Avatar tech company Genies has announced a new $1 million developer engagement fundfor developers.

The funding is intended to help with building augmented reality (AR) experiences for an interoperable avatar social network due to launch this fall with an initial set of experiences, with more due to follow in the following months. The fund will support developers and allow them to unlock further funding based on performance benchmarks.

“Avatars are now prerequisites for any interactive and social experiences for the future of hardware that is now upon us,” said Genies CEO Akash Nigam. “We’ve been dreaming about this moment for years and we’re excited to help power and create the use cases for this new reality.”

Augmented reality has become an increasingly hot topic in recent years thanks to games such as Pokemon GO, but the announcement of the Apple Vision Pro has brought the sector into the spotlight, while showcasing Apple’s continued investment into the emerging sector.

New AR Avatar Tools and Standards

Alongside the funding, developers will gain access to a development kit that allows for a variety of avatars, an AI generative gameplay bot to help craft interoperable experiences, and XR compatibility allowing for high performance. Genies hopes that the tech will allow developers to create a variety of experiences, from mini games and social worlds, which will utilise augmented reality.

The first developers that will gain access to either the dev kit or the fund are those selected via application for the Genies Developer Incubator. Through the incubator and fund, Genies hopes to empower and foster the next era of developers, while providing support, mentorship and access the company’s network of industry experts.

The incubator will be launching this summer, and the application process is available now. Applicants will be evaluated based on entrepreneurial prowess, previous experience with Unity or gaming/XR projects, and creativity in leveraging Genies’ avatars and tools to enhance the AR experience.

The announcement of Apple’s Vision Pro last week caused ripples throughout the market.