VRHAM! Virtual Reality & Arts Festival

What VRHAM! Virtual Reality & Arts Festival does

VRHAM! Festival e.V. is a Hamburg-based registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) that produces Germany's first international artistic Virtual Reality Festival and, as of 2025, the country's first Digital & Immersive Art Biennale. Founded in 2018 and operating on a biennial cadence (with a virtual edition in 2020 due to COVID-19), the organization curates and presents VR, AR, AI-based, and immersive installations, performances, and discourse programs at Hamburg's Oberhafenquartier in the HafenCity district. Across five editions (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2025), the festival has showcased 162+ works from international artists and attracted 2,500+ visitors in its 2025 edition.

The organization's core product is a live cultural experience rather than a proprietary technology. Its technology stack consists of third-party platforms: VR headsets, immersive audio, spatial computing for live performances, Eventbrite for ticketing, Mailchimp for newsletter, Matomo for analytics, Vimeo and YouTube for content, and Museum of Other Realities for virtual editions. The festival does not develop proprietary technology but curates and platforms others' work. Supporting programs include the VRHAM! Academy (student/emerging-artist education), VRHAM! FORWARD Residencies, VRHAM! ON TOUR, the Digital Art Delegation (international trade visitor program), the Digital Art Lab (workshops, panels, talks), the MOIN Showcase (film and media art), and the VRHAMMY Awards.

VRHAM!'s revenue model is a non-profit cultural funding mix: ticket sales (€5–€10 per ticket, materially small), corporate sponsorships (DKB, ifm electronic, Jüdische Staatsoper Hamburg, INVR.SPACE, Québec, HafenCity, and others), and, most significantly, public cultural grants from German foundations (Kulturstiftung des Bundes, Nordmetall Stiftung, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Körber-Stiftung, Nordakademie Stiftung, Kulturstiftung Hamburg) and the City of Hamburg. Distribution is regional/in-person (Hamburg venues) plus a global content archive (vrham.de/archiv/, YouTube, virtual editions). The festival is led by Ulrich Schrauth (1st Chairman/Artistic Director) and Jan Stephan Hillebrand (2nd Chairman), with a small core team of approximately 5 staff augmented by program-specific production roles.

Name

VRHAM! Virtual Reality & Arts Festival

Legal name

VRHAM! Festival e.V.

Website

https://vrham.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VRHAM! is a Hamburg-based non-profit that produces Germany's first Digital & Immersive Art Biennale, curating VR, AR, and AI-based artworks for international artists, students, and the general public on a biennial cycle.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immersive Arts Festival

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Fan Conventions Organizers (THAHABAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual Community Festivals & Cultural Events (Online Celebrations) (MPAGAOAK)

Keywords

• Immersive art festival
• Digital art biennale
• Virtual reality arts
• XR cultural programming
• Immersive exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated through sale of tickets for the main exhibition and immersive installation. Tickets are sold via Eventbrite. Exhibition tickets cost €7 (regular) / €5 (reduced); immersive installation tickets cost €10 (regular) / €8 (reduced).
2. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate and institutional sponsors provide financial and in-kind support. Partners in 2025 include Hamburg (city), Kulturstiftung Hamburg, MOIN Filmförderung, Jüdische Staatsoper Hamburg, Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB), INVR.SPACE, Québec (government), HafenCity, ifm electronic, Tom Reichstein Contemporary, nextReality.Hamburg, headraft, step one web, IF web, byte, Hamburg Guide, and Rausge.
3. Public Funding and Cultural Grants: As a registered non-profit association (VRHAM! Festival e.V.), the festival receives public cultural funding from German cultural foundations and government bodies. Past funders include Kulturstiftung des Bundes (Federal Cultural Foundation), Robert Bosch Stiftung, Körber-Stiftung, and Nordakademie Stiftung.
4. Digital Art Delegation & International Programs: International trade-facing programs (Digital Art Delegation) may generate revenue through delegate fees, international partnerships, and co-production arrangements with foreign cultural institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VRHAM! Festival e.V. curates and operates a biennial Digital & Immersive Art Biennale in Hamburg, presenting international VR, AR, AI-based, and immersive artworks, performances, and installations at the Oberhafenquartier. The festival sells tickets to the public for its Exhibition (€7/€5) and Immersive Installation (€10/€8), and complements the showcase with the Digital Art Lab (workshops, panels, talks), the Digital Art Delegation (international professional exchange), and the MOIN Showcase for film/media XR works.

Product overview

VRHAM! is a Digital & Immersive Art Biennale and festival organization that produces an annual festival featuring VR, AR, and AI-based artworks, performances, installations, and discourse programs. The core offerings include the Exhibition (main showcase of digital artworks), Immersive Installation (large-scale immersive experiences), Digital Art Lab (workshops and talks), Digital Art Delegation (international professional program), and MOIN Showcase (film funding extended reality showcase). Supporting programs include VRHAM! FORWARD Residencies, VRHAM! ON TOUR, VRHAM! Academy educational platform, and the VRHAMMY Awards and XR History Award.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VRHAM! Exhibition The main ticketed exhibition at the VRHAM! Biennale, showcasing digital and immersive artworks (VR, AR, and AI-based works) from international artists at venues in Hamburg's Oberhafenquartier. Tickets are €7 (regular) / €5 (reduced) via Eventbrite.
• VRHAM! Immersive Installation Large-scale ticketed immersive installation experience, headlined by Marshmallow Laser Feast: EVOLVER at VRHAM! 2025. Tickets are €10 (regular) / €8 (reduced) via Eventbrite, separate from Exhibition tickets.
• VRHAM! Digital Art Lab Discourse and education pillar of the festival comprising workshops, panels, live talks, Coding Art Labs, and Meet the Artist sessions exploring how technology transforms art and life.
• VRHAM! Digital Art Delegation International professional program inviting curators, cultural institution representatives, festival organizers, and policy makers to experience the festival and engage with the Hamburg creative scene.
• VRHAM! MOIN Showcase Film and media XR showcase co-presented with MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg, featuring film and media artists' extended reality work at the biennale.
• VRHAM! FORWARD Residencies Residency program supporting artists working with extended reality and digital art.
• VRHAM! Academy Educational platform bringing together XR students and young graduates with experts and international established artists, providing exposure to the festival program.
• VRHAM! ON TOUR Touring program bringing VRHAM! content and experiences to other venues and locations beyond Hamburg.
• VRHAMMY Awards Awards program recognizing outstanding achievements in VR and digital art at the festival.
• XR History Award Award recognizing historical contributions to extended reality art at the festival.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 visitors attended the 2025 edition in one week, marking the first Digital & Immersive Art Biennale in Germany.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Jüdische Staatsoper HamburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 2025, appearing as a festival supporter among partner logos.
• INVR.SPACEcoreTechnology or IntegrationINVR.SPACE is a specialist VR/XR platform and production company based in Hamburg, appearing as a 2025 partner. VRHAM! has featured their work and they represent an integrated part of Hamburg's VR ecosystem.
• Québec (Government of Québec)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Government of Québec (represented by its German office) partners with VRHAM! to present Quebec-based digital artists. The 2025 program includes a Meet the Artist session for artists supported by the Québec representation in Germany.
• HafenCitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHafenCity (Europe's largest inner-city urban development area) is both the location partner and a supporter of VRHAM!. The festival venues are located in the Oberhafenquartier within HafenCity.
• Tom Reichstein ContemporarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTom Reichstein Contemporary is the venue partner for the main exhibition space at VRHAM! 2025, located at Stockmeyerstr. 41–43, Halle 4 J, 20457 Hamburg.
• nextReality.HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnernextReality.Hamburg is a Hamburg-based XR community organization that collaborates with VRHAM! on programming (e.g., the nextReality.Hamburg Meetup series). They have co-hosted XR events since 2018.
• headraftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a 2025 partner.
• step one webminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a 2025 partner.
• IF webminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a 2025 partner.
• byteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a 2025 partner.
• Hamburg GuideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a 2025 partner.
• RausgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a 2025 partner.
• CPH:DOXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPH:DOX (Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival) is a long-standing co-production and co-programming partner. Joint projects include 'Martyr' (a dinner VR performance) and artist exchanges between the Danish and German VR scenes. Part of the German-Danish Cultural Friendship Year.
• Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe / Badisches StaatsballettcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of 'CyberBallett', a theatrical VR installation presented at VRHAM! The project was funded through the Bundes Kulturstiftung's Doppelpass fund.
• CPH:DOX / MakropolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVRHAM! meets VRiENDS program featured Danish projects including 'Martyr' produced by Makropol (Copenhagen-based VR studio). Mads Damsbo (Makropol founder) participated in festival discussions.
• Create Converge (North Sea Region Interreg Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the 'Let's get Virtual! Chancen und Grenzen virtueller Festivalformate' panel, exploring cross-border digital festival formats.
• ARTEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European culture channel ARTE has been a content and programming partner, with Kay Meseberg (Head of Mission Innovation at ARTE) participating as a speaker and ARTE co-presenting immersive media content at the festival.
• Creative Europe Media Desk HamburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented the LAVAMUSEUM Online VR Art Masterclass, supporting the creative Europe media initiative for VR art education.
• Schleswig-Holstein Musik FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced 'Let's VRHAM! Together', a virtual live concert featuring musicians from the PODIUM Festival, streamed from Oberhafenquartier via Museum of Other Realities.
• IMMENSIVA VR/AI Residence / ESPRONCEDAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMMENSIVA VR/AI Residence 2020 at ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture in Barcelona produced 'The Smallest of Worlds – A Social Landscape of Collected Privacy', which was presented at VRHAM! 2020.
• Kaleidoscope (Virtual Noise Showcase)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVRHAM! 2020 co-presented the Virtual Noise Showcase by Kaleidoscope, featuring the best XR projects in development that utilize immersive audio. Kaleidoscope has helped finance and distribute acclaimed projects like BattleScar, Vestige, and Cosmos Within Us.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfmjkDbKtAv2Ov9sHMvBTyA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/vrhamfestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/vrham_biennale
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vrham

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 VRHAM! Virtual Reality & Arts Festival