Metaverse Outlook 2026 [Free PDF Download]

Executive Summary: Metaverse Market Outlook [2026]

• Industry Growth Overview: The metaverse industry grew by 7.65% last year. It includes more than 39 800 companies worldwide, with over 2400 startups developing immersive platforms and enabling technologies.
• Manpower & Employment Growth: The sector employs over 1.4 million people globally. It added more than 970 employees last year as companies expanded engineering, design, and platform development teams.
• Patents: The industry registered 78 300 patents from 23 300 applicants. The yearly patent growth reached 15.15%, showing continued innovation in XR, digital assets, and interoperability technologies.
• Global Footprint: The United States, India, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates serve as major country hubs. At the city level, London, New York City, Singapore, Dubai, and Seoul anchor innovation clusters.
• Investment Landscape: The metaverse market recorded over 19 700 funding rounds. The average investment value was USD 27 million per round, with participation from more than 17 300 investors worldwide.
• Top Investors: Tencent, SoftBank, and T. Rowe Price rank among the leading investors. The combined investment from these top firms exceeded USD 10 billion.
• Startup Ecosystem: Key startups include Metaverse Hub (3D virtual environments), MetaOasis (metaverse-as-a-service), Metaverse911 (hologram technology), Meta Ads (metaverse advertising), and LEMONCHAIN (asset tokenization).

 

 

Methodology: How we created this Metaverse Industry Report

This report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 9 million global companies, 20K+ technologies and trends, as well as 150M patents, news articles, and market reports.

This data includes detailed firmographic insights into approximately 9 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this exhaustive database, we provide actionable insights for startup scouting, trend discovery, and technology landscaping.

For this report, we focused on the evolution of the metaverse over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:

• Total Companies working in the sector
• News Coverage and Annual Growth
• Market Maturity and Patents
• Global Search Volume & Growth
• Funding Activity and Top Countries
• Subtrends within the metaverse

Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.

Additionally, we reviewed trusted external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the metaverse market.

What Data is used to create this Metaverse Market Report?

Based on data provided by the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, we observe that the metaverse market stands out in the following categories relative to the 20K+ technologies and trends we track.

These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the future direction of the market.

• News Coverage & Publications: The metaverse industry saw the publication of more than 4900 articles. This activity reflects steady media attention as companies expand immersive technologies and refine virtual engagement models across global markets.
• Funding Rounds: Our database records 19 700+ funding rounds, which show active capital flows that support ecosystem growth, product development, and infrastructure improvements within the metaverse landscape.
• Manpower: More than 1.4 million employees are working within the sector, and it saw an addition of 970+ last year.
• Patents: The sector has over 78 300 patents registered. These filings highlight ongoing innovation in extended reality, digital assets, virtual worlds, and interoperability technologies that shape metaverse progress.
• Yearly Global Search Growth: The search growth declined by 16.02% last year globally. This trend reflects shifting public interest while companies continue long-term development across immersive platforms and enterprise applications.

Explore the Data-driven Metaverse Outlook for 2026

The global metaverse market size is projected to reach USD 936.57 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46.4% from 2025 to 2030.

 

 

As per StartUs Insights’ Discovery Platform, there are over 2400 startups and 39 800+ companies operating in the metaverse industry. The ecosystem is growing with diverse technological and business activities.

The sector grew by 7.65% last year, which shows that companies are actively developing immersive platforms, virtual environments, and spatial computing applications in global markets. It is mostly influenced by a shift in the user engagement patterns.

The sector’s innovation intensity is reflected in 78 300 patents that were registered. These filings demonstrate ongoing investment in extended reality technologies, digital asset infrastructures, and human-machine interaction tools that support metaverse expansion.

Also, the global manpower stands at 1.4 million workers. The industry added 970+ employees last year.

In terms of innovation hubs, the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates are the top five country hubs. Besides, London, New York City, Singapore, Dubai, and Seoul are the top city hubs, where businesses cluster to access talent, capital, regulatory support, and user communities driving metaverse adoption.

A Snapshot of the Global Metaverse Market

The metaverse industry recorded 7.65% annual growth. Our database tracks 2400+ startups that are developing infrastructure, virtual worlds, monetization models, and interoperability tools that guide the industry’s technological direction.

The industry also saw the registration of 78 300 patents, which were filed by 23 300 applicants. Further, the yearly patent growth reached 15.15%. This shows how developers strengthen intellectual property portfolios across hardware, software, and content layers central to metaverse deployment.

Moreover, the United States issued 28 810+ patents, while China followed with 20 370. The activity in both markets highlights investment in immersive computing, human-machine interfaces, and metaverse-enabling technologies.

Also, approximately 390 000 patent applications are pending worldwide concerning augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and extended reality (XR) technologies that underpin metaverse infrastructure.

Explore the Funding Landscape of the Metaverse Market

The metaverse market records an average investment value of USD 27 million per round. This level of capital deployment shows investor support for infrastructure development, immersive platforms, and virtual experience technologies across global markets.

The sector includes participation from more than 17 300 investors. It is a reflection of interest from institutional funds, corporate venture units, and technology-focused firms seeking exposure to immersive digital ecosystems.

Companies across the metaverse landscape closed over 19 700 funding rounds. The emerging firms are accelerating product development, expanding technical teams, and pursuing commercialization opportunities. Further, more than 5500 companies have received investments.

Who is Investing in the Metaverse Market?

The combined value invested by top investors exceeds USD 10 billion, showing concentrated capital deployment across major metaverse innovators.

 

 

Top Metaverse Innovations & Trends

Discover the emerging trends in the metaverse market along with their firmographic details:

 

 

Metaverse Shopping

This segment includes 810+ companies employing 30 700 workers. The segment added 21 employees last year as businesses expanded immersive retail experiences that integrate digital storefronts with interactive commerce systems.

It recorded 4.51% annual growth, indicating that companies are refining virtual shopping environments, product visualization tools, and transaction features.

Web AR

This domain involves 368 companies with more than 16 000 workers. This segment saw an addition of 10+ employees last year as organizations deployed browser-based augmented reality tools that enable accessible immersive interactions across devices.

It grew 12.45% annually, which shows rising adoption of AR overlays, visualization features, and lightweight spatial interfaces.

Metaverse Marketing

This field covers 185 companies with a global workforce of 7500 workers. The segment added 5 employees last year as businesses adopted immersive campaigns that blend virtual environments with audience engagement tools across digital platforms.

It also saw a 17.85% annual growth. There is growing interest in experiential marketing formats, virtual brand activations, and data-driven engagement methods.

5 Top Examples from 2400+ Innovative Metaverse Startups

The five innovative metaverse startups showcased below are picked based on data, including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.

Metaverse Hub offers 3D Virtual Environments

UK-based startup Metaverse Hub creates a web-based 3D platform that delivers interactive virtual experiences without downloads or specialized headsets.

The platform leverages a browser-based architecture that renders detailed virtual environments for training, customer engagement, and internal collaboration. It also supports augmented reality features, live chat, and interactive content.

Further, it integrates spatial computing tools, customizable digital spaces, and multi-user interaction layers.

Metaverse Hub increases engagement and reduces reliance on traditional digital tools by offering intuitive environments that support learning, exploration, and communication.

MetaOasis provides Metaverse-as-a-Service

Singaporean startup MetaOasis builds a metaverse creation platform that supports decentralized environments, blockchain-based assets, and brand-focused digital experiences.

 

 

The platform operates via a Metaverse-as-a-Service framework, which enables brands, creators, and users to build virtual spaces, design assets, and deploy interactive content across multiple ecosystems.

It includes NFT customization tools, a Metaverse Creators Academy, and development features such as land portfolio management, immersive hub construction, and multi-platform asset deployment.

The startup utilizes a DAO structure to advance the ecosystem. This model builds self-owned virtual presences, expands talent networks, and delivers branded environments.

Metaverse911 advances Hologram Technology

Indian startup Metaverse911 develops HoloFan, a holographic display system that projects three-dimensional visuals to address low engagement with traditional screens and limited product visualization.

 

 

The system uses high-speed rotating LED blades that synchronize light patterns to create floating holograms. These holograms support annotations, exploded views, and brand-specific content.

It includes customizable 3D models, controlled lighting and texturing, and modular frames for different booth sizes. Further, an Android-based interface enables remote content management.

Besides, the startup supports deployment with protective casings, reusable setups, and tailored installations for exhibitions, retail spaces, experience centers, and corporate environments.

Meta Ads facilitates Metaverse Target Marketing

Polish startup Meta Ads makes a metaverse advertising platform that delivers personalized digital campaigns across virtual environments such as Decentraland.

The platform utilizes connected digital screens to display images, videos, and streams. It synchronizes content schedules and audience triggers with integrated automation workflows.

Besides, it includes real-time audience metrics, segmentation tools, campaign analytics, and smart contract-based monetization to support the sale or rental of virtual ad space.

Meta Ads improves marketing operations by linking creative assets with location-aware delivery, automated scheduling, and detailed performance reporting.

The startup enables brands to reach metaverse audiences with targeted, data-driven communication that aligns engagement with measurable marketing outcomes.

LEMONCHAIN enables Real World Asset (RWA) Tokenization

South Korean startup LEMONCHAIN builds a blockchain infrastructure that supports asset tokenization and decentralized data exchange across finance, media, and enterprise environments.

The platform runs on an EVM-compatible network that processes thousands of transactions per second and stores tokenized assets, on-chain records, and smart contract workflows.

It offers low transaction fees, delegated proof-of-stake consensus, cross-chain bridges, real-time explorers, decentralized exchange functions, and staking mechanisms. These features enhance scalability and ecosystem participation.

In addition, the startup promotes blockchain adoption with MegaLemon, which tokenizes real estate, commodities, and intellectual property. Its alliance with One Digital Entertainment supports creator engagement across a global influencer network.

Gain Comprehensive Insights into Metaverse Trends, Startups, and Technologies

The metaverse industry will continue expanding into 2026. Companies are integrating immersive environments, spatial computing, and interoperable platforms into consumer and enterprise applications shaped by changing digital interaction patterns.

Emerging trends such as digital twins, virtual workforce collaboration, decentralized identity, and AI-generated environments will advance ecosystem maturity.

Looking ahead, the industry’s growth will depend on scalable infrastructure, regulatory clarity, and sustained investment. These factors will enable broader adoption across retail, entertainment, enterprise operations, and connected virtual services.

Get in touch to explore 2400+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting metaverse companies.