The Blueprint for Metaverse Startup Funding in 2025

Charles Hambro, CEO of GEEIQ, offers a candid perspective on building a metaverse-focused company. He highlights the challenges and opportunities present in this evolving landscape. His experience provides valuable lessons for other companies seeking to build software and infrastructure within the metaverse.

Beyond the Metaverse Hype

Charles emphasizes that GEEIQ's foundation predates the metaverse hype. In 2018, his focus wasn't on the metaverse itself, but on the shifting landscape of gaming and its increasing social dimension. He identified a gap in data and intelligence for brands seeking to engage with audiences in these emerging social spaces. This pre-metaverse focus allowed Geek to avoid the pitfalls of hype cycles and build a sustainable business model:

"Our core foundations...was not on this sort of metaverse concept. It was on the concept that gaming is really big, and gaming is changing and becoming social."

Fundraising in a Post-Hype Environment:

Securing $8.2 million in funding for a "metaverse" company in a post-hype environment wasn't easy. Hambro admits to a "love-hate relationship" with the term, acknowledging its ambiguity and the confusion it created in the market:

"I still, to this day, have no idea how Metaverse is really defined."

He attributes GEEIQ's fundraising success to their strong underlying thesis and demonstrable metrics, rather than chasing the metaverse trend. Their focus on data and intelligence, a fundamental need for brands navigating any digital space, resonated with investors:

"That 8.2 million dollars was not our first funding round...the reason why we got it was because our foundations are so solid in terms of our thesis."

Differentiating from the Metaverse Crowd:

One of the biggest challenges for Geek was differentiating themselves from the influx of metaverse companies that emerged after Facebook's rebranding to Meta. Charles had to actively distance GEEIQ from the hype, emphasizing their pre-existing focus on gaming data and intelligence:

"What was actually quite difficult...was being branded with a lot of other Metaverse companies."

He stresses the importance of having a clear value proposition and avoiding the temptation to chase fleeting trends:

"We're not touching metaverse. That's now gone. Now we're onto AI."

The Importance of Data-Driven Decisions:

Charles repeatedly underscores the importance of data-driven decision-making for brands entering the metaverse or any gaming platform. He draws parallels with traditional social media marketing, where data is essential for influencer partnerships and campaign optimization:

"It's a bit like partnering with an influencer on Instagram and going, I don't know how many followers they have...a marketer would get fired for giving that influencer money without knowing that sort of information."

He highlights GEEIQ's role in providing this crucial data, enabling brands to make informed choices and de-risk their investments:

"GEEIQ's the answer to be able to justify why they're spending what they're spending."

Platform Strategy: Objectives Over Hype:

Charles cautions against blindly choosing platforms based on hype. Instead, he advocates for a strategic approach based on specific brand objectives and audience demographics. He uses the example of Coach, a GEEIQ client that successfully leveraged both Roblox and Zepeto for different reasons:

"They didn't choose Roblox or Zepeto. They went into both and they went into both differently for different reasons."

He stresses that the key is understanding the unique characteristics of each platform and tailoring the strategy accordingly:

"It all comes down to what the brand objective is."

The Future of Metaverse Commerce and Engagement:

Hambro is optimistic about the future of commerce within virtual worlds but believes it's important not to get distracted by it. He acknowledges the challenges of measuring ROI from digital to physical activations, but emphasizes the immense value of engagement within these spaces:

"I don't want commerce to be the major distraction of what is already incredible, which is the awareness piece...and the engagement piece in the middle is unlike anything else."

He sees great potential for deeper integration between the digital and physical worlds, beyond simple commerce transactions:

"I think we'll continue to see that greater connection between the digital world and the real world in more ways than just purchase and maybe even more exciting ways than just purchase that we don't even know yet."

Conclusion

Charles Hambro's approach to building GEEIQ offers critical insights for navigating the complexities of the metaverse industry. His emphasis on a clear focus, avoiding hype, and leveraging data underscores the importance of sustainable strategies in a field prone to buzzword-driven distractions. Hambro's belief in the social evolution of gaming as a foundational pillar for GEEIQ demonstrates the value of anticipating industry shifts and building tools that address long-term needs.

However, it also raises a broader question: how can companies in the metaverse space strike a balance between seizing opportunities and maintaining authenticity? The industry's rapid evolution means that trends like AI or blockchain can just as easily distract companies as the "metaverse" once did. Hambro’s candid reflections on avoiding trends serve as a reminder that companies must ground their strategies in tangible value creation, not just investor-friendly buzzwords.

In the long term, the success of metaverse-focused companies will likely depend on their ability to remain adaptable without losing their core identity. Hambro's vision of data-driven decision-making as the backbone of brand activations could pave the way for a more analytical and results-oriented metaverse ecosystem. At the same time, his acknowledgment of engagement and awareness as critical metrics hints at a broader opportunity for companies: to redefine how brands and audiences connect in immersive spaces.

Ultimately, Hambro’s journey underscores the need for clarity, purpose, and resilience in the metaverse. Companies that embrace these principles—balancing innovation with practicality—are best positioned not only to thrive in this space but to shape its future meaningfully.