Episode Details

Anika sat down with Amir Berenjian to explore how a former investment banker transitioned from multi-million dollar M&A spreadsheets to founding an immersive technology company. The conversation revealed a profound truth: the most powerful way to sell a brand or cause isn't through data alone, but through deeply emotional, shared experiences. Amir shares how REM5 Studios leverages virtual reality (VR) to transport trade show attendees to a Wisconsin dairy farm and global policymakers to the frontlines of polio eradication in Zambia, proving that immersive tech is far more than just a novelty.

In This Episode

• How 12 years in M&A investment banking prepared Amir for immersive storytelling
• The pivotal moment of trying the Oculus Rift in 2016 and seeing the future of human-computer interaction
• Using pizza and beer to overcome VR skepticism in the corporate world
• Why the ROI of immersive tech at trade shows vastly outperforms traditional marketing trinkets
• Transporting global policymakers to Zambia to fight polio via VR with the Gates Foundation
• How a premium cheese brand uses VR to tell the story of a 100-year-old family farm
• The surprising dual-use of VR for both external marketing and internal employee onboarding
• How to test out immersive tech for your brand without breaking the budget

Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction: From investment banking to immersive tech 
• 02:09 The surprising emotional throughline between M&A banking and VR storytelling 
• 04:38 The Oculus Rift "Aha!" moment and democratizing the "magic school bus" experience 
• 07:35 Overcoming the VR accessibility barrier and corporate skepticism 
• 11:13 Transitioning from corporate events to purpose-driven storytelling and global causes 
• 13:33 The economics of immersive tech and why it's cheaper than you think 
• 15:08 Dominating trade shows: Why shared VR experiences beat traditional marketing flyers 
• 17:29 Case Study 1: Transporting customers to a 3rd-generation Wisconsin dairy farm 
• 19:38 Case Study 2: Putting policymakers on the frontlines of polio with the Gates Foundation 
• 20:23 How immersive 3D video actually works (and the nostalgia of the View-Master) 
• 25:13 The 9-month planning process and why distribution is the biggest hurdle in VR 
• 29:39 The intersection of AI, implicit bias, and leveraging technology for good 
• 31:47 Measuring the impact and ROI of immersive storytelling 
• 34:33 How small businesses can test the waters of VR for under $500 
• 38:33 The dual value of VR: Using marketing tools for internal employee onboarding 
• 41:42 What’s next for REM5 Studios and the convergence of AI and spatial computing

Key Insights & Takeaways

Insight 1: M&A and VR are Both About Selling Emotion 

Even in investment banking, multi-million dollar deals are driven by the emotional story of a business. Amir realized VR is simply the ultimate tool for democratizing that story, allowing clients to "tour the factory" and meet the founders without ever leaving the boardroom.

Insight 2: Immersive Tech Solves the Trade Show ROI Problem 

Trade shows are filled with expensive, easily discarded trinkets and flyers. Immersive tech completely steals the show by giving attendees a shared, memorable experience that re-energizes them. Because the experience can be reused across dozens of events, it proves to be far more cost-effective and impactful than traditional trade show marketing waste.

Insight 3: The Technology is the Conduit, Not the Message 

People easily get caught up in buzzwords