Oculus has now opened applications for this year’s Launch Pad program, which aims to give a select number of developers from diverse backgrounds some hands-on support with their VR projects.
Launch Pad 2020 is set to invite up to 100 participants to what the company calls a “virtual boot camp” this September. Oculus says development support will be available as participants work to finalize their working prototype in the coming months.
In addition to support from VR experts and past Launch Pad alumni, Oculus will also award some participants between $5K – $50K USD, with a total $250,000 allocated to qualifying candidates that require additional financial support.
“In order for immersive technology to reach its full potential, we need a developer/creator ecosystem that can build and ship diverse VR experiences to the world,” Oculus says in a blog post announcing this year’s program. “That’s why we started Launch Pad—a program designed to support promising VR content creators from diverse backgrounds with hands-on training and support, so they can iterate on their unique ideas and bring them to market.”
Apply for Oculus Launch Pad 2020
Through Launch Pad, Facebook (vis-à-vis Oculus) hopes to invest in developers with unique perspectives, including women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and “anyone who is willing to share how their perspective adds to the ‘diversity of thought’ in our community,” the company says.
Applications are open to August 20th, 2020. Click the button above to apply. Also make sure to check out last year’s winners for inspiration.