A US START-UP has raised $7million to create the very first search engine for the metaverse.
Montreal-based firm Lighthouse Labs has raised the money ahead of the launch of its Web3.0 search provider later this year.
It aims to become as important for users of the metaverse as Google is for those browsing on the internet.
The planned new search engine will make it easy for users to search through a database of all the active events going on in the metaverse.
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They will also be able to find where users are on various virtual platforms.
Lighthouse believes its plans will allow those interested in the space to see multiple spaces such as Decentraland, The Sandbox, and Roblox, in a single place.
Co-founder Jonathan Brun said: “Right now, discovery in the metaverse feels more like gaming, where you need to jump from one game to the next to find things, than the internet, where you can access everything from a single entry point.”
He added: “The closed ecosystem narrative is something that’s not super aligned with the value of Web3.0.”
A number of metaverse platforms have been set up over the past few years, but there has been criticism at the linear nature of each space.
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Observers have warned that the lack of an easy way to jump from one metaverse world to another risks holding back the development of Web3.0 in the future.
Lighthouse’s search engine could go some way to helping overcome those issues, providing users a way to see across various platforms all at once.
However, because of the decentralised nature of most virtual worlds, it will only be possible to see platforms if they agree to partner with the search engine and be included in the database.
Brun appears confident that while some spaces may say no to collaborating with his company, many will be interested.
“So far, in every single conversation that we’ve had, we’ve been warmly received by players who see our platform as a tool that can help their ecosystems,” he said.
The $7million funding round was led by Accel, BlockTower and Animoca Brands and received investment from White Star Capital, Sparkle Ventures and Gemini Frontier Fund, among others.
The money comes just months after the company was originally set up.
Brun and his co-founder Justine Massicotte only launched lighthouse in January of this year.
