In a new format for Startup Europe: Sifted Podcast, we’re taking a break from the news cycle to bring you longer-form interviews, designed to get inside the minds of Europe’s biggest names and rising stars in the tech and startup scene. emerging companies. . This week, Eleanor interviewed Timmu Tõke, co-founder and CEO of Estonian 3D avatar company Ready Player Me.

Ready Player Me started making headlines when Facebook rebranded to become Meta and began publicly investing in the metaverse. Earlier this year, the startup raised a $56 million funding round led by American investor Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), who specifically cited the metaverse as a reason for investing in the company.

But at the time of the recording, Meta was announcing big layoffs and the crypto markets had arrived…