What Metaverse Standards Forum does

The Metaverse Standards Forum is an independent, incorporated non-profit organization (Metaverse Standards Forum, Inc.) that provides a neutral venue for cooperation between international standards organizations and companies to foster the development of interoperability standards for an open and inclusive metaverse. Founded in June 2022 with 35 originating members and headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, the Forum has grown to over 2,500 member organizations spanning standards bodies (Khronos Group, W3C, Open Geospatial Consortium, IEEE, Web3D Consortium, OMA3, Spatial Web Foundation, OpenAR Cloud, XR Association, VRM Consortium, XRSI), major technology companies (NVIDIA, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Epic Games, Samsung, Huawei, Qualcomm, Autodesk, Adobe, Siemens, IKEA, LG, Cesium, ESRI, OTOY), and academic institutions. The Forum does not create standards itself; instead, it coordinates requirements and resources to accelerate standards development within existing standards organizations through Domain Working Groups (3D Assets, Accessibility, AI x Metaverse, Digital Asset Management, Ecosystem, Spatial Computing), the Forum Labs Initiative (pilots, testbeds, plugfests, open-source tooling), and the Open Metaverse Browser Initiative, supported by a public Standards Register and Use Case Repository.

The Forum's technology stack is a coordination and governance platform rather than a product. Its core operational infrastructure is the Causeway-based Membership Portal (portal.metaverse-standards.org), which manages members, documents, mailing lists, and meeting coordination. Supporting tools include Zoom for plenary and working group meetings, Discord for community discussion, Mailchimp for newsletters, SurveyMonkey and LeadConnector for engagement, GitHub and CI services (AppVeyor, Travis-CI) for open-source collaboration, and Google Workspace for document workflows. Website hosting is distributed across DigitalOcean, Hetzner, and AWS. The Forum does not expose a public or partner API.

The business model is a two-tier membership structure: Participant membership is free and provides access to plenary meetings and Domain Group activities, serving as the principal acquisition funnel; Principal membership carries annual dues and confers voting rights, Oversight Committee participation, and Board eligibility. Above-standard Principal dues, optional Platinum and Gold contribution levels monetize the most engaged members (Nokia is disclosed as a Platinum sponsor). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and fee waivers are available to encourage diverse standards-related organizations. The Forum transitioned from bootstrap funding by the Khronos Group to a self-supporting non-profit, and is governed by an 18-person Board of Directors chaired by Neil Trevett (also VP at NVIDIA) with Emily Stearns serving as Executive Director and Treasurer.

Name

Metaverse Standards Forum

Legal name

Metaverse Standards Forum, Inc.

Website

https://metaverse-standards.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Metaverse Standards Forum is an independent non-profit (founded June 2022, 2,500+ member organizations) that coordinates interoperability standards for the open metaverse by convening standards bodies, technology companies, and academia through Domain Working Groups, member portal, and sponsored research initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Standards Coordination Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies (BPADANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF), Interoperability & Asset Bridging for Games (cross-game/cross-chain assets) (FSAPAGAJ)

Keywords

• Metaverse interoperability standards
• Standards coordination forum
• Interoperability working groups
• Open metaverse standards
• 3D asset standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Beaverton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Principal Membership Dues: Principal members pay annual membership dues to support Forum operations and projects. The Forum has fee waivers and other accommodations to encourage and enable Principal membership by diverse standards-related organizations.
2. Participant Membership (Free): Free tier providing access to all Forum member plenary meetings and Domain Group activities. Serves as the primary acquisition funnel for converting organizations to paid Principal membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Metaverse Standards Forum provides a venue for cooperation between international standards organizations and technology companies to foster the development and deployment of interoperability standards for an open and inclusive metaverse. It runs pragmatic, action-based projects including Domain Working Groups (covering 3D Assets, Accessibility, AI x Metaverse, Digital Asset Management, Ecosystem, and Spatial Computing), the Forum Labs Initiative for pilots, testbeds and plugfests, the Open Metaverse Browser Initiative, a public Standards Register, and a Use Case Repository. The Forum does not create standards itself but coordinates requirements and resources across existing standards organizations to accelerate their work.

Product overview

The Metaverse Standards Forum is not a product company but rather a coordination forum for interoperability standards. It operates as a single unified platform with multiple complementary initiatives: the Standards Register and Use Case Repository serve as public resources for discovering metaverse standards; the Forum Labs Initiative and Domain Working Groups drive standards development through research and collaboration; the Open Metaverse Browser Initiative focuses on browser interoperability; and the Membership Portal (Causeway) provides member-only access to governance, document management, and collaboration tools. The forum does not create standards itself but coordinates requirements and resources to accelerate standards development by existing standards organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 2500+ organizations now participating in forum
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration24 records

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered founding, core and flagship.

• Khronos GroupfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Khronos Group originally bootstrapped and funded the Forum during its initial phase. As part of Khronos' non-profit mission to promote industry cooperation, they helped create the open, neutral forum for the benefit of all. The Forum has now become independent.
• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)coreTechnology or IntegrationOne of the key international standards organizations participating in the Forum constellation, bringing web standards expertise to metaverse interoperability efforts.
• Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)coreTechnology or IntegrationKey standards organization participating in the Forum, contributing geospatial standards expertise for metaverse location and spatial computing interoperability.
• OpenAR CloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationStandards organization contributing AR cloud and spatial computing standards to Forum's interoperability coordination efforts.
• Spatial Web FoundationcoreTechnology or IntegrationContributing spatial web standards expertise to Forum's coordination of metaverse interoperability standards.
• Academy Software FoundationcoreTechnology or IntegrationOpen-source software foundation contributing to Forum's open source tooling initiatives and standards development.
• IEEE SAcoreTechnology or IntegrationIEEE Standards Association participating in Forum's standards coordination efforts for metaverse interoperability.
• OMA3 (Open Metaverse Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of metaverse companies working with Forum to coordinate open standards development and adoption.
• Web3D ConsortiumcoreTechnology or IntegrationStandards organization contributing 3D web standards expertise, represented on Forum's Board of Directors.
• XR AssociationcoreTechnology or IntegrationIndustry association representing XR companies contributing to Forum's AR/VR/XR standards coordination.
• XR Safety Initiative (XRSI)coreTechnology or IntegrationXR safety standards organization contributing privacy and security expertise to Forum's metaverse standards development.
• VRM ConsortiumcoreTechnology or IntegrationAvatars and identity management standards organization contributing to Forum's interoperability coordination.
• NVIDIAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNVIDIA is a Principal member and Neil Trevett serves as President & Chairman of the Forum. NVIDIA contributes significant technical resources and leadership to Forum activities.
• GoogleflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member contributing cloud and platform expertise to Forum's standards coordination efforts.
• Epic GamesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member contributing 3D engine and interactive content expertise to Forum activities.
• Samsung ElectronicsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member contributing hardware and display technology expertise to Forum's interoperability standards.
• HuaweiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member with representation on Board of Directors through Paul Higgs, contributing telecommunications and device expertise.
• QualcommflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member contributing chip and wireless technology expertise to Forum's standards development.
• Siemens AGflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member with representation on Board of Directors through Ales Alajbegovic, contributing industrial IoT and digital twin expertise.
• AutodeskflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member contributing 3D design and manufacturing expertise to Forum's asset interoperability standards.
• Meta Platforms Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member contributing social platform and VR hardware expertise to Forum's metaverse standards coordination.
• IKEAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member contributing retail and spatial commerce expertise to Forum's metaverse standards development.
• LG ElectronicsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member contributing display technology and consumer electronics expertise to Forum's standards.
• CesiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal member contributing 3D geospatial platform expertise, hosts Open Metaverse Podcast featuring Forum leadership.
• ESRIcoreTechnology or IntegrationPrincipal member contributing GIS and mapping technology expertise to Forum's geospatial standards.
• OTOY InccoreTechnology or IntegrationPrincipal member contributing rendering and cloud graphics technology expertise to Forum's 3D standards.
• Adeia Holdings Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationPrincipal member with representation on Board of Directors through Christopher Phillips, contributing media/entertainment IP expertise.
• Futurewei TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationPrincipal member with representation on Board of Directors through Mats Lundgren.
• CausewaycoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party vendor providing member portal platform (Causeway) used to manage members, documents, and mailing lists.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Academy Software Foundation: Linux Foundation sub-foundation supporting open-source software for visual effects, animation, and 3D content creation, including standards-relevant tooling. Academy Software Foundation is a direct peer in open-standards/open-source coordination model and is an MSF member contributing to open-source tooling initiatives.
• Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC): International non-profit consortium leading development of geospatial interoperability standards. OGC is a direct peer in operating model (member-funded, multi-stakeholder coordination, standards working groups) and is also a participating member of MSF.
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): Global standards body that develops web standards through a member-driven, consensus-based process with multiple tiers of membership and dues. W3C is a direct peer in operating model (multi-stakeholder coordination, member-funded non-profit) and is also an MSF member contributing web standards expertise.
• Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF): Open, volunteer-driven standards organization whose mission is to make the internet work better via coordination of engineering specifications. IETF is the canonical peer in 'coordination-only' standards governance without ratification authority - structurally analogous to MSF's position for the metaverse.
• IEEE Standards Association: Operates a parallel global, member-funded standards development process covering a broad technology portfolio, with individual standards working groups and corporate membership tiers. IEEE SA is a direct peer in governance and funding model, and an MSF principal member.
• Khronos Group: Founding partner of MSF and the most direct peer: a non-profit industry consortium that creates and ratifies royalty-free interoperability standards (e.g., Vulkan, OpenXR, glTF). Khronos operates the same member-driven, dues-funded coordination model that MSF was bootstrapped from.
• XR Association: Industry association representing XR hardware, software, and component companies, focused on advancing the XR industry through policy advocacy and ecosystem coordination. XR Association is a direct peer in industry-association model and an active MSF partner/member.
• OMA3 (Open Metaverse Alliance): Alliance of metaverse-focused companies working to coordinate open, interoperable metaverse development. OMA3 is the most direct thematic peer to MSF (overlapping mission on open metaverse interoperability), operates via member-driven working groups, and is an MSF partner with Board representation.

Emerging players

• Open AR Cloud: Standards-focused organization developing open AR cloud infrastructure and spatial computing interoperability specifications. Open AR Cloud is an emerging peer with substantial thematic overlap (AR/cloud/spatial computing standards) and is also an MSF member, though smaller in scope than MSF's broader metaverse remit.

Broad incumbents

• Linux Foundation: Larger, established open-source and open-standards foundation hosting many sub-foundations and projects (e.g., LF Energy, Hyperledger, PyTorch Foundation). Linux Foundation is a broad incumbent peer: same member-driven non-profit model but at significantly greater scale and broader scope than MSF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/metaverse-standards.org
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8TQjaE8C6leoPOGBqUGl8Q
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/86618224

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Metaverse Standards Forum