While the web3 boom has given rise to incredible advancements in tech, art, music, culture—and a variety of other areas of our lives—it’s important to acknowledge the developer inputs influencing those industries. When it comes to the tech products we consume, it’s not often we think about who is behind the tech. 

POCLab, a web3-first creative studio working with diverse companies that shape consumer experiences—like Walmart, NYX Cosmetics, The Sandbox—aims to change that.

The company was founded on the premise of advancing representation in web3 and to further the physical representation of marginalized groups within the space. Recently, the company created an experience to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary in partnership with Walmart—The Cultureverse—which aims to break down boundaries between brands and consumers through a digital experience.

“We believe the metaverse and gaming are great ways for people to learn and understand the web3 space without being bogged down by the technical jargon that shuts everybody down,” Simone Berry, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of POCLab, said to me in a recent conversation. “We have a concept of edu-taining, where people will come in and learn—but also play—so it’s not ‘you must know this, you must know that,’ which was one of the main factors behind what we created for The Cultureverse.”

Berry, who is Jamaican and a self-described “humanist,” has a background in fashion and a deep understanding of how consumers and brands intersect. It’s not always about the technology, but what the consumer can gain from it.

The Cultureverse

“When I was first exposed to blockchain and nonfungible tokens (NFTs), I found it was centered around the idea of equality, the democratization of power, and the definition of inclusivity,” Berry said. “But when I went to my first web3 experience, I looked around and was like, ‘This is the antithesis of what this technology is supposed to be about. If we’re only looking at it from one viewpoint, then all who are building are not actually being represented in the space. Our company was really built to ensure that all end users are going to be reflected in the technology.”

It’s an approach that’s working. POCLabs recently won AdAge’s “Best metaverse experience you must go to” award for The Cultureverse—and it’s just three weeks old.

For the digital activation, POCLab brought in 25 different black artists, brands and creators—all who participated in the metaverse for the first time.

“Technology is not a product—it’s a story—and it’s about figuring out what story you want to tell,” she said. “The story we want to tell is that everyone should be represented within the stories of the brands.”

In the case of WalMart, the company wanted to tell the “Black & Unlimited” story about supercharging black creators and giving them opportunities.

“We want to be exploratory and take innovation and expand it,” Berry said. “But technology has to be a story, and when the story comes from places that are a bit more toxic—where you’re prioritizing clicks and advertising—it takes away from the humanity of the people who are actually on your platform.”

Those stories are crucial to all sorts of people who are too often overlooked by society at large. 

“We work with with brands and create digital experiences that are generally aligned with culture and movements,” Berry said. “LGBTQ, black and brown communities. The disabled community. Everyone wants to be seen but it’s not up to me to decide how you’re seen. If we have issues in the real world, let’s do our best not to exacerbate that virtually, and instead create opportunities where people can be seen in both places.”

Read more: How Crypto is Helping the Millions of Incarcerated People and Newly Free 

It’s key to understand what a brand is as a company and then expand that realization into the digital world, Berry said. 

“In its first month, Cultureverse outpaced every brand launch on Spacial,” Berry said. “We crushed BMW, Tommy Hilfiger, Jack Daniels—but the experience itself was similar. You play the game, you collect a wearable. Our gamification wasn’t vastly different from the other brands, but I think our storytelling taps into a very different emotional place.”

She continued, “I don’t believe in followers, I believe in fans. Followers might watch, but fans are invested in you succeeding.”

It’s a connection Berry believes people can feel.

“When a person walks into a space and sees nothing that reflects who they are, but they can walk into another space and it feels more reflective of them—that’s powerful,” she said. “What we created was not only black-focused and focused on diversity and inclusion, but if you’re into art, culture, music, graffiti and fashion—-you’re able to learn about these cultural creators.”

According to Berry, the game associated with Cultureverse had a 58 percent completion rate, which for gaming is extremely high. The other half of the people returned—which aligns with the company’s mission to edu-tain.

“People are coming back after they’ve played and are exploring, which to me is very different than a company just showcasing its product,” Berry said. “It’s no longer impactful just to talk about your product.”

It’s a virtual experience emblematic of people allowing others to exist in real life by not trying to push their views onto anybody else.

“I love the way Walmart’s ‘Black & Unlimited’ platform gave creators the tools to scale in the way they wanted to, and that’s the way we build. It’s not about how I want you in our space. I want you to feel seen, but I also want you to be able to experience it as you would. We need to make space for that.”