Higher education institutions
Engage your students in immersive learning to help them develop skills such as teamwork, active listening, and public speaking.
The Bodyswaps story
Discover how our AI-powered immersive learning platform came to be and meet our three co-founders.
Where did we come from?
The journey of Bodyswaps began with a different name and a different mission. Known then as Somewhere Else, we were a storytelling-driven VR agency. In 2019, our path took a pivotal turn when we were approached to develop an experience to help mental health nurses practise difficult conversations in a safe, controlled environment.
How did we become Bodyswaps?
As we delved into research to address this challenge, a transformative idea emerged. Groundbreaking papers on virtual embodiment and behavioural change, especially those by Jeremy Bailenson and Mel Slater, illuminated a new direction.
We realised that to provide learners with practical insights and a secure space to practise, we needed to merge realistic VR-simulated conversations with AI-powered feedback. This vision for a “flight simulator for soft skills” was born.
After developing an initial prototype and seeing promising results from initial testing and studies, we knew we had something extraordinary.
We decided to rename ourselves to Bodyswaps, dedicating ourselves entirely to this new and innovative vision.
Our team
Bodyswaps was co-founded in 2020 by Christophe Mallet (Chief Executive Officer), Tom Szirtes (Chief Product & Technology Officer), and Julien Denoel (Chief Operations Officer).
Since then, the team has grown to 30+ people across a number of teams and two countries.
Impactful soft skills training for all
Soft skills are increasingly important for professional and personal development across all walks of life, affecting individuals’ economic success and personal well-being. Despite this, there’s a distinct lack of scalable, affordable, and effective soft skills training.
We believe that everyone and anyone can learn soft skills, achieving both personal and professional potential - as long as they’re given the right tools. Our mission is to build these tools.
The core values that will help us achieve that mission
Safe empowerment
We always ensure that our modules, exercises, and AI simulators are a psychologically safe environment for learners to build and practise their skills. We offer realistic, immersive scenarios that empower individuals to grow and learn without fear of judgement or repercussions.
Impact
We focus on real, quantifiable outcomes that have a measurable impact on learners. This drives us to constantly refine and enhance our offerings to meet the needs of our users. We look to proven improvement in human skills, support by evidence-backed research and independent evaluations.
