New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and the Brooklyn Navy Yard today announced the launch of RLab – the first City-funded virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) lab in the country. Administered by NYU Tandon with a participating consortium of New York City universities, including Columbia University, CUNY and The New School, RLab will operate out of Building 22 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and will cement New York City's status as a global leader in VR/AR, creating over 750 jobs in the industry.
Fueled by a $5.6 million investment by NYCEDC and MOME, the center will support startups, talent development, and research and innovation, along with a workforce development center at CUNY Lehman College in the Bronx. RLab will also be home to an early-stage fund, administered by leading venture capital firm Super Ventures, to support startup companies accepted into RLab accelerator program which are creating solutions using virtual and augmented reality. This competitive program will attract talent from around the world and complement a range of RLab entrepreneurship programs to commercialize ideas and technologies emerging off of the City's university campuses, as well as corporate innovation programs designed to help companies adopt these technologies.
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