FIVR

What FIVR does

FIVR (Finnish Virtual Reality Association) is a Helsinki-based non-profit industry association founded in 2017 to represent Finland's XR (VR, AR, and mixed reality) community. Its served constituency comprises Finnish XR freelancers, startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs, with a deliberate extension since 2021 toward investors active in or interested in the XR sector. The association does not sell a unified software product; instead it operates an umbrella of services including co-working initiatives (Hubspaces), the affiliated Helsinki XR Center, a curated company directory, a Job Board for XR roles, and a blog platform opened in May 2021 to member guest writers. FIVR also publishes authoritative industry artifacts, notably the VR/AR Industry in Finland 2017 Report and a co-produced Mixed Reality Report 2017 with Business Finland.

The organization's business model is membership-based: individuals and companies join via a Typeform sign-up flow, with membership fees and participation costs handled through private inquiry rather than public pricing. FIVR augments this revenue with partnership activity — most prominently a 2021 joint investor meetup with the Estonian VR Association (EEVR) in AltSpace, the XR4Europe network connection that same year, and earlier work with Demos Helsinki on a Ministry of Employment and the Economy enterprise review article (2018). The association is governed by a volunteer board led by chair Santeri Suominen (since end-2019), with members Eero Tiainen, Antti Kuusisto, Tuukka, and Santeri. There are no funding rounds, acquisitions, parent entities, or commercial pricing signals in the record, and the organization operates as a community-and-events layer rather than a product company.

Name

FIVR

Legal name

Finnish Virtual Reality Association

Website

https://fivr.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FIVR is a Helsinki-based non-profit industry association founded in 2017 that serves Finland's XR (VR, AR, MR) community of freelancers, startups, researchers, and investors through membership services, events, and a blog platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Association / XR Professional Association

akta.pro primary industry

VR/AR/XR Game Studios (MPAFAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

VR/AR Gaming Platforms (BPAMAKAG)

Keywords

• XR industry association
• Virtual reality network
• Immersive technology community
• XR investor networking
• Finland extended reality

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FIVR (Finnish Virtual Reality Association) is a Helsinki-based non-profit industry association founded in 2017 that serves the Finnish VR, AR, and XR community. It provides members with access to Hubspaces co-working collaboration spaces, the Helsinki XR Center, a Job Board for XR roles, a blog platform for member content, investor meetups, joint programs with the Estonian VR Association (EEVR), and entry to the European XR4Europe network. FIVR also publishes industry research reports such as the VR/AR Industry in Finland 2017 survey and the Mixed Reality Report 2017 produced with Business Finland.

Product overview

FIVR (Finnish Virtual Reality Association) is a non-profit industry association serving the XR (Extended Reality), VR, and AR community in Finland. Rather than a unified software product, FIVR operates as an umbrella organization offering multiple services including Hubspaces collaboration spaces, the Helsinki XR Center, a Job Board for XR professionals, and a Blog platform for member content sharing. The association also produces research reports including the VR/AR Industry in Finland 2017 Report and collaborated on the Mixed Reality Report 2017 with Business Finland. FIVR organizes networking events, investor meetups, and provides a platform for connecting Finnish XR companies and professionals with European networks through initiatives like XR4Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Estonian VR Association (EEVR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021Joint investor meetup organized in AltSpace between Finnish and Estonian XR communities. Brings together business angels and VCs to meet XR startups, hear pitches, and discuss the current XR investment landscape.
• Demos HelsinkicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaborated on Ministry of Employment and the Economy (TEM) enterprise review article about VR and AR industry in Finland. Joint growth program project focused on immersive experiences and societal challenges.
• Academy of FinlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAGICS research infrastructure grant of 2.4 million euros awarded to Aalto University, Tampere University, and University of the Arts Helsinki for virtualization research involving immersive technologies and remote presence solutions.

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Demos Helsinki: Finnish independent think tank that co-authored the TEM enterprise review article with FIVR. Adjacent policy/research peer within the same Finnish XR-and-society conversation.
• Business Finland: Finnish government innovation funding organization and FIVR's co-publisher on the Mixed Reality Report 2017. Adjacent enabler of the Finnish XR ecosystem rather than a competitor.
• Augmented World Expo (AWE): Global XR industry event and community organizer. Not a member association, but functions as a comparable ecosystem convener and content/policy amplifier for the XR industry.
• Academy of Finland (MAGICS consortium): Finnish research funding body that awarded the EUR 2.4M MAGICS grant to Aalto, Tampere, and University of the Arts Helsinki. Connected to FIVR's ecosystem as a research-funder counterpart.

Regional players

• Virtual Dimension Center Fellbach: German XR innovation and competence center. Comparable as a national/regional XR cluster hub serving companies, researchers, and policy stakeholders in a different geography than FIVR.

Direct peers

• XR4Europe: European-level XR industry network that FIVR joined in 2021. XR4Europe aggregates national XR communities across Europe and is the closest pan-European peer to FIVR's industry-association mission.
• Estonian VR Association (EEVR): Sister national industry association for VR/XR in Estonia. EEVR is FIVR's explicitly named cross-border partner for joint investor meetups and shares the same national-association, member-driven model.

Broad incumbents

• The VR/AR Association (VRARA): Global, chapter-based XR industry association with much broader geographic reach than FIVR. Comparable in mission (community, industry promotion) but operates at a larger scale across multiple verticals beyond gaming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FinnishVR
• Facebookfacebook.com/FinnishVR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fivr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FIVR