ExploreVR
ExploreVR was a directory marketplace for virtual reality businesses, built by first-time entrepreneur Andrey Norin in 2017. Despite investing 6-8 months and $5,000-6,000 of his own money, the startup failed to gain traction because Andrey built the product without validating market demand, lacked marketing skills, and entered the market too late in the VR hype cycle. The project ultimately generated no revenue and served as a learning experience in what not to do as a first-time founder.
Andrey saw an emerging ecosystem of VR businesses (rentals, arcades, event providers) and wanted to create a centralized directory site similar to TripAdvisor where users could find, review, and book VR experiences.
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