Anika sat down with Amir Berenjian to explore how a former investment banker transitioned from multi-million dollar M&A spreadsheets to founding an immersive technology company. The conversation revealed a profound truth: the most powerful way to sell a brand or cause isn't through data alone, but through deeply emotional, shared experiences. Amir shares how REM5 Studios leverages virtual reality (VR) to transport trade show attendees to a Wisconsin dairy farm and global policymakers to the frontlines of polio eradication in Zambia, proving that immersive tech is far more than just a novelty.
In This Episode
- How 12 years in M&A investment banking prepared Amir for immersive storytelling
- The pivotal moment of trying the Oculus Rift in 2016 and seeing the future of human-computer interaction
- Using pizza and beer to overcome VR skepticism in the corporate world
- Why the ROI of immersive tech at trade shows vastly outperforms traditional marketing trinkets
- Transporting global policymakers to Zambia to fight polio via VR with the Gates Foundation
- How a premium cheese brand uses VR to tell the story of a 100-year-old family farm
- The surprising dual-use of VR for both external marketing and internal employee onboarding
- How to test out immersive tech for your brand without breaking the budget
Timestamps
- 00:00 Introduction: From investment banking to immersive tech
- 02:09 The surprising emotional throughline between M&A banking and VR storytelling
- 04:38 The Oculus Rift "Aha!" moment and democratizing the "magic school bus" experience
- 07:35 Overcoming the VR accessibility barrier and corporate skepticism
- 11:13 Transitioning from corporate events to purpose-driven storytelling and global causes
- 13:33 The economics of immersive tech and why it's cheaper than you think
- 15:08 Dominating trade shows: Why shared VR experiences beat traditional marketing flyers
- 17:29 Case Study 1: Transporting customers to a 3rd-generation Wisconsin dairy farm
- 19:38 Case Study 2: Putting policymakers on the frontlines of polio with the Gates Foundation
- 20:23 How immersive 3D video actually works (and the nostalgia of the View-Master)
- 25:13 The 9-month planning process and why distribution is the biggest hurdle in VR
- 29:39 The intersection of AI, implicit bias, and leveraging technology for good
- 31:47 Measuring the impact and ROI of immersive storytelling
- 34:33 How small businesses can test the waters of VR for under $500
- 38:33 The dual value of VR: Using marketing tools for internal employee onboarding
- 41:42 What’s next for REM5 Studios and the convergence of AI and spatial computing
Key Insights & Takeaways
Insight 1: M&A and VR are Both About Selling Emotion
Even in investment banking, multi-million dollar deals are driven by the emotional story of a business. Amir realized VR is simply the ultimate tool for democratizing that story, allowing clients to "tour the factory" and meet the founders without ever leaving the boardroom.
Insight 2: Immersive Tech Solves the Trade Show ROI Problem
Trade shows are filled with expensive, easily discarded trinkets and flyers. Immersive tech completely steals the show by giving attendees a shared, memorable experience that re-energizes them. Because the experience can be reused across dozens of events, it proves to be far more cost-effective and impactful than traditional trade show marketing waste.
Insight 3: The Technology is the Conduit, Not the Message
People easily get caught up in buzzwords like AR, VR, and spatial computing. But the goal isn't to talk about the tech—it's to use the tech to tell a story so effectively that users forget they're wearing a headset. Whether it's understanding the reality of polio eradication or the care behind a premium cheese, the tech is just a vehicle for presence and empathy.
Insight 4: Marketing Assets Make Perfect Internal Training Tools
An immersive experience originally designed to sell a product to consumers can instantly be repurposed as an onboarding tool for HR and accounting teams. Giving new or remote employees a virtual factory tour accelerates learning, reduces training costs, and emotionally connects desk workers to the company’s physical roots.
Insight 5: You Can Test VR for Your Business on a Budget
You don't need a massive corporate budget to start experimenting with immersive storytelling. With a $400 Meta Quest headset or a free 30-minute demo at an Apple Store, business owners can experience existing VR content, identify use cases, and understand the medium before ever committing to a custom build.
Resources & Links Mentioned
REM5 Studios
Polio's Last Mile (VR Experience available on Meta Quest & Apple Vision Pro)
Meta Quest 3 / Apple Vision Pro
About Amir Berenjian
Amir Berenjian is the co-founder and CEO of REM5 Studios, an immersive technology company based in Minneapolis that builds virtual and augmented reality experiences for brands and causes. Before transitioning to spatial computing, Amir spent 12 years in investment banking, facilitating over 100 M&A transactions for companies ranging from $10 million to over $1 billion in revenue. Today, he helps organizations like the Gates Foundation, Rotary International, and Fortune 500 companies leverage the power of VR to foster profound empathy, connection, and real-world impact.
Connect with Amir
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amir-berenjian-90738220/
Website: REM5Studios.com
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