Industry Panel: Metaverse

Into the Metaverse: A New Digital Frontier

October 9th, 14:00-15:35 | Paidia Living Lab of Play, Nokia Arena, Tampere

This panel explores the transformative potential of the Metaverse, focusing on how it’s shaping industries from entertainment to business and beyond. The session will begin with a brief opening, followed by individual presentations from our expert panellists. Each panellist will showcase their insights into how immersive technologies and extended reality are redefining engagement and collaboration. After the presentations, the panellists will participate in an interactive discussion, answering targeted questions about the Metaverse’s present and future. The session will close with questions from the audience, providing a chance to dive deeper into the subject with industry leaders.

Panellists:

Sanni Siltanen

Sanni Siltanen

Mission Lead, Immersive Digital Life at Business Finland

With over 20 years of experience in applied research and product development, Sanni has been a trailblazer in the field of XR technologies, particularly in industrial applications. She holds docentship in Industrial XR at Tampere University and has authored over 50 scientific publications. Sanni’s leadership at Business Finland is driving the competitiveness of Finnish industries in immersive technologies.

Xinyi Tu (Joyce)

Senior AI & Operations Consultant at PwC & Postdoctoral Researcher focusing on the topic of Metaverse at Aalto University

With her deep expertise in AI strategies, digital transformation, and intelligent operations, Joyce works at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and real-world business applications. Her role at PwC Finland involves helping organizations harness the power of AI to enhance operations, future-proof industries, and drive innovation.

In addition to her consulting work, Joyce earned her Doctor of Science (Technology) at Aalto University, where she focused on the Industrial Metaverse and its impact on manufacturing and human-technology collaboration, particularly within the context of Industry 5.0. She has been a key player in various Business Finland-funded co-innovation projects and even conducted a research visit to the University of Cambridge’s Cyber-Human Lab, where she collaborated with industry and academia on groundbreaking research.

Jonathan Biz Medina

Jonathan Biz Medina

Creative Producer for XR at Stereoscape

With over 12 years of experience leveraging video game technology in B2B settings, Jonathan brings a wealth of expertise in combining innovation with business strategy. He has specialized in management and business development, backed by certified training in Agile, Scrum, and Entrepreneurship (Empretec).

Jonathan’s journey includes four years at the innovation sector of Itaú Cultural, the cultural arm of the largest bank in Latin America, where he honed his skills in developing cutting-edge projects. In Finland, he has continued to push the boundaries of technology and creativity, spending 7.5 years designing and coordinating projects at ZOAN Oy. Today, he works as a Senior Producer and business developer at Stereoscape, where he continues to drive forward innovative solutions across multiple industries.

Since moving to Finland in 2016, Jonathan has led and developed over 186 projects, ranging from cultural initiatives to commercial applications, for a wide array of industries.

Pekka Varis

Nvidia Omniverse Ambassador, Creative Director & Co-Founder at Cineshare

As a proud NVIDIA Omniverse Ambassador, Pekka specializes in using Reallusion’s iClone, Character Creator, and ActorCore to push the boundaries of real-time animation and create stunning visual experiences. His expertise is at the forefront of using cutting-edge technologies to render immersive and interactive 3D content.

At Cineshare, a startup founded in 2022, Pekka leads the development of a high-tech video publishing platform. The platform offers 3D video templates to streamline the creation of professional business video presentations. Leveraging NVIDIA Omniverse, Cineshare’s tech allows for scalable 3D design simulations that mirror real-life environments, making it ideal for Industrial Digital Twins.