Immersive experiences for the general public are booming. The global immersive entertainment market (which includes the virtual reality experiences, augmented reality and mixed reality) was estimated at USD 144 billion in 2025, with a projection of over USD 400 billion in 2030, driven by consumer demand for memorable and engaging experiences. (Source: Mordor Intelligence)

Excurio, a key player in virtual reality

A key French company in this sector, Excurio (formerly Emissive) was founded in 2005 by Emmanuel Gerriero and Fabien Barati. It specializes in a format called immersive expeditions, public virtual reality experiences in dedicated venues " recalls co-founder and CEO Fabien Barati.

In 2015, the startup already offered "The Enemy," a documentary experience co-produced with Camera Lucida that invited viewers to rethink their perception of conflict. This award won, among other accolades, the Rose d'Or for best VR content, one of the most prestigious prizes in the sector. In 2019, it distinguished itself with "Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass," the first virtual reality experience ever presented at the Louvre. Considered a major milestone in the integration of VR within museums, it was launched as part of the major Leonardo da Vinci retrospective. It allowed visitors to discover scientific details invisible to the naked eye, learn about the painter's technique, and explore the original loggia in which the model was painted.

Many productions followed for Excurio, some of which attracted millions of visitors captivated by this innovative approach, halfway between scientific knowledge and exciting intrigues: "Eternal Notre-Dame" (2021), a journey through nearly 800 years of history of the famous cathedral, from the Middle Ages to the fire and contemporary restoration; "The Horizon of Cheops" (2022), dedicated to the Great Pyramid of the eponymous pharaoh; "Lost Worlds" (2023), an experience presented for the first time at the Natural History Museum and retracing 3,5 billion years of evolution of life; "An Evening with the Impressionists" (2024), an immersion in the emblematic places of the famous artistic movement such as the very first Impressionist exhibition of 1874.

The Horizon of Khéops Device

A wide variety of stories, for a formula that seems to have paid off: Excurio invests in large-scale environments (sometimes several hundred square meters) where dozens of people (sometimes up to a hundred or more) can put on VR headsets and move around simultaneously and freely within scripted and meticulously researched historical reenactments. In "The Last Ramparts: Carcassonne 1304," one of the latest co-productions offered by Excurio and the Centre des Monuments Nationaux in Paris, Lyon, and Bordeaux, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the largest fortified medieval city in Europe during the fortress's golden age at the beginning of the 14th century. They follow the adventures of a young lord and a city girl through a story recreating daily life in the medieval period... In total, more than 3 million people were able to embark on an immersive expedition offered by Excurio, from New York to Shanghai via Montreal, within prestigious cultural institutions and a network of dedicated permanent venues (Source: IFdigital).

The Last Ramparts - © Excurio CMN

The Last Ramparts - © Excurio CMN

LBXR Pulse, Excurio's software suite, is now open to the VR ecosystem.

To guarantee the public an unforgettable experience, but also to grow and become economically viable and profitable, the company has focused on three pillars: We produce content, we develop the distribution network, and we also improve the technical solution for creating and distributing these immersive expeditions. “,” explains Fabien Barati. For this last point, Excurio relies on a software suite that it has created, developed, and improved year after year, regularly adding new technological components. This is what has allowed it to become a leader in the field of immersive experiences of this scale and to maintain its lead.

This software suite, essential for the creation and distribution of VR content, is now open to all market players—studios, distributors, producers, and exhibitors—with the aim of facilitating the emergence and circulation of new works and enabling shipments in virtual reality mainstream entertainment is a standard. The LBXR Pulse platform offers significant advantages for immersive experience operators, who will naturally be driven by profitability. For example, it allows for the highest visitor throughput in the world for this free-roaming virtual reality format. “,” says Fabien Barati. It also makes it possible to do multi-content, that is to say to offer several immersive experiences at the same time, in the same place, and to adapt to any broadcast space regardless of its size. "According to the executive, twenty-six locations around the world are already using the LBXR Pulse platform to broadcast their virtual reality content.

The platform is equally interesting for the creation and production of immersive works. LBXR Pulse offers numerous tools that allow VR experiences to be adapted to a number of technical standards, which will benefit studios, explains the CEO of Excurio, whose company has been using the same tools to create its own content for years. The platform provides studios with a whole host of features that they won't have to redo, which will save them time and money. »

Another advantage on the production side is that LBXR Pulse provides access to an already established distribution network. With our experience in this market, we know how difficult it can be to achieve a return on investment., confides Fabien Barati. Our platform will also be of great value to producers who invest in content but sometimes struggle to find ways to distribute it. It will also guarantee the quality of the content offered, which is essential in a nascent ecosystem where audiences still need to be convinced to keep coming back to try similar experiences. »

Will LBXR Pulse open a new chapter for players in virtual reality and immersive consumer experiences? For Fabien Barati, the openness of the solution will bring together all the players in the sector, allow for diversification of the catalog, and consequently grow the entire ecosystem. We have big ambitions for this format of immersive expeditions for the general public. But we can't make it an entertainment standard if we're the only ones creating content. We have our own editorial line at Excurio, but there are endless possibilities, and diversity can only be beneficial for market growth. With the launch of LBXR Pulse, we want everyone to be able to benefit from the technology and bring their own desires, tastes, and creativity. " concludes the CEO.

The company Excurio benefited from the support of the Tech&Touch fund

The Tech & Touch fund, deployed by Bpifrance and La French Touch, is a seed capital and venture capital fund for startups in the cultural and creative industries. Financed as part of the France 2030 plan and managed by the General Secretariat for Investment, in conjunction with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Culture, the Banque des Territoires, and the IFCIC, it invests in companies combining creativity and technological innovation. It makes direct minority investments (Pre-Seed to Series C) in cultural and creative startups and indirect investments (funds of funds). Tech & Touch covers various cultural sectors in France, including transformation and innovation issues such as AI, VR, blockchain, and Industry 4.0.