From Proof-of-Concept to Product: The SimExBuilder Evolution

XRisis Foundation and Validation Evidence

The transformation from XRisis research project to SimExBuilder commercial platform depended fundamentally on rigorous validation evidence demonstrating genuine operational value rather than merely technical feasibility. The May 2025 Paris validation workshop with eight Action Contre la Faim emergency roster personnel generated quantitative outcomes (59% System Usability Scale score, 70% added value rating, 66% user satisfaction, 4.2 out of 5 rating for soft skills simulation) that, whilst revealing substantial improvement opportunities, proved sufficient to justify commercial development investment. More importantly, qualitative feedback identified specific high-value applications (implementation phase simulation, soft skills practice, stakeholder negotiation) where immersive capabilities delivered outcomes difficult or impossible to achieve through conventional training modalities, creating defensible competitive advantage in targeted market segments. The validation established that humanitarian emergency response training represented a viable initial market rather than merely an interesting demonstration use case, with Action Contre la Faim committing to continued collaboration through formal Service Level Agreement discussions targeting Q2 2026 commercial launch. This commitment provided essential market validation that enabled Nuwa to confidently invest in platform evolution beyond research funding period, transforming one-time project engagement into ongoing commercial relationship with potential for expansion across Action Contre la Faim's global country office network. The proof-of-concept achieved Technology Readiness Level 7, demonstrating system prototype operation in intended operational environment with actual end users, substantially exceeding TRL 4-5 typical of research demonstrations and positioning capabilities at the threshold where commercial products become viable. The evidence base spanning requirements gathering documentation, technical specifications, implementation reports, and comprehensive validation results created the foundation for investment discussions, partnership negotiations, and market positioning conversations that would have lacked credibility without rigorous evaluation demonstrating both capabilities and limitations through evidence rather than promotional claims. The validation revealed not just what worked but why it worked and for whom, enabling precise market targeting focused on organisations with similar operational patterns, training requirements, and user demographics rather than attempting to address all possible simulation exercise applications equally. The proof-of-concept success crystallised the value proposition: immersive simulation platforms reduce humanitarian training costs by 60-70% compared to conventional in-person exercises whilst improving accessibility for field staff and enabling scenario repetition impossible with physical simulations, quantifying benefits in economically relevant terms that organisational decision-makers could incorporate into budget allocation processes. The Unity for Humanity Grant recognition provided independent third-party validation that the platform addressed genuine social needs with viable technical approach, strengthening credibility with potential clients, investors, and partners who might be sceptical of vendor claims but respected Unity's evaluation process combining expert assessment with community voting. This convergence of technical validation, user acceptance, economic viability, market interest, and external recognition created the conditions enabling confident transition from research project to commercial platform development rather than pursuing additional research funding to address remaining uncertainties that never fully resolve before market entry.

SimExBuilder Platform Vision and Capabilities

SimExBuilder evolved XRisis's validated capabilities into a generalised platform serving simulation exercise requirements across multiple sectors beyond humanitarian response. The platform architecture maintains XRisis technical foundations whilst expanding through modular additions: continued integration with Alcatel Lucent Enterprise's Rainbow CPaaS for communication infrastructure, DFKI's Video Call Alternative Appearance for avatar-based presence, CEA's Conversational Virtual Agent for AI dialogue, and Linagora's summarisation for automatic documentation, with Nuwa negotiating extended exploitation licences enabling commercial deployment of these CORTEX2-funded technologies. The core innovation centres on low-code authoring tools enabling organisations without extensive technical expertise to design custom simulation scenarios through visual interfaces: drag-and-drop environment assembly selecting from template libraries (coordination offices, field locations, community spaces, logistics centres), visual scripting defining scenario logic and event sequences without programming, no-code AI agent configuration setting character personalities and knowledge domains through natural language descriptions, and guided inject design enabling facilitators to create information sequences (emails, news reports, documents, phone calls) without technical implementation knowledge. This democratisation of simulation authoring addresses a critical market barrier: whilst many organisations recognise simulation exercise value, few possess in-house capabilities to design custom scenarios, creating dependence on external consultants with associated costs and scheduling constraints that limit deployment frequency. The platform's dual modality support (desktop computers and VR headsets) emerged from validation evidence showing desktop delivery provided adequate value for most applications whilst VR enhanced immersion without fundamentally changing learning outcomes, enabling organisations to match deployment hardware to budget constraints rather than requiring universal VR procurement that many cannot justify. Integration with Learning Management Systems enables simulation results to flow into existing training record infrastructure, tracking completion, performance metrics, and competency development alongside conventional course participation without requiring parallel administrative processes or duplicated learner databases. Multi-organisational and inter-agency simulation capabilities support complex scenarios where participants from different organisations must coordinate responses, reflecting real humanitarian emergency dynamics where UN clusters, international NGOs, local civil society organisations, and government agencies need aligned action despite different mandates, resources, and operational approaches. Scenario marketplace functionality will eventually enable organisations to share and license simulation designs, creating network effects where collective investment in content development benefits all platform users whilst generating revenue opportunities for organisations that develop particularly valuable scenarios applicable across multiple contexts. The platform architecture deliberately prioritises accessibility and inclusion: mobile device support for basic participation modes, screen reader compatibility for visually impaired users, adjustable sensory intensity for neurodivergent learners, and offline-capable modes supporting pre-loading for use in low-connectivity environments. Analytics dashboards provide organisational leaders with visibility into training participation rates, performance trends, common challenges across cohorts, and competency development trajectories, supporting evidence-based workforce development decisions and enabling targeted interventions when specific teams or locations show systematic preparation gaps. The SimExBuilder vision extends beyond merely replicating conventional training in immersive environments to reimagining what becomes possible when geographic constraints dissolve, practice opportunities multiply without proportional cost increases, and AI-powered scenarios adapt to learner capabilities creating personalised challenge levels optimised for individual development needs.

Service Level Agreement Model and Revenue Architecture

The commercial deployment strategy employs Service Level Agreement models recognising that training platforms require ongoing maintenance, content updates, technical support, and capability evolution rather than one-time purchase transactions. Tiered organisational account subscriptions provide base access to platform capabilities, scenario libraries, and standard support, with pricing scaled to organisational size enabling small local NGOs and large international organisations to access appropriate service levels matching their budgets and usage volumes. Professional services revenue derives from custom scenario design for organisations requiring specialised training addressing specific operational contexts, partnership arrangements, or regulatory requirements beyond what template-based authoring can accommodate, enabling Nuwa to leverage simulation design expertise whilst expanding scenario libraries that benefit all platform users. Marketplace commissions from scenario template sales create three-way value: scenario designers earn revenue offsetting development investment, scenario purchasers access proven content without custom development costs, and Nuwa generates platform fees whilst expanding content availability that enhances overall platform value proposition. Ongoing Service Level Agreements cover platform maintenance ensuring security patching and infrastructure operation, content updates reflecting evolving humanitarian best practices and organisational procedure changes, technical support helping users troubleshoot issues and optimise deployment approaches, and feature development adding capabilities requested by client organisations prioritised through collaborative roadmap planning. This revenue architecture creates aligned incentives: Nuwa benefits from sustained client success because renewal decisions depend on ongoing value delivery rather than one-time sales where vendor incentives end at purchase completion, encouraging continuous improvement and client relationship investment. The model recognises that organisations evaluating training technology investments assess total cost of ownership including initial procurement, deployment and integration expenses, user training costs, ongoing support requirements, and content development effort rather than merely comparing license fees, making transparency about complete cost structure essential for informed buying decisions. Pricing strategy targets humanitarian sector budgets, acknowledging that while the platform delivers substantial cost savings compared to conventional training delivery, NGOs operate under tight budget constraints requiring affordable access rather than premium pricing justified by value delivered. Early adopter programmes provide discounted access in exchange for detailed feedback, case study participation, and reference customer status, accelerating market validation whilst building installed base that generates network effects as early clients share experiences with peer organisations. The commercial approach maintains commitment to accessibility and inclusion: whilst large international NGOs will pay market rates subsidising development, smaller organisations and local civil society groups will access subsidised pricing ensuring technology serves the full humanitarian ecosystem rather than only well-resourced institutions. Partnership with Action Contre la Faim extends beyond initial XRisis validation to ongoing collaborative development where their requirements inform platform evolution, their network provides market access to peer organisations, and their operational deployment generates case study evidence demonstrating value at scale. The Service Level Agreement model creates sustainable business foundation supporting continued innovation, employment, and capability development beyond initial CORTEX2 funding whilst generating sufficient revenue to justify ongoing investment in platform refinement, market development, and expansion into adjacent sectors where simulation training delivers value.

Market Positioning and Competitive Differentiation

SimExBuilder positions competitively through humanitarian domain expertise, first-mover advantage, European data sovereignty, and validated evidence of training effectiveness from rigorous third-party evaluation. Humanitarian emergency response represents a greenfield market where XR simulation training remains nascent, with most organisations still employing conventional in-person exercises or basic e-learning modules, creating opportunity for early entrants to establish market leadership before competition intensifies. Nuwa's team includes personnel with humanitarian field experience providing credibility that pure technology vendors cannot match, enabling authentic conversations about operational requirements, cultural sensitivities, and deployment constraints that organisations might not share with vendors lacking sector understanding. The validation partnership with Action Contre la Faim, a respected international NGO with operations across 56 countries, provides reference customer status that peer organisations value far more than vendor marketing claims, particularly in humanitarian sector where conservatism about untested approaches reflects appropriate caution given life-critical nature of emergency response operations. European data sovereignty positioning addresses increasing concerns about where humanitarian data resides and who can access it: deploying exclusively on EU-based infrastructure with GDPR-compliant data handling practices creates competitive advantage in markets where organisations face regulatory requirements or institutional preferences for European technology providers. The platform's dual modality support (desktop and VR) differentiates from competitors requiring expensive VR hardware that creates adoption barriers for resource-constrained organisations, enabling broader market addressability whilst maintaining capability to leverage VR when clients possess or can justify hardware investment. Integration with validated CORTEX2 enabling technologies from DFKI, Alcatel Lucent Enterprise, CEA, and Linagora provides capabilities that typical startups could not independently develop, creating technical sophistication derived from EU public research investment that would require years and millions in private R&D expenditure to replicate. The low-code authoring approach addresses a specific pain point that conventional simulation platforms ignore: organisations want custom scenarios reflecting their specific contexts, procedures, and learning objectives rather than generic templates, yet lack technical expertise to implement customisation, creating market gap that SimExBuilder's authoring tools specifically target. Unity for Humanity Grant recognition differentiates through prestigious third-party validation aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, strengthening positioning as social impact technology rather than merely commercial training product, resonating with NGO sector values and mission-driven purchasing criteria. The competitive differentiation strategy avoids head-to-head comparison with established training technology vendors in their core markets, instead carving defensible niche in humanitarian simulation exercises where domain expertise, validated effectiveness evidence, and mission alignment create competitive moats that generic competitors would struggle to replicate. Market expansion beyond humanitarian sector will eventually target healthcare emergency preparedness (hospital mass casualty training, pandemic response coordination), industrial safety training (complex machinery operation, hazardous environment procedures), smart city planning (crisis coordination across municipal departments), and educational scenario-based learning, but maintains initial focus on humanitarian applications where validation evidence already exists and market relationships provide foundation for sustainable growth before attempting diversification that would dilute resources across too many sectors simultaneously.

Path from Research Funding to Commercial Sustainability

The trajectory from CORTEX2 cascade funding through XRisis validation to SimExBuilder commercial launch illustrates the complete innovation pathway that EU research programmes aim to catalyse. Initial public funding covered proof-of-concept development risk that commercial investors would not support: without validated evidence that immersive simulation training could deliver operational value for humanitarian applications, private capital would remain unavailable or demand equity stakes and control provisions that would limit founder autonomy and strategic flexibility. The CORTEX2 Open Call structure provided not just financial resources but access to enabling technologies worth substantially more than the cash funding alone: integration with Rainbow, VCAA, CoVA, and summarisation capabilities would have cost hundreds of thousands of euros to develop independently or license commercially, yet consortium participation provided access as part of research collaboration advancing broader programme objectives. Mentoring relationships with CORTEX2 consortium leaders accelerated learning about technical integration, market positioning, and research-to-commercialisation pathways, providing guidance worth far more than equivalent consulting fees whilst connecting Nuwa to European XR and humanitarian innovation networks expanding partnership and business development opportunities. The validation evidence from Action Contre la Faim enabled confident commercial investment because results came from rigorous third-party evaluation with genuine operational users rather than vendor-controlled demonstrations that potential clients would appropriately discount as biased, creating credibility essential for market traction. Unity for Humanity Grant recognition provided not just $60,000 in additional funding (as one of ten winners sharing $600,000 total programme budget) but international visibility through Unity's extensive developer community and media coverage, accelerating market awareness and partnership enquiries beyond what equivalent marketing expenditure could achieve. The platform now transitions from research funding dependence to commercial revenue sustainability: initial Service Level Agreements with Action Contre la Faim and early adopter organisations will generate sufficient revenue to sustain core operations whilst additional development funding will come from professional services contracts, marketplace commissions, and potentially venture investment now that market validation reduces investor risk perception. This progression from public research funding through validation to commercial sustainability demonstrates exactly the impact pathway that European innovation programmes target: strategic public investment catalysing private sector development of socially beneficial technologies that continue delivering value long after initial grants conclude, creating employment, advancing European competitive position in emerging technology markets, and addressing social challenges aligned with Sustainable Development Goals. The research-to-market transition required maintaining commitment to social impact alongside commercial viability: whilst SimExBuilder must generate sufficient revenue to sustain operations, pricing and deployment strategies prioritise accessibility for smaller organisations and resource-constrained contexts rather than maximising short-term profit extraction, preserving alignment with original humanitarian mission that motivated development. The path demonstrates that commercial success and social impact can reinforce rather than conflict when business models align incentives appropriately and founding teams maintain values-driven decision-making even whilst pursuing sustainable economics. Future growth will balance commercial platform development with continued research engagement, maintaining connections to academic institutions, contributing to peer-reviewed publications, participating in European research consortia, and supporting next-generation capability development that feeds back into commercial offerings whilst advancing broader knowledge about effective immersive learning implementation.