Today we’d like to introduce you to Osman Fatih Aysu.
Osman Fatih, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a young kid, I decided to leave my comfort zone when I was banned from my university for a year. I wouldn’t know by then leaving my country was the most critical decision in my life. My family was not a big fan of my decision, as well. I sold my only car and used that money to go to Sydney, Australia, to study an English academic program. No family member, no friends, no connection at all. I landed with two big bags without even a place to stay nor hotel reservation. I had enormous confidence in myself that everything will be fine. The one who dares is the one who can expect. That was my sole motivation.
In two days, I found a place to stay permanently. It was a shared room rent and had to stay with two other guys – John and Fabian. As soon as I met with the landlord, the entrepreneur in me kicked in. I convinced the landlord that rooms can be rented at a higher rate. He said, do it, and he offered me a managerial position. So not only I got myself a place, but also I got myself a source of income. In 48 hours, all rooms are booked because I found a website like the “Craiglist” of Australia that the landlord was not aware of. That was my first proof that I am a businessman by nature, and no border can stop me.
I graduated from the program in eight months, went back to turkey, and completed my bachelor’s degree as a geology engineer. As a fresh engineer, I had zero desire to work as an engineer. I wanted it more and decided to do my high school dream -having an MBA degree. I decided to come to the USA for it, opened my first business while I was a student. It was a perfume shop. I opened one store, then another one, then another one and on and on – 8 locations in 1.5 years. While taking the “franchising” class, I loved what I heard and converted my brand to a franchise. I sold all of them in the same year I graduated from the MBA and moved to another city to rebuild the brand. Everything went well in the new town and sold the new location in 4 months.
I moved to another city and opened more locations and sold them. But I noticed that I don’t create brand value. I only create money-making machines. Luckily, my last buyer was a former Disney licensee, and he wanted more with me. He offered me to go to China with him, and I accepted. It opened my vision. It changed everything. This was the pure motivation for me to create a new business with a brand value behind it.
We created three different businesses with my mentor at that time, but I know it was not enough for me. When I first decided to create InfiniteVR, I knew that funding would be an issue. So I accepted a partnership offer from my mentor. It was my first time that I had a partner – not an only investor. We executed the InfiniteVR plan. He was just the money guy, and I was everything else in the company. It was a good match. Old, established, calm, rich guy with a hungry, risk-taker, aggressive, and focused young entrepreneur.
We opened the first three locations by September 2016, and we sold our first franchise location in Dec 2016. The business was booming. I knew that we hit the jackpot. Therefore, I asked for more investment from my partner to expand. He rejected. I can’t blame him. I was so motivated and taking huge risks. He did the best for him and said, “NO”. But I didn’t receive that as an answer. I counter-offered him to sell his shares to me and leave the company. He accepted my offer by assuming I can’t do it. I didn’t have the money, but I had the plan. In a short time, InfiniteVR opened 17 locations, and he got his initial investment back with interest.
Now, I was free and was the biggest Vr company in Texas. But it was not enough. I wanted to expand in other states in the USA; therefore made a deal with one of the biggest shopping mall developers to open an additional 16 locations for less than one year. We made them uniquely fund our expansion. By the end of 2018, InfiniteVR had 41 locations all over the USA, and we became the largest Vr company. We were not so involved with Investors, Vc companies, merging and acquiring possibilities at that time. It was a wake-up call for us when we were approached by a Chinese Investment Group about making InfiniteVR global. It opened our eyes, and we started preparing ourselves to break into the investment world right before the pandemic. COVID didn’t stop us, and we completed our preparations for our first funding round on a crowdfunding platform. We are proudly alive right now on the platform and still accepting investments. (www.wefunder.com/infinitevr). We are in touch with many angel investors and VC firms. And we signed a service agreement with the Chinese investment group in August 2020. Anyone reading this article can go ahead and invest in us at www.wefunder.com/infinitevr.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It is not gonna be a smooth road if you are not a son of Bill Gates. For hustlers like me, it will be always hard, and it will be always more rewarding when you did it. There were many struggles but I would like to talk two of them. So the reader of this article can get something for himself.
Creating a team that you can walk with is the hardest thing you can think of in the business. I never had the right people and even rarely, I got the right people, it was not the right time. It is never their fault. It is always the founder’s responsibility to take the right people on the bus and take the wrong ones off the bus. Be sure before anything, even before creating a company, you have the right people with you. That was my main struggle.
My second struggle is about using the funds. Startup owners need to be smart enough to see the exit or have an exit strategy. I had none. I didn’t know what to do with InfiniteVR in past. It was total because of a lack of knowledge. Every business has a life-like human being. Trying to walk on a rocky road without an exit strategy was hurtful.
Please tell us about InfiniteVR.
We create bridges between technology companies and consumers by creating a platform that brings fun, new, and cool tech to people’s life. InfiniteVR gives customers the chance to experience new tech such as VR, AR, MR, and AI products through exciting demonstrations, with the ability to purchase their favorite items on the spot. Our ecosystem has all the competent but missing ones to connect them. We are that company to connect all dots.
We are specializing in the Retail-as-a-Service model and demonstrating new technologies to consumers. We are the ultimate destination when you and your kids need something fun, cool, and new.
I am proud of my company because we are always one step ahead of the others. For example, the InfiniteVRKids project has not been done ever in the USA and we are about to do it very soon. I love how InfiniteVR culture is so adaptable to new things and upcoming techs. We are like water. We take the shape of cup we are in quickly.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I had a very happy childhood. So many memories. My favorite memories are always about my middle and high school years. I went to an all-boys boarding school for my mid and high school years. Amazing friendships, amazing moments.
The most memorable one was when we are all at graduation. Every young man in that room was crying. Everyone was hugging and I never forget that one of my classmates hugged me and said; What we are gonna do now? I just know you, I told you, my first girl, I told you my first fight, I even don’t know my dad or my brothers that much. I just know you. I don’t know what to do now.
Those friendships are forever. We are still in touch with most of the crew. And we are like kids when we came together regardless of social status or economical differences. All laughing and talking about memories.
Pricing:
- We will give 30% off on any items purchased online for your readers.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5301 Polk Street, building 14, B6
Houston Tx 77023 - Website: www.infinitevr.tech
- Phone: 8555040707
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infinitevrus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realizethefuture/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/infinitevr-new-york
- Other: www.wefunder.com/infinitevr
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