Monobanda

What Monobanda does

Monobanda is a Utrecht-based, privately held interactive studio founded in 2008 by Simon van der Linden that designs and builds immersive VR experiences, voice-controlled games, breath-controlled meditative environments, and embodied interactive installations. Its core technology centers on non-standard input modalities — voice (pitch, volume, duration, tone), breath (via the custom DEEP controller), and body motion (bodymapping, 3D drawing) — used to drive experiences such as Timbre, DEEP, Soul Paint, VoiceBalls, Voice Racers, Harmonize, and Remembering VR. Several offerings are clinically or scientifically validated in partnership with Radboud University's GEMH Lab and other research collaborators, and the company holds 40+ awards and nominations across festivals and programs including SXSW, Tribeca, Venice, Japan Media Arts, Games for Change, and Cinekid.

The studio operates as a hybrid freelance collective of 11–50 staff, combining co-founders, permanent designers and developers (Simon van der Linden, Niki Smit, Jesse van Leeuwen, Rosalie van Velsen, Rian Evers), a behavioral scientist (Joanneke Weerdmeester), and a supervisory board of cultural and healthcare experts. Its business model is project-based and multi-channel: (a) bespoke VR and interactive installations licensed or commissioned by cultural institutions, museums, schools, healthcare organizations, and municipalities (e.g., NEMO, Rijksmuseum Twenthe, EYE Museum, Ziggo Dome, Gemeente Utrecht); (b) rental of fixed-price VR experiences to events and festivals (Remembering, BOHM, Soul Paint, DEEP); (c) lectures and workshops on play priced from €450; and (d) direct-to-consumer digital sales via the Oculus Store (Timbre, Remembering) and SidequestVR (The Shape of Us). Public cultural grants from organizations such as Creative Industries Fund NL, Stimuleringsfonds, Netherlands Film Fund, Robert Bosch Stiftung, and Epilepsiefunders support project development. The customer mix is hybrid across healthcare/wellbeing, education, cultural institutions, festivals, and conference/corporate events, with GTM driven by festival appearances, the monobanda.eu catalog, a tri-annual newsletter, and earned media from award cycles.

Name

Monobanda

Legal name

Monobanda

Website

https://monobanda.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Monobanda is an award-winning Utrecht-based interactive studio (founded 2008) that designs voice-, breath-, and body-controlled VR installations and games for cultural institutions, museums, schools, healthcare providers, and festivals, with 40+ awards including SXSW and Games for Change recognition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immersive VR Experiences

NAICS

Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM)

Keywords

• Immersive VR experiences
• Interactive installations
• Voice-controlled games
• VR art experiences
• Embodied play design

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom VR and interactive installations: Design and development of bespoke VR experiences, art installations and physical interactive installations for cultural institutions, museums, healthcare organizations, and festivals. Revenue is generated on a per-project basis with custom pricing.
2. Lectures, workshops and keynote presentations: Monobanda offers lectures and inspiration sessions on the impact and application of play, delivered in both English and Dutch, with pricing starting from €450. Reduced rates available for non-profit organizations.
3. VR experience rentals and bookings: VR experiences such as Remembering VR are available for rental/booking at events, with pricing starting from €750 for Remembering. Experiences like SOULPAINT, DEEP, and Bohm are also available through the catalog.
4. VR game sales and digital distribution: VR games distributed digitally via the Oculus Store (Timbre, Remembering) and SidequestVR (The Shape of Us). Timbre sold at $1.99 for Oculus Rift.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Monobanda is an award-winning studio that designs and develops immersive VR games, voice-controlled and breath-controlled interactive experiences, and physical-to-virtual installations. Their work spans therapeutic play (e.g., DEEP, Soul Paint), educational workshops (e.g., Timbre in the Classroom), and cultural installations for museums, festivals, and healthcare providers. They sell direct licenses, custom-built installations, and digital VR games via app stores.

Product overview

Monobanda is an award-winning studio offering a diverse portfolio of interactive experiences that explore and expand the boundaries of play and interaction. Their offerings include voice-controlled VR games (Timbre, VoiceBalls, Voiceracers), meditative VR experiences (DEEP, Remembering VR, Soul Paint), physical light installations (Color Room, Harmonize), educational workshops (Timbre in the Classroom), and civic education tools (The Shape of Us). The company also provides speaking services through Keynotes & Lectures on Play. Their core products connect the human body, physical space, and the virtual world through meaningful play experiences spanning art, science, and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soul Paint An immersive VR experience at the nexus of technology, creative storytelling, and wellbeing. Participants explore and express emotions through bodymapping, 3D drawing, and movement to reveal their unique inner reality. Designed for cultural institutions, museums, and healthcare/wellness contexts.
• DEEP A meditative and psychoactive VR game controlled by the player's breathing using a custom DEEP controller. Players explore an underwater world while learning yogic breathing techniques clinically validated to alleviate stress, anxiety, and mild depression. Used by healthcare providers, museums, and festival audiences.
• Timbre Voice-controlled VR experience where players sing, hum, or scream to control the virtual world. Variations in pitch, duration, volume, and tone change the game's impact, allowing players to build bridges, destroy structures, and navigate. Available on Oculus Store and as an installation for cultural venues.
• Timbre in the Classroom An interactive installation for 1st and 2nd grade children (6-8 years) where children paint with their voice. A 30-minute journey with breathing exercises, voice coaching, and collaborative painting using pitch, volume, and length of sound. Delivered through educational partners such as Kunst Centraal to primary schools.
• VoiceBalls VR game controlled by voice where players make weird sounds, hum, shout, or sing and see their voice appear as colorful objects in 5 playful VR environments. Designed for cultural venues and festival audiences.
• Voiceracers Two-player voice-controlled racing game where making low notes moves left and high notes moves right. Players dodge obstacles, fly through turbo rings, and race against each other. Designed for festival and event programming.
• Harmonize Collaborative VR experience where two players blend their voices, transforming them into stunning colors to create a visual symphony and spatial light artwork through voice syncing. Designed for festivals, museums, and corporate events.
• Remembering VR Abstract VR experience about being born, told through sound, music, and shapes. A slow-paced, poetic journey where gaze controls what you hear. Available for rental/booking at events starting from €750.
• The Shape of Us VR journey exploring human connection with nature and the climate crisis. Uses body motion and interactive storytelling for civic education, designed for workshops, classrooms, and libraries. Developed in collaboration with Heartwire and funded by Robert Bosch Stiftung.
• In My Absence Roomscale VR installation that lets users enter the experience of children with absence epilepsy, guided through personal seizure stories in an educational initiative. Funded by Epilepsiefonds.
• Color Room Magical room where players paint with light using a special brush on white objects and shapes, transforming a white world into luminous art, with the option to wear a white suit and become part of the composition. Permanent installation at venues such as Science Center NEMO Amsterdam.
• BOHM Meditative game where players regulate the growth of a tree. A peaceful and poetic experience without an ultimate goal, focused on shaping branches and enjoying the visual and auditory poetic experience. Available for rental/booking starting from €1,500.
• Keynotes & Lectures on Play Lectures and inspiration sessions on the impact and application of play, drawing on Monobanda's experience and collaborations with science and psychology. Available in English and Dutch, starting from €450, with reduced rates for non-profit organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• DEEP has been clinically validated to teach yogic breathing techniques that can alleviate stress, anxiety, and mild depression.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kunst CentraalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonobanda's key educational partner for the Timbre in de Klas program, bringing voice-based creative workshops to primary schools in the Utrecht province. Kunst Centraal is an art education organization that supports cultural education in schools.
• ImproVivecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for Soul Paint, providing technical expertise for the immersive emotional exploration experience. Listed as a trusted collaborator in Soul Paint credits.
• Heartwire (German Lab for Soulful Civic Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeartwire collaborated with Monobanda on The Shape of Us VR experience, which serves as the core pillar of an educational project on climate crisis awareness. Heartwire developed the workshop materials and educational content accompanying the VR experience.
• Radboud University GEMH LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive-year research collaboration with Monobanda on the application of serious games designed with art and design to elevate people's interaction experiences. Dr. Isabela Granic serves as Chair of Developmental Psychopathology and Department Director.
• WildvreemdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVR group that collaborated with Monobanda on Weltatem, an interactive VR opera combining professional opera singers with amateur audience participation.
• Owen HarriscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead designer and original creator of DEEP, who partnered with Monobanda to develop a new version of the breath-controlled meditative VR experience.
• SonicPicnicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSound design and music composition studio that collaborated on Remembering, providing the distinctive audio landscape for the exploration game.
• DUS ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm that collaborated with Monobanda on 3RD, an interactive installation giving players a new perspective on reality through bird-like wearable sculptures.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Moment Factory: Montreal-based multimedia studio specializing in immersive experiences and interactive installations for museums, airports, and public spaces. Comparable as a hybrid studio blending art, technology, and cultural-institution commissions.
• Resolution Games: VR-focused game studio with titles like Demeo, Angry Birds VR, and Cook-Out. Comparable as an independent studio pursuing multiple VR titles across consumer marketplaces with a similar team-size profile.
• Tender Claws: Independent VR studio known for VR narrative/experimental games (Virtual Virtual Reality, The Under Presents). Most directly comparable as a small, award-winning VR game studio making narrative/experimental titles for headsets.
• thatgamecompany: Independent studio behind Journey, Flower, and Sky: Children of the Light — emotionally resonant, art-driven interactive experiences with meditative gameplay. Highly comparable as a small-team studio creating meaningful-play experiences that bridge art and emotion.
• Owlchemy Labs: VR game studio (Job Simulator, Vacation Simulator) recognized for accessible, playful VR experiences. Comparable as an indie studio that turns experimental interaction paradigms into commercial VR titles.
• Polyarc: Small independent VR studio behind Moss and Moss: Book II, focused on premium-quality narrative VR games with strong critical reception. Comparable as a boutique VR studio prioritizing craft and emotional engagement over scale.
• teamLab: Interdisciplinary art collective producing large-scale immersive digital installations exhibited globally. Comparable as creators of immersive, body-aware interactive experiences for museums, festivals, and cultural institutions.
• Meow Wolf: Immersive art and entertainment company creating large-scale interactive installations and XR experiences for permanent exhibitions (House of Eternal Return, Convergence Station). Comparable as an immersive-installation studio monetizing through cultural venues and ticketed experiences.

Emerging players

• XRHealth: Digital therapeutics platform deploying VR for physical and mental health treatment, including clinically validated applications. Comparable as a VR-for-health player intersecting with Monobanda's DEEP and Soul Paint therapeutic positioning.
• Embodied Games: A placeholder for the cluster of small European indie studios producing embodied, art-driven interactive games (e.g., Playables, Kokomago). Comparable in spirit as small-team makers of meaningful-play experiences for festivals and cultural markets; included for thematic adjacency rather than direct overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/emberglitch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/monobanda
• Xx.com/Monobanda
• Facebookfacebook.com/Monobanda

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Monobanda