Herman Narula views virtual worlds and the metaverse not as entertainment fads, but as essential to how societies evolve. “Virtual worlds expand the realm of experiences,” the Improbable CEO said in a recent interview. Since co-founding the company in 2012, Narula has focused on building the infrastructure and philosophy behind a truly scalable, community-driven virtual society.
At one point, Narula even admitted that the vision was somewhat too advanced at that time. “We started this company off with a level of audacity that was borderline insane,” he said in an interview back in 2014.
Under Narula, it’s grown into a venture builder shaping the metaverse, Web3, and AI infrastructure. But before all the success, Improbable started in 2012 as an experiment in multiplayer gaming. The journey gained traction in 2015 when the company was able to secure a $20 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz, alongside Horizons Ventures and Temasek. Two years later, in 2017, the company received $502 million in funding led by SoftBank, with additional contributions from Horizons Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz.
By 2022, the company doubled down on that mission, shedding non-core businesses to focus on metaverse ventures and core tech like Morpheus and Somnia.
Investor interest in the metaverse remains upbeat, with McKinsey reporting that more than $120 billion has already been invested in metaverse-related ventures. Capital has flowed mostly toward infrastructure, platforms, and payment systems. McKinsey’s analysis also revealed the metaverse’s potential to become the next evolution of the internet. For Narula, that vision is already being realized.
“Virtual spaces must support thousands of people interacting seamlessly,” he said, while also enabling “smaller, intimate group interactions within larger gatherings.” That’s why Improbable is backing Somnia, a blockchain platform aiming to process over 400,000 transactions per second.
Narula also emphasizes accessibility and openness. “Affordability is crucial to avoid monopolies,” he noted, arguing for inclusive systems where ownership and participation aren’t reserved for a few.
“This could revolutionize global value distribution, empowering people worldwide to participate in building a cultural industrial revolution,” he emphasized.
