About us

Herman narula 169 offset

Improbable CEO Herman Narula shares a strategic update on how we’re applying our expertise and experience in tech, infrastructure, content and simulation to make the open metaverse real.

Improbable milestones

We’ve been working hard since 2012 to pioneer new ways for businesses and individuals to connect, play, create and share value across interconnected virtual worlds. Here are the key milestones that brought us to where we are today.

2012

Improbable’s foundation

Back in 2012, Improbable was born out of the visionary ideas of two Cambridge Computer Science students, Herman Narula and Rob Whitehead. Their dream was to create cutting-edge, diverse, and forward-thinking virtual worlds that would redefine the gaming experience. Soon after, Peter Lipka joined their ranks to manage a part of the business and handle operational aspects.

2015–2017

Securing investment

The journey continued in 2015 when Improbable secured a $20 million investment from notable backers like Andreessen Horowitz, alongside Horizons Ventures and Temasek. Two years later, in 2017, the company received $502 million funding led by SoftBank, with additional contributions from Horizons Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz.

2018–2020

Expanding horizons

Between 2018 and 2020, Improbable focused on expanding its expertise in game development through strategic acquisitions. Concurrently, they ventured into the realm of Defence, securing contracts to provide their synthetic environment platform to the British Army and UK Strategic Command.

2021–2022

Acceleration into the metaverse

Fast forward to 2021, Improbable achieved significant technological milestones. They showcased the power of their Morpheus technology through the live demonstration of ScavLab, an experimental game mode, engaging over 4,000 players in a shared game world. Later that year, a metaversal experience brought together 1,450 fans with K-pop star AleXa. The next generation technology was being rolled out throughout several use cases and formats.

Starting early in 2022, Improbable accelerated their efforts, divesting non-core activities to concentrate on their metaverse mission. The company is focusing on metaverse technology, metaverse development, and building ventures in the metaverse.

2023 to the present

Venturing into new worlds

Having completed its transformation, Improbable is now focused on creating new ventures based upon its own backbone technology. Working with world renowned sports franchises (like MLB), web3 communities (such as Edison, Forgotten Runes and Yuga Labs) and the creator community (with ventures like Victory League), Improbable’s new operating model is lean and improves the company’s capabilities to deliver content at scale. 

Improbable numbers

12y+

Virtual world building experience

30k+

People in a single game or virtual world

30+

Metaverse experiences run in 2023

Meet the team

Portrait 05 HERMAN min

Herman Narula

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Herman has dedicated the last decade to tackling intricate technical challenges and developing deeper insights into the profound effects that powerful virtual worlds and the metaverse will have on how we think, make decisions, and form society.

show bio
Portrait 01 PETER min

Peter Lipka

Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer

Peter has contributed to the design and architecture of the foundational technology principles that Improbable offers. He has also been instrumental in guiding our business transformation, allowing Improbable to accelerate into the metaverse while striving for operational excellence.

show bio
Portrait 04 ROB min

Rob Whitehead

Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer

Rob boasts nearly two decades of experience in the development of metaverse content and platforms. His journey began in his teenage years, selling virtual gadgets in Second Life, and he has since dedicated the last 12 years to working on large-scale multiplayer game technologies at Improbable. Currently, Rob plays a pivotal role in spearheading metaverse product and technology development.

show bio
Portrait 02 DAN min

Dan Odell

Chief Financial Officer

Dan is a seasoned Finance and Strategy executive with experience spanning technology, interactive media, games, and both Fortune 100 and startup environments. During his 15-year tenure at the Walt Disney Company, he held key finance and strategy roles, including CFO for Maker Studios and Disney Social and Mobile Games, where he oversaw successful ventures like "Club Penguin" and "Frozen Free Fall."

show bio
Portrait 06 MARK min

Mark Shepherd

Chief Legal Officer

Mark leads Improbable's legal team since 2017 and has nearly 20 years experience advising clients in the technology, digital entertainment and financial services sectors. He also oversees Improbable's corporate infrastructure and is responsible for the security, IT and workplace functions

show bio
Portrait 03 MARINE 1 min

Marine Boulot

Chief Communications Officer

Marine brings two decades of experience to Improbable, with a background in reputation turnarounds, M&A, and IPO preparation for engineering and tech companies. Her current role centers on Improbable's advocacy for the metaverse, where she spearheads The Metaverse Society's thought leadership initiatives and drives brand building and digital marketing for our various ventures.

show bio

Who we work with

Image 5 2

Yuga Labs Wordmark White 1

Image 4 2

Google Cloud PNG 3

NVIDIA Logo BLBG

Ubitus logo 1

Dolbyio 3

The Metaverse Society

In May 2023, Improbable and M² launched The Metaverse Society, a think tank dedicated to exploring the social and economic implications of the metaverse.

Find out more
TMS Logo