virbela builds persistent, cloud-based 3D virtual world platforms for remote work, virtual learning, and virtual events. Its product portfolio spans a downloadable 3D application (Virbela Virtual Worlds), a browser-based no-download counterpart launched in 2024 (Virbela Go), always-on Team Suites for groups up to 200 concurrent users, Private Campus deployments for enterprise-scale custom environments supporting thousands of users, and an AI Training Simulations layer introduced in 2024 that layers generative AI characters and behavioral assessment on top of the virtual world for leadership development. Underlying technology includes spatialized voice communication, WebRTC browser protocols, customizable avatars, and presentation tools, with proprietary architecture that the company reports can sustain thousands of concurrent users without performance degradation.
The company monetizes primarily through recurring subscriptions: per-seat plans for Virbela Go starting at $8-$10/user/month (5-user minimum), custom-priced Team Suites for mid-market and enterprise, and bespoke Private Campus deployments for large organizations, with a 20% discount on annual billing. Go-to-market is hybrid, combining a self-serve product-led growth motion for Virbela Go with an enterprise field sales motion for Team Suites and Private Campus. Virbela was founded in 2012 at a UCSD research lab by organizational psychologists Alex Howland, PhD, and Ron Rembisz, seeded by a $1.75M GMAC grant; it was subsequently part of eXp World Holdings before being reacquired by Howland and Erik Hill and relaunched as independent Virbela LLC in 2024. Its largest customer is eXp Realty, which operates with 85,000+ agents entirely inside Virbela across 22 countries, and the platform also serves universities (UCSD, MIT Sloan, ASU, Davenport), enterprises (PwC, Johnson & Johnson, Fujitsu, VMware, DXC Technology), government/military (U.S. Military JTAC), and event organizers (Laval Virtual).
The company's commercial position rests on its longevity in enterprise virtual worlds (over a decade of R&D), a flagship eXp Realty deployment that validates scale, and the 2024 expansion into self-serve browser-based access and AI-driven behavioral training. Strategic uncertainty is concentrated in two areas: the post-reacquisition independence from eXp World Holdings and the unproven commercial trajectory of AI Training Simulations as a standalone revenue line versus a feature within Private Campus deployments.
Virbela firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Virbela
- Legal name
- Virbela LLC
- Website
- https://virbela.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Virbela builds cloud-based 3D virtual world platforms — including a browser-based product and an AI-powered leadership training layer — serving enterprises, universities, and event organizers with remote collaboration, learning, and large-scale events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Virbela industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Virtual Collaboration Platform
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- VR-Based Skills Training Simulations (Soft Skills, Customer Service, Leadership) (EDAFAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Virtual Classroom Platforms (Synchronous Teaching Environments) (EDAFABAA), Virtual Field Trips & Experiential Learning Environments (Museums, Geography, History) (EDAFAJAG), Simulation-Based Learning & Virtual Labs (EDAGAEAG)
Keywords
Where Virbela is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dartmouth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Virbela business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Virbela Go Subscriptions: Browser-based virtual world accessible via monthly or annual subscription. Tiered pricing per registered user with Starter ($10/user/month), Pro, and Enterprise plans. 5-user minimum for Starter tier.
- Team Suites: Private virtual office spaces with plans up to 200 concurrent users and 36 offices per password-protected suite. Includes boardrooms, meeting rooms, reception desk, and breakout areas. Custom enterprise pricing for larger deployments.
- Private Campus: Full-scale virtual world deployment for corporations, universities, and event companies. Custom pricing tailored to organizational needs with dedicated design support for custom 3D environments.
- Conference Hall: Event space rental within Team Suites for small events, meetings, or training. Supports up to 200 concurrent users with configurable seating layouts.
- AI Training Simulations: AI-powered simulation training for leadership development. Pricing included within enterprise subscriptions or sold as add-on capability. Measures real-world behavioral outcomes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Per seat | Monthly | Starter - Entry-level team collaboration |
| Per seat | Monthly | Pro - Enhanced features and control |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise - Custom solutions for large organizations |
| Subscription | Monthly | Team Suite - Private virtual office |
| Subscription | Monthly | Conference Hall - Event and meeting space |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Virbela product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Virbela builds 3D virtual world platforms for remote work, distance learning, and online events. The platform is delivered via a downloadable desktop client (Virbela Virtual Worlds) and a browser-based version (Virbela Go) that requires no installation, both featuring persistent campuses, spatialized voice, and support for thousands of concurrent users. It also offers an AI Training Simulations layer that uses generative AI to deliver interactive leadership and communication practice with real-time coaching and behavioral assessment.
Product overview
Virbela is an enterprise metaverse platform offering a unified virtual world system with two deployment options: a full-featured downloadable 3D application and Virbela Go, a browser-based version requiring no downloads. The product portfolio includes AI Training Simulations as a next-generation layer using generative AI for leadership development, Team Suites as always-on virtual office spaces, Private Campus for enterprise-scale custom virtual worlds, and purpose-built solutions for Remote Work, Remote Learning, and Virtual Events. The platform also includes Open Campus as a free public entry point and the Mind Gym as a wellness feature. These products share a common technology stack featuring customizable avatars, spatialized voice communication, presentation tools, and scalable architecture supporting thousands of concurrent users, with AI capabilities enabling interactive simulations and behavioral assessment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Virbela Go: Browser-based virtual collaboration platform that runs without a download, allowing teams and learners to join shared virtual spaces with a single link.
- Virbela Virtual Worlds
- AI Training Simulations
- Private Campus
- Team Suites
- Open Campus
Products and services
- Virbela Go Browser-based virtual collaboration platform requiring no downloads; lets teams and learners join shared virtual spaces instantly via a single link with virtual meeting rooms, event spaces, and social environments with spatialized voice and real-time collaboration tools.
- Virbela Virtual Worlds (Downloadable) Full 3D virtual campus platform delivered as a downloadable desktop application providing persistent virtual worlds for remote work, education, and events with customizable avatars, spatialized voice chat, presentation tools, and support for thousands of concurrent users in fully brandable environments.
- AI Training Simulations Training layer that blends virtual worlds with generative AI to create interactive simulations for leadership development, communication skills, and decision-making practice. AI-powered characters engage users in realistic scenarios with real-time coaching, behavioral feedback, and competency-based assessment.
- Team Suites Always-on private virtual office spaces for teams, supporting plans up to 200 concurrent users and 36 offices per password-protected suite. Includes boardrooms, meeting rooms, reception desk, and breakout areas with brandable environments and spatialized voice chat.
- Private Campus Enterprise-level custom virtual world solution for organizations that need scale, supporting thousands of concurrent users. Organizations can design fully customized 3D environments including campuses, offices, and event venues tailored to specific branding and operational requirements.
- Open Campus Free public virtual world provided by Virbela, accessible via desktop application or Virbela Go browser platform; a common area for all users to explore, attend events, and experience the virtual environment before purchasing private workspace solutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 85,000+ agents operating at eXp Realty (10x growth from 2016-2018)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Virbela
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Virbela technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability9 records
Feature6 records
Virbela partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Virbela competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Arthur: Arthur offers an enterprise metaverse platform for virtual offices, hybrid collaboration, and team connection. Direct competitor to Virbela Team Suites and Private Campus for always-on distributed-team use cases.
- Spatial: Spatial builds metaverse collaboration and event spaces using WebXR, supporting design reviews, training, and remote collaboration. Comparable to Virbela Go and Private Campus for browser-based immersive meetings and events.
- Sococo: Sococo (acquired by HP) provides a virtual office for distributed teams with always-on spaces, meeting rooms, and presence-based collaboration. Direct competitor in the virtual-office category Virbela Team Suites targets.
- Mursion: Mursion provides AI-powered VR simulations for soft-skills training, leadership development, and communication practice. It is the closest direct competitor to Virbela's AI Training Simulations product, targeting enterprise L&D buyers with similar competency-based behavioral assessment.
- Talespin: Talespin builds an XR-based enterprise training platform with virtual humans for soft-skills, leadership, and frontline workforce simulations. Comparable to Virbela's AI Training Simulations in use case and buyer profile.
- ENGAGE (VictoryXR): ENGAGE is a VR education and training platform used by universities and enterprises for virtual classrooms, lectures, and simulations. Direct peer to Virbela's Remote Learning solution, particularly for higher-ed deployments.
- Gather: Gather offers a 2D/3D pixel-art virtual office platform for distributed teams, events, and casual collaboration. Directly competes with Virbela Go and Team Suites for remote-work and event use cases at lower price points.
Broad incumbents
- Zoom: Zoom has expanded beyond video conferencing into immersive features (Immersive View, Zoom Events) and could move further into persistent virtual spaces. Broad incumbent with deep enterprise distribution competing with Virbela's collaboration and events offerings.
- Microsoft (Mesh / Teams): Microsoft Mesh integrates immersive 3D spaces into Teams, leveraging Microsoft's enterprise distribution to compete with Virbela in meetings, events, and training use cases. Broader incumbent with vastly larger resources.
- Meta (Horizon Workrooms): Meta Horizon Workrooms delivers VR meeting and collaboration experiences on Quest hardware, with Meta's consumer and enterprise reach. Broad incumbent competing in the same enterprise-metaverse category as Virbela.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Virbela social profiles
Digital presenceVirbela compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Virbela financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Virbela leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Virbela funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Virbela M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Virbela
What does Virbela do?
Virbela builds 3D virtual world platforms for remote work, distance learning, and online events. The platform is delivered via a downloadable desktop client (Virbela Virtual Worlds) and a browser-based version (Virbela Go) that requires no installation, both featuring persistent campuses, spatialized voice, and support for thousands of concurrent users. It also offers an AI Training Simulations layer that uses generative AI to deliver interactive leadership and communication practice with real-time coaching and behavioral assessment.
Is Virbela a public or private company?
Virbela is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Virbela founded?
Virbela was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Virbela based?
Virbela is headquartered in Dartmouth, United States, in the North America region.
How does Virbela make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Virbela Go Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are team Suites, private Campus, conference Hall and AI Training Simulations.
Who are Virbela's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Arthur, Spatial, Sococo, Mursion, Talespin, ENGAGE (VictoryXR) and Gather. Broad incumbents are Zoom, Microsoft (Mesh / Teams) and Meta (Horizon Workrooms).
Does Virbela have an API?
No public API is recorded for Virbela.
What industry is Virbela in?
Virbela's product category is Virtual Collaboration Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAJAA, VR-Based Skills Training Simulations (Soft Skills, Customer Service, Leadership), with a secondary code of EDAFABAA, Virtual Classroom Platforms (Synchronous Teaching Environments). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.