IMVU

IMVU
Company typeprivate
IndustrySocial network
Founded2004 (2004)
FounderWill Harvey, Eric Ries, Marcus Gosling, Matt Danzig
Headquarters
Redwood City, California
,
U.S.
Key people
Daren Tsui (CEO)[1]
Number of employees
200
Websiteimvu.com

IMVU (/ˈɪmvjuː/, stylized as imvu)[2] is an online virtual world and social networking site.[3][4]

History

IMVU was founded in 2004[5] and was originally backed by venture investors Menlo Ventures, AllegisCyber Capital, Justin Greene, Bridgescale Partners, and Best Buy Capital.[6][7]

IMVU members use 3D avatars to meet new people, chat, create, and play games.[8][4] In 2014, IMVU had approximately six million active players,[7] and had the largest virtual goods catalog[9] of more than 6 million items as of 2011.[7] The business was previously located in Mountain View, California.[10]

In March 2020, IMVU introduced Live Rooms, a feature enabling users to host live events such as fashion shows, lectures, talk shows, and virtual weddings, allowing audience interaction and tipping.[11]

In 2022, IMVU partnered with Spectrum Labs to use artificial intelligence that identifies and rewards healthy behavior in online interactions.[12]

Name

The company name was neither an acronym nor an initialism. IMVU co-founder Eric Ries[13] described the accidental process by which the company acquired its meaningless name, and stated "It's not an acronym; it doesn't stand for anything", though he did note the name was originally used because the IM aspect invoked instant messaging, something the company wanted to be associated with. The company did originally use the backronym "Instant Messenger Virtual Universe" in its branding, but this was noted to "never [be] an official thing" and was removed in 2009.[14]. The full phrase was also never included in any trademarks, which only cover the letters "imvu".

Credits

IMVU operates a virtual economy based on its proprietary digital currency known as credits, which users can purchase with real money or obtain through various in-platform activities. Credits are used to buy virtual goods such as clothing, furniture, and accessories created by other users for their 3D avatars.[15]

The platform also supports a creator-driven marketplace, where designers sell digital items and earn credits that can be converted to real-world value through IMVU’s reseller program.[3] In 2021, IMVU partnered with the digital finance platform Uphold to allow users to convert their in-platform currency, VCOIN, into real-world money.[16] VCOIN is a blockchain-based digital currency and the first of its kind to receive a no-action letter from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, providing it with regulatory clarity.[17]

References

  1. ^ "The future world of "Ready Player One" has already begun - SFChronicle.com". www.sfchronicle.com. 30 March 2018.
  2. ^ IMVU Community (2012-09-21). "Inside IMVU". youtube.com. Time 0:39: YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2014-09-19. I think the thing I love the most about IMVU is…{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ a b Phelps, Nicole (2021-05-11). "The Metaverse's First Runway Show Is Here—Watch Collina Strada, Bruce Glen, My Mum Made It, and Mowalola's IMVU Debut". Vogue. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  4. ^ a b "Instant Messaging Goes Graphical". Wired. 2004-09-16. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  5. ^ Liao, Rita (2021-01-25). "Virtual social network IMVU raises $35M from China's NetEase and others". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  6. ^ "About: IMVU" Archived 2018-05-03 at the Wayback Machine, IMVU website
  7. ^ a b c "IMVU Information". Imvu.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  8. ^ "IMVU Games Taking Advantage of Strong Growth". Insidesocialgames.com. 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
  9. ^ "IMVU Announces Growth, Promotion". Engage Digital. 2011-01-31. Archived from the original on 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
  10. ^ "IMVU Inc - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  11. ^ Takahashi, Dean (2020-03-04). "IMVU launches Live Rooms for hosting fashion shows, lectures, weddings and more". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  12. ^ Takahashi, Dean (2022-09-08). "Spectrum Labs teams with IMVU to use AI to identify healthy online behavior". GamesBeat. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  13. ^ "Board of Directors - IMVU Information". Archived from the original on May 2, 2018.
  14. ^ "Inspiring women in Technology: Audrea Mills (Author of The Lean Startup)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  15. ^ "IMVU's Virtual Cash Cow: Doubling Revenues, Focused On Gaming". TechCrunch. April 30, 2010. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  16. ^ Harrison, Polly Jean (2021-02-20). "IMVU & Uphold Partnership Could Be a Game-Changer for Virtual World Currencies". The Fintech Times. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  17. ^ "TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2022: Together Labs". Time. 2022-03-30. Archived from the original on 2025-04-19. Retrieved 2025-10-13.

Further reading

See also

Official website

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