Facebook buys ‘revolutionary’ company started by Edinburgh grads

A virtual reality company founded by Abesh Thakur and Varun Nair, two graduates of Edinburgh University, has been bought by Facebook in the social media giant’s first steps into the market of virtual reality software.

The software company, Two Big Ears, was founded in 2013 and allegedly can convert sound into visual images enabling users to “see through your ears” as the pair explained.

Malcolm Cochrane Photography

The two co-founders, originally from India, both studied masters degrees at Edinburgh University – Mr Thakur in Acoustics and Music Tech, and Mr Nair in Sound Design – and had already been in the industry for some time, having worked in this field for many years prior to coming to Edinburgh.

Their software is not new however, and is already being used by the platform Oculus, however the new deal with Facebook could see the company’s net-worth increase dramatically.

It comes as a part of Facebook’s continued investment in virtual reality software which founder Mark Zuckerberg is betting on being the next big trend in social media and internet technology.

Thakur and Nair join a long list of notable alumni of the university, continuing to prove that Edinburgh is a city of global excellence.