Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Big Stage Launches Beta, Names CEO

Pasadena-based Big Stage said Tuesday that it has named Chuck Huebner of Activision as President and CEO of the firm, and also launched a beta of the firm's 3-D avatar technology. The firm, which is a spinoff of the University of Southern California, said that its 3-D capture technology allows users to take three pictures of themselves, upload them to the web, and have those pictures converted to a 3-D avatar. The firm, which was formerly known as Clone Interactive, was quietly venture backed by Mission Ventures, Selby Ventures, and the Tech Coast Angels. According to Big Stage, the firm's technology was developed based on multiple government grants, including the CIA, as part of a nine-year cumulative research project. The firm's co-founder and EVP Business Development Jon Kraft was a founder of Internet music firm Pandora.