AvaCon
AvaCon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 that operates the AvaCon Grid (an OpenSimulator-based virtual world platform) and organizes metaverse conferences, cultural events, and meetups for a global community of enthusiasts, educators, researchers, artists, and social good organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersRehoboth, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What AvaCon does
AvaCon, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity founded in May 2010 and headquartered in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. The organization is dedicated to promoting the growth, enhancement, and development of the metaverse, virtual worlds, augmented reality, and 3D immersive spaces. It operates as an all-volunteer entity with no paid staff, governed by a volunteer Executive Board including co-founder Joyce Bettencourt and Vice President Chris Collins.
AvaCon's core technology and product offering centers on the AvaCon Grid, an OpenSimulator-based virtual world platform with Hypergrid connectivity that enables cross-grid interaction across the broader OpenSimulator ecosystem. The organization also provides free virtual land to social good organizations and runs a portfolio of recurring programs: the Second Life Community Convention (annual since 2011), the OpenSimulator Community Conference (annual since 2013, with at least 11 editions through 2023), the Metaverse Cultural Series, Avatar MeetUps, the Federal Consortium of Virtual Worlds Workshop, and streaming partnerships for the Virtual Ability Symposium and VWBPE. Strategic partners include the Overte Foundation (co-organizer of OSCC), Linden Lab (Second Life), Vesuvius Group (virtual venues), and the University of Cincinnati Center for Simulations & Virtual Environments Research.
AvaCon's revenue model is event- and donation-driven rather than commercial. As a 501(c)(3) public charity, it accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations, generates modest conference registration revenue (e.g., SLCC 2011 tickets priced $250-$300), and secures sponsorships for events. The organization serves a diverse community of metaverse enthusiasts, educators, researchers, artists, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies, with no disclosed revenue figures and no paid headcount to support scaled commercial operations.
AvaCon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AvaCon
- Legal name
- AvaCon, Inc.
- Website
- https://avacon.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AvaCon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 that operates the AvaCon Grid (an OpenSimulator-based virtual world platform) and organizes metaverse conferences, cultural events, and meetups for a global community of enthusiasts, educators, researchers, artists, and social good organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AvaCon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Virtual World Community Services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual Worlds & Social Sandbox Experiences (persistent social spaces) (MPAFAIAG)
Keywords
Where AvaCon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rehoboth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
AvaCon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) public charity, AvaCon accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations to support its mission of promoting the metaverse and virtual worlds.
- Conference Sponsorships: Sponsorships for events such as the OpenSimulator Community Conference, which are tax deductible for US residents minus the value of tangible benefits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Donation-based support for nonprofit operations |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Conference registration for in-person events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
AvaCon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AvaCon is a 501(c)(3) public charity that operates the AvaCon Grid, an OpenSimulator-based virtual world platform providing free virtual land to social good organizations, and organizes a portfolio of conferences and events (Second Life Community Convention, OpenSimulator Community Conference, Metaverse Cultural Series, Avatar MeetUps, Federal Consortium of Virtual Worlds Workshop, Virtual Ability Symposium) to promote education, research, and community in the metaverse and 3D immersive spaces.
Product overview
AvaCon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating a portfolio of metaverse and virtual world initiatives. The core offering is the AvaCon Grid, an OpenSimulator-based virtual world platform with Hypergrid connectivity, complemented by the Metaverse Cultural Series (performances and lectures), Avatar MeetUps (regional gatherings), and annual conferences including the OpenSimulator Community Conference and Second Life Community Convention. The organization also streams and partners on events like the Virtual Ability Symposium and VWBPE, serving the broader virtual worlds and metaverse community through educational, artistic, and social programming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AvaCon Grid: OpenSimulator-based virtual world grid platform operated by AvaCon for hosting virtual environments and metaverse experiences.
- Metaverse Cultural Series
- OpenSimulator Community Conference
- Second Life Community Convention
Products and services
- AvaCon Grid An OpenSimulator-based virtual world grid operated by AvaCon that provides free virtual land to social good organizations and supports Hypergrid connectivity for visiting other OpenSimulator installations.
- Metaverse Cultural Series A series of virtual events featuring performances and lectures that highlight unique aspects of metaverse culture, showcasing artists, thinkers, performers, and academics exploring work, play, and life in the emerging metaverse.
- Avatar MeetUps Regional meetups and performances held in various cities to foster knowledge sharing and social networking about scholarly and creative uses of the metaverse.
- OpenSimulator Community Conference Annual conference focusing on the OpenSimulator community featuring presentations, workshops, keynote sessions, and social events across diverse sectors including Arts & Creativity, Business & Enterprise, Developers & Open Source, Education, Research, and Social & Communities.
- Second Life Community Convention Annual convention featuring three days of activities including performances, machinima screenings, panels, workshops, and musical performances showcasing Second Life Residents' creativity.
- Federal Consortium of Virtual Worlds Workshop Workshop bringing together federal agencies and stakeholders to discuss virtual worlds and metaverse technologies.
- Virtual Ability Symposium Annual symposium streamed by AvaCon focusing on virtual ability and accessibility in virtual worlds.
Companies that use AvaCon
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
AvaCon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
AvaCon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Overte FoundationcoreThe Overte Foundation is a nonprofit organization that manages contribution agreements for the OpenSimulator project. AvaCon and Overte Foundation jointly organize the annual OpenSimulator Community Conference, with Overte managing the technical aspects and AvaCon handling event organization and community engagement.
- University of Cincinnati Center for Simulations & Virtual Environments ResearchminorAcademic research partnership for VR and metaverse technology demonstrations and collaborative projects.
- Whole Brain HealthminorHost of Inspiration Island location used for Metaverse Cultural Series events focused on brain health and aging research in virtual worlds.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
AvaCon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Linden Lab (Second Life): Creator of Second Life and a direct platform partner for AvaCon's Second Life Community Convention. Comparable as a virtual world platform/community, though for-profit and considerably larger; informs the ecosystem AvaCon operates within.
- VRChat: User-generated social VR platform serving the same metaverse-enthusiast and creative-community audiences that AvaCon cultivates through conferences and the AvaCon Grid. Comparable as a destination for virtual world community building, though for-profit.
- Mozilla Foundation (Mozilla Hubs): Nonprofit that built Mozilla Hubs, an open-source, web-accessible social VR platform — the nonprofit-driven complement to AvaCon's mission of providing accessible, open virtual world infrastructure for community and educational use.
Others
- Sumerian (AWS) — virtual worlds service: Cloud platform service for building and running 3D/virtual world experiences at enterprise scale. Adjacent infrastructure peer that competes for the same institutional metaverse-builder mindshare that AvaCon's conferences cultivate.
- Metaverse Standards Forum: Industry consortium advancing interoperability standards for virtual worlds — directly aligned with AvaCon's Hypergrid interoperability mission and a fellow nonprofit-style convener in the metaverse ecosystem, though standards-body rather than event/community-driven.
Broad incumbents
- Roblox Corporation: Mass-market UGC virtual world/gaming platform. Relevant incumbent comparable to AvaCon's domain of persistent social virtual spaces; represents the scale end of the same product category AvaCon serves at the nonprofit/community end.
Direct peers
- Decentraland Foundation: Nonprofit foundation that governs and promotes Decentraland, an open virtual world platform. Closest structural analog to AvaCon as a mission-driven steward for a 3D virtual world community, with comparable educational and events programming.
- Overte Foundation: Nonprofit governing contribution agreements for OpenSimulator and co-organizer of the OpenSimulator Community Conference with AvaCon. Operates in the same OpenSim-based virtual world ecosystem with the same nonprofit, community-orchestration business model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AvaCon social profiles
Digital presenceAvaCon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AvaCon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
AvaCon subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
AvaCon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AvaCon 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 AvaCon
What does AvaCon do?
AvaCon is a 501(c)(3) public charity that operates the AvaCon Grid, an OpenSimulator-based virtual world platform providing free virtual land to social good organizations, and organizes a portfolio of conferences and events (Second Life Community Convention, OpenSimulator Community Conference, Metaverse Cultural Series, Avatar MeetUps, Federal Consortium of Virtual Worlds Workshop, Virtual Ability Symposium) to promote education, research, and community in the metaverse and 3D immersive spaces.
Is AvaCon a public or private company?
AvaCon is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was AvaCon founded?
AvaCon was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AvaCon based?
AvaCon is headquartered in Rehoboth, United States, in the North America region.
How does AvaCon make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are conference Sponsorships.
Who are AvaCon's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Linden Lab (Second Life), VRChat and Mozilla Foundation (Mozilla Hubs). Others are Sumerian (AWS) — virtual worlds service and Metaverse Standards Forum. Roblox Corporation is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Decentraland Foundation and Overte Foundation.
Does AvaCon have an API?
No public API is recorded for AvaCon.
What industry is AvaCon in?
AvaCon's product category is Virtual World Community Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAKAF, Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds, with a secondary code of MPAFAIAG, Virtual Worlds & Social Sandbox Experiences (persistent social spaces). Its NAICS code is 813410 and its SIC code is 8600.