In this episode, Varjo founder and CTO Urho Konttori shares his vision about the metaverse and how it has the potential to transform businesses of the future. The metaverse is combining mixed reality technologies with high-speed internet and transitioning the industry toward a “virtual goods realm.” According to Urho Konttori, founder and Chief Technology Officer of Varjo, the metaverse is fundamentally the next iteration of the internet-human interaction.  Technology innovators look at the metaverse as the medium that can democratize distance — so people can be with their family and friends whenever they want. Furthermore, this new technology is already adding value to many industries. The defense industry, for example, is using virtual technologies to train its pilots. As a result, the industry is shortening the total calendar time of such trainings, reducing associated costs and cutting carbon emissions.  Urho also explains why innovative companies cannot be “risk averse.” According to him, unsuccessful technology undertakings help companies understand the limits of innovation.    Key takeaways: The cloud has the potential to completely transform the current computing paradigm — something the gaming industry has already started implementing.   Virtual technologies will directly impact product design — by reducing the cost of training and increasing collaboration among innovators. The metaverse provides a new form of communication that can impact professional and personal lives. It aims to transcend geographical distance by bringing people closer to each other.