Hans Elstner on Building Resilient Realities: Key Insights into AI, Web3, and the Future of Immersive Cities
- Nico Fara
- Jul 8
- 6 min read
This week on the Immergence Show, we were thrilled to host Hans Elstner, the visionary CEO and Founder of rooom, a company at the forefront of creating accessible immersive technology. He is a recognized voice in enterprise metaverse solutions, 3D, and augmented reality. Elstner shared profound insights into navigating innovation waves, the practical application of immersive technologies, and the future of virtual and urban environments.
This article distills the key educational takeaways and pivotal insights from our discussion. While we explore the core concepts here, to truly grasp the depth of Elstner's vision, including his candid story about how a global crisis became the unexpected catalyst for scaling his platform to host one of Germany's largest tech expos with only six weeks' notice, the full video interview is a must-watch.
From Hype Cycles to Real-World ROI
The journey of "rooom" is a masterclass in navigating the volatile tides of tech trends. Launched with a B2B focus long before the metaverse became a buzzword, the company was built on the principle of delivering tangible value through 3D technology. Elstner recounted the initial challenge when the pandemic hit, eliminating the trade shows central to their strategy. This crisis, however, sparked a pivotal shift. The team adapted their platform to create their own virtual trade show, a move that quickly attracted major clients and led to them hosting a hybrid version of IFA, Germany's equivalent of CES, for hundreds of thousands of attendees.
This experience solidified the platform's scalability and resilience. When the metaverse hype peaked, Elstner's focus remained on solving concrete business problems rather than chasing trends. As the hype subsided and economic pressures grew, the conversation shifted decisively toward return on investment. This demanded a strategic pivot to identify new user personas and applications where the ROI was undeniable, such as corporate training and simulation. This evolution underscores a critical lesson for innovators: durability comes from solving fundamental pains, not from riding the ephemeral waves of hype.
Key Insight: Enduring value in tech innovation stems not from chasing hype, but from relentlessly focusing on solving tangible business problems and delivering measurable ROI. As Hans Elstner noted, "It was then more a game of figuring out what is the real return on invest...we had to adapt quickly".
Democratizing 3D: Making Immersive Creation Accessible to All
A core philosophy driving rooom has always been the "democratization of 3D". Elstner's passion, born from his early days modifying games like
Command & Conquer , was to empower everyone, not just programmers and artists, to create immersive worlds. The platform was designed to be web-based, eliminating the significant barrier of software installations and specialized hardware that often plagues enterprise adoption. The inspiration for the user-friendly interface came from an unexpected source: the popular game
The Sims. The goal was to create a drag-and-drop experience so intuitive that anyone could bring their vision to life.
This creator-first mentality is about removing technical friction. By providing templates, a no-code action manager for adding interactivity, and a seamless web-based editor, the platform allows users to focus on their creative ideas rather than the complexities of development. This approach not only lowers the barrier to entry but also fosters a more diverse and vibrant ecosystem of creators who can build, share, and even monetize their creations.
Key Insight: The key to mass adoption for complex creative technologies is radical accessibility. Empowering users without specialized skills to create and innovate unlocks far greater potential than serving only a professional niche. Elstner's founding vision was clear: making immersive 3D worlds "accessible for anyone and not just for programmers and professional artists, just for everyone".
The AI Engine: Prompting Worlds into Existence
While rooom has utilized AI for years, the recent advancements in generative AI are set to be a game-changer. Elstner revealed that the next evolution of the platform involves creating entire virtual worlds from a simple text prompt. This powerful feature will pull data from a user's website—logos, colors, products, and videos—to automatically construct a tailored 3D showroom or a complete training environment. This leap forward addresses a major friction point for users: the "blank canvas" problem. By using AI to generate a detailed starting point, the platform will not only accelerate the creation process but also handle the narrative and structural design, guiding users on how to best utilize the immersive space.
Furthermore, AI is streamlining the creation of digital twins from just a few photos, making the digitization of product catalogs dramatically more efficient and cost-effective. For Elstner, AI is the key to fulfilling the platform's original mission at a new scale, making the creation of rich, interactive 3D experiences as easy as writing a sentence.
Key Insight: The next leap in creative platforms is eliminating the "blank canvas" problem through AI. By translating user intent directly into fully-formed environments, the barrier to creation collapses, shifting the focus from technical skill to strategic vision. As Elstner described it, the goal is "creating whole virtual worlds with... a prompt".
Co-Creating Future Cities: From Digital Blueprints to Civic Engagement
One of the most compelling applications of rooom's technology is in urban planning and civic engagement. Elstner shared a groundbreaking case study where immersive technology was used to help cities co-create sustainable environments with their citizens. For one project that had been stalled for two decades due to public opposition, using augmented reality to visualize the proposed development on-site completely changed the dynamic. Citizens could see exactly how the new building would look in their community, transforming opposition into support and collaboration.
The platform went a step further by providing tools for residents to participate directly in the design process, suggesting ideas for a new park by placing virtual objects in a shared 3D space. This level of co-creation fosters a sense of ownership and ensures the final result truly serves the community. This use case powerfully demonstrates how immersive technology can move beyond marketing and entertainment to become a vital tool for transparent governance, community building, and creating more resilient, human-centered cities.
Key Insight: Immersive visualization is a powerful tool for de-risking the future and building community consensus. By making abstract plans tangible and understandable, technology can transform public opposition into active participation and support. Elstner saw this firsthand: "people were willing to have that stuff in place because they have an idea and they know exactly how it will look... that changed almost everything".
Looking Ahead: Elstner's Vision for a More Immersive and Intelligent Web
Looking to the future, Hans Elstner is focused on two primary frontiers: graphical fidelity and deeper XR integration. With the advent of new web technologies like WebGPU, the visual quality of browser-based experiences is set to take a massive leap forward, rivaling the realism of powerful game engines. This will enable even more astonishingly realistic virtual environments accessible without special hardware. Simultaneously, the team is working on more seamless integrations with the next generation of XR headsets, preparing for a future where the line between the physical and digital worlds continues to blur. For Elstner's full, unfiltered predictions on where immersive technology is heading – including some truly eye-opening scenarios discussed off-the-cuff – the complete Immergence Show episode is unmissable.
Unlock the Full Strategic Discussion
This article provides a strategic overview, but the magic is in the details! To hear Hans Elstner share the step-by-step story of how his team scaled their platform for a massive hybrid event in just weeks, his detailed advice for brands entering the immersive space, and a debate we had on the true meaning of "democratizing" technology, and to truly absorb their expertise:
About Your Hosts:
Nico Fara is a Business Strategist, Product Marketer, and passionate Community Builder specializing in the vibrant intersection of AI, Gaming, XR, Fashion, and Consumer Tech. With a talent for translating visionary tech into compelling product strategies and fostering thriving, engaged communities, Nico empowers brands to connect authentically with their audiences and drive impactful growth. Explore Nico's insights further by visiting her website and connect with her on LinkedIn.
Casey Jensen has 15+ years of experience in driving digital transformation, he now serve as Head of Client Partnerships for North America at ZebrAR, delivering next-gen interactive experiences, digital activations, and virtual productions for some of the world’s most iconic brands. A passionate educator and thought leader, Casey regularly speaks at conferences and on industry panels to simplify emerging technologies and spark creative thinking. Casey believes in making tech approachable, exciting, and truly transformative—for businesses and audiences alike. Connect with Casey on LinkedIn.
About The Immergence Show:
Get your weekly dose of community and cutting-edge insights on The Immergence Show, a thriving live community event where innovation in AI, XR, Web3, Gaming, and Retail-Tech meets a deeply engaged global community. We host interactive discussions with industry pioneers, ensuring our audience of creative technologists, entrepreneurs, and brand executives leaves with fresh perspectives and actionable knowledge. Join the live experience every Tuesday at 12 PM EST on LinkedIn, catch up on all past episodes via our YouTube Channel.
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