People who have worked with Metaverse innovator Dr. Loretta Chen describe her as an absolute perfectionist who is incredibly passionate in her work. Voted one of Asia’s Most Inspiring Women, this energetic entrepreneur wears multiple hats.
Aside from holding doctorates in both Philosophy and Theatre Studies, Loretta is a best-selling author, university professor, consultant, award-winning theatrical and creative director. She is also Co-founder and Energizer of Metaverse architecture and design agency Smobler Studios. Metaverse architecture design is ‘the creation of aesthetically appealing, ergonomically functional, community centered and engaging virtual worlds that provide not extract value from its users and community.’
As quoted in a recent Popspoken article, one of Loretta’s ongoing questions was how to make communities more inclusive. As a life long advocate for diversity and equity, it’s not surprising that now in the Metaverse, she’s still a huge supporter of any project that builds communities.
Originally from Singapore and now living in Hawaii, Loretta remarks that Smobler Studios encourages IDEAS (inclusion, diversity, accessibility and sustainability) to provide platforms, leadership and opportunities aimed at training and supporting the next generation of female talent in tech and web3.
With Smobler Studios owning its own virtual land and intellectual property (IP), one of its many projects is Cobbleland, inspired by the concept of a World’s Fair and a Theme Park. This multi-experiential social hub, virtual theme park and expo uses gravity-defying modular design to display companies, brands, products, services and intellectual property without high rentals and exorbitant start-up costs.
As a long-time creator and entrepreneur, Loretta remarks she has always ‘leaned into creative spaces that challenged conventional wisdom or artfully questioned the status quo.’
She sees creativity as ‘an ability to look at things using different lenses, vantage points and perspectives.’ A special focus is to benefit Asian creators that have been overlooked in the last decades. “I believe Asia has boundless talent that the world has not seen and the metaverse will be a great platform to showcase the creativity, innovation and ingenuity of this market.”
Several entities can benefit from Loretta’s projects, including web2, legacy and retail brands, all B2B2B brands, NGOs, government agencies and 10K NFT projects. Over the past year, she has seen institutional and legacy brands taking notice and engaging in active conversation. “We have also onboarded tourism councils, government agencies and other household names, which is a signal that the Metaverse is slowly but surely going mainstream.”
The Metaverse will permeate a huge portion of all our lives. And with creators ‘continually evolving and pushing the boundaries of knowledge and technology,’ Loretta sees them playing an active role in shaping web3 and the Metaverse in the next five years.
So, as more creators and businesses start to monetize their IP more effectively, there’ll be ‘more use case scenarios for the blockchain, NFT and immersive Metaverse play.’
Moreover, over time, ‘the Metaverse will offer new ways not just to sell, but to contextualize products and provide real-world utility or a physical connection.’ She adds that Smobler has already started to explore this concept with the launch of The Food Bank, executive education institution Aventis and a juggernaut F&B company.
But while web3 and the Metaverse offer ‘limitless possibilities’, Loretta stresses the need for a multi-pronged approach to achieve them. This entails leaders and changemakers helping create an ecosystem involving funding, support, mentorship, representation and more safe spaces for women and diverse populations to thrive. In addition, individuals need to have the courage to lean in, support and uplift one another.
Speaking of support, Loretta says ‘with so much enthusiasm, positivity, camaraderie, creativity, and energy, it’s the first time she can honestly say ‘this is the best space to be a woman,’ adding she’s excited to leave a legacy for more women and diversity.
Looking to the future, Loretta is most excited about the people, the climate of the Metaverse itself and the ability to usher in an era of change in what is fundamentally a human endeavor. And the main takeaway? “In this democratized, decentralized space, being small and agile is not seen as a bane but a boon, so be different, authentic, and wear your creativity as a badge of honor!”
DR. LORETTA CHEN’S METAVERSE & WEB3 TIPS AND RESOURCES
Website: smoblerstudios.com | drlorettachen.com
