In the two years since he started Serious Simulations, U.S. Army veteran Chris Chambers has had to quickly adjust his business.
The 55-year-old CEO says the initial idea behind the company was to build simulators. However, the firm has since shifted gears to build simulator components, leaving the building of the actual chairs to others.
“We are trying to be agile and stay afloat by solving other simulators’ problems,” Chambers said on Monday. “You have to be flexible and do what you have to do to stay in business.”
The startup company, which employs four people directly and about eight contractors, recently landed a pair of U.S. Army contracts to build components for augmented and virtual reality systems.
The move comes as the company relies less on investors and more on paying customers.
Chambers, a retired U.S. Army officer who lives in Oviedo, said he started to do more work in simulation as his military career came to an end. He then did consultant work before starting Serious Simulations two years ago.
He said Orlando is “the nexus between academia, business and the government. I can literally walk across the street to show off my equipment.”
The contracts landed by Serious Simulations cover both components of augmented reality trainers and a system that improves the accuracy of simulated guns.”
Orlando is home to a robust simulation and defense industry, with the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation located here.
In addition, defense giant Lockheed Martin has two locations in Orlando and the National Center for Simulation hosts an annual industry conference in Orlando.
Recent Comments