WHAT MAKES A VIRTUAL WORLD EUROPEAN?
EXPLORING THE VALUES BEHIND “MADE IN EUROPE” FOR THE METAVERSE

Sébastien Nahon leads the Media Innovation and Intelligibility Lab at UCLouvain, where he develops research and innovation projects at the intersection of extended reality and user-centred innovation.

His work bridges research, creative industries and real-world applications, with a focus on how immersive technologies can support interaction, participation and learning. He is also actively involved in strengthening the XR ecosystem in Wallonia, connecting universities, companies and public organisations.

Sébastien also teaches innovation and creativity, focusing on user needs, experimentation and meaningful uses of emerging technologies.

Alina entered the XR field in 2014 after a successful career in digital media. In 2016, she co-founded the LA-based VR studio Spherica, producing immersive content for clients such as HBO, AP, Google, and Lexus. In 2020, she founded Less Media Group to explore how technology can foster deeper human connections and launched large-scale VR exhibitions, including the Venice VR satellite events in Moscow. She also leads the Digital Autumn VR Festival — the largest VR initiative in Central Asia, running for four years and introducing over 10,000 viewers to VR as a new medium. Alina is the producer of Library of Dreams, a project co-produced by Less Media Group and Abduct Media, supported by FFF Bayern. Since 2020, she has led virtual events and client relations at ENGAGE XR, supporting Fortune 500 companies in shaping the future of communication in the Metaverse. 

Helen is the founder and director of The Foremothers Café, a Swedish American Women’s History Museum and Cultural Center in Virtual Reality.
She’s a published author and has written several historical novels, including Sour Milk in Sheep’s Wool, a story about women’s rights movements in Sweden at the turn of the 20th century, which inspired The Foremothers Café.

Helen is the managing director for Ready Player Golf, which raises money for charity by playing golf in VR.

I am the founder or executive of five Türkiye- and Poland-based organisations: VolareVers Technologies (offices in Türkiye, Qatar, Poland, Montenegro, Oman, and Saudi Arabia), operating in XR and AI technologies; AZRAK Teknoloji (Türkiye), defense industry; Entegra Poland, a consultancy for Turkish companies; TIDE Europe, the Turkish Innovation Diaspora Platform; and XR Polska, Poland’s national XR association. I am also Poland Country Sales Director at Invelon, a Spanish Robotics/XR/AI company, and a PhD candidate and lecturer in International Relations at the University of Warsaw, researching XR/AI governance and tech diplomacy.