DALLAS, Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cosm, a global technology company that builds end-to-end solutions for immersive experiences, emerges today after months of M&A and R&D activity. The company provides a full stack experience solution including the physical design, engineering, and manufacturing; as well as the software, display engine, and content needs to deliver immersive experiences at scale. Additionally, Cosm unveils its Experience Center which houses a 20-meter diameter immersive 8K LED dome to be used in science, education, theme parks, attractions, sports and entertainment venues.
Cosm CEO Jeb Terry Jr., in front of the DomeX LED display while addressing the company virtually.
Cosm team members admire their work during an early test of the one of a kind DomeX LED display.
A Cosm team member admires the view of the newly constructed DomeX LED display. The free-standing truncated dome is 20-meter in diameter with an 8K resolution.
Cosm's technological foundation is built on the capabilities of three core companies that continue to operate as individual brands, each of which contributes key components to the portfolio of technology and services offered. Acquired in 2020 via a take-private transaction and additional asset purchase, the Cosm Companies are:
Evans & Sutherland (E&S), a leading software and display technology company, with a 70-year legacy of providing spatial computing and immersive rendering software, projection and LED screen technology, and full dome theater systems;
Spitz, Inc. (an E&S Subsidiary), known for the Spitz NanoSeam panel, and a pioneer in the planetarium and custom curved projection screen industry. The company provides design and structural engineering expertise, custom domes and spherical structure manufacturing, and additional curved and domed architectural designs;
LiveLike VR, the global leader in live immersive sports and entertainment, providing live immersive production, distribution and video streaming tech platform, and immersive app development services to partners in the form of white label headset and mobile applications.
"Each of these companies stands on its own with established legacies of innovation and world-class client partnerships; and when combined, unlock a much greater potential than previously imagined," said Jeb Terry, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Cosm. "The Cosm Team is well positioned to expand and deliver on our robust backlog while also advancing innovation and ingenuity to develop future opportunities. Cosm is investing in growth to build out an incredible team, expand our capabilities, and leverage our market-leading technology in new ways with a focus on the emerging Experience Economy."
"Great companies can only realize their full potential if they have wildly ambitious goals, a phenomenal team, and the ability to execute; and Cosm has them all," said Stephen T. Winn, Cosm Board Chairman, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RealPage.
Cosm companies have historically created some of the richest immersive experiences in the world. E&S and its subsidiary Spitz are the world's only turnkey provider of complete dome theaters, delivering immersive hardware, software, and physical structures. The companies have delivered end-to-end digital display systems and domed installations at major science museums and planetariums, such as Adler Planetarium, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Liberty Science Center, and China's new Shanghai Astronomy Museum.
With over 2,000 experiences delivered and over 500 active installs, the combined companies are the market leader in the planetarium industry. In addition, the companies have also delivered signature experiences at prominent theme parks and attractions such as SeaWorld and other well-known parks; counting some of the world's most notable flying and dark rides as successful screen design and development projects. Built upon historic "firsts," E&S has a rich technology-driven legacy, having pioneered both the planetarium and immersive computer graphics fields, as well as developing one of the world's first VR headsets in the 1960's nicknamed the "Sword of Damocles."
LiveLike VR is a global leader in live immersive sports and entertainment production and distribution, and streaming architecture for partners around the world. Their production portfolio includes the world's biggest events working with partners such as FOX Sports, FIFA, Telemundo, IPL, UEFA, Sky, BBC, FranceTV, and more. They empower rights holders and broadcasters to deliver immersive, interactive, and social experiences to consumers digitally via headsets (HMDs) and mobile platforms. Cosm acquired LiveLike VR, the immersive arm of LiveLike, in an asset purchase.
The Cosm Experience Center
The company also announces the Cosm Experience Center today. Located on the E&Scampus in the University of Utah's research park in Salt Lake City, the Center showcases an 8K immersive LED dome, also known as DomeX, the only one of its kind in the world. Completed in late 2020, the center demonstrates Cosm's complete technology capabilities and presents the power of the possible to partners and clients. Visitors experience the awe-inspiring LED technology while also viewing its predecessor, the Spitz NanoSeam, the market leader in projection screens. With the LED display, Cosm improves the viewer experience and overcomes limitations of projection-based systems: shadows, resolution, contrast, reflections, brightness, and more. The Center also features the seventh iteration of E&S' core 3D rendering engine, Digistar, which was recently released in Q3 2020 to the Sciences and Education market. Digistar's flexibility is also on display, showing off real-time rendered environments, live-streamed and recorded videos, and live content integrations with Unreal Engine and Unity.
DomeX is a LED 20-meter diameter truncated dome vertically positioned to allow viewers full floor to ceiling immersion. The Center touts over 5,000 square feet of display, with 8K resolution, 29.5 million pixels, and ~4.5 miles of CAT6 data cable.
Leadership Team
Along with the existing leadership at Cosm's portfolio companies, the expanded Cosm leadership team combines decades of experience in sports and entertainment, immersive and emerging technology, engineering and software development, and immersive content production and distribution.
Jeb Terry, Jr., President & Chief Executive Officer, former VP, Emerging Technology, FOX Sports Digital, and former NFL athlete
James Meredith, Chief Marketing Officer, formerly SVP, Marketing, Cinemark Theatres
Devin Poolman, Chief Product & Technology Officer, formerly EVP, Technology, Digital Consumer Group, FOX
Sheli Reynolds, Chief Operation Officer, formerly EVP, Digital Strategy, Digital Consumer Group, FOX
Jon Shaw, EVP & GM, Spitz and Evans & Sutherland
Kirk Johnson, EVP & GM at Evans & Sutherland
Paul L. Dailey, EVP and Head of Finance, Evans & Sutherland
Nicholas Bower, VP, Head of Strategy & Planning, formerly VP, Head of Finance, FoxNext
Andy Bown, VP, Head of Sales, former Chief Revenue Officer, eVisit
Anne Brownlee, VP, Head of Communications, former VP, Communications, Omni Hotels & Resorts
Neil Carty, VP, Head of Brand & Community, former SVP, Innovation Strategy, MediaLink
Pooja Dalal, VP, Head of Human Resources, formerly Director, HR Business Partner, Fox Corporation
Brian DeBoer, VP, Head of Engineering, formerly CTO, Mammoth Media, VP, Technology, FOX
Peter Murphy, VP, Business Development & Partnerships, former VP, Business Development, FOX Sports
Cosm is a global technology company that enables people to experience entertainment in a new way, across three primary markets: Sports and Entertainment, Science and Education, and Parks and Attractions. Cosm Companies include Evans & Sutherland, Spitz, Inc., and LiveLike VR, with 150 employees worldwide and is privately held by Mirasol Capital, the private equity and venture arm of the Winn Family Office, based in Dallas, Texas.
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