The episodes of the podcast " Impactful Businesses” a partnership between CATÓLICA-LISBON and Rádio Renascença, continue to surprise. In today's episode, we meet João Caiado, founder of Mirage Virtual Reality, a company dedicated to hyper-realistic 3D experiences for the real estate sector.

João was born with a creative streak and growing up in a family of artists and entrepreneurs, he quickly discovered that with a degree in Business Administration and Management from CATÓLICA-LISBON, he could realize one of his greatest dreams: to create a company that could offer innovation, in the case of Mirage Virtual Reality, through immersive experiences via interactive three-dimensional simulations.

Mirage Virtual Reality was founded in 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic struck. After completing his degree at CATÓLICA-LISBON and an international CEMS master's degree in Barcelona, João Caiado developed a business plan for a company offering personalized and immersive 3D experiences for real estate sales, allowing clients to interact with envisioned spaces before construction. This idea, say’s João, "arose from observing the difficulties in selling projects at my father's architecture firm, Contacto Atlântico. I realized that associating excellent imagery and an immersive experience with trust in the project made the sale easier."

Today, João attributes part of his success to his solid team, which consists of 7 members, including project managers, 3D artists, and programmers. "It is a very young team, highly involved in the gaming market, and at the same time involved in the architecture market. I end up being the strategist and business developer, along with our other manager," João Caiado explains.

Initially, the projects acquired came directly from Contacto Atlântico, serving as a launchpad for national and international projects. Originally associated with Contacto Atlântico as a subsidiary, João now recounts that Mirage has become a synergy of the same and explains that they are currently "two companies that live independently of each other and help each other because they are highly correlated."

Offering unique experiences to their clients, Mirage Virtual Reality boasts an international portfolio of projects and acknowledges that its largest revenue comes from foreign markets, specifically in Canada, the United States, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, when asked about the project he is most proud of, João Caiado responds without hesitation, "one of the projects we liked the most was the Quarteirão do Rossio project, the Rossio Pombalino, a building over 300 years old, where the Pastelaria Suíça and Manteigaria União used to be, a project by Contacto Atlântico. It is an old project, a highly interesting building rehabilitation. We created the entire building in virtual reality so that both clients and the City Council and the public could experience and see what the building would look like."

And when we talk about pride, João Caiado recalls, "I do not doubt that if it weren't for Católica, I wouldn't be where I am today. For the knowledge, the fun, and the people I met, colleagues and professors. Without Católica, Mirage would undoubtedly not exist." Additionally, his best friend, also a CATÓLICA-LISBON alumnus, is part of the Mirage management team.

With the life motto "If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it," João advances his project and leaves advice for young entrepreneurs: "rely on your relationships, rely on the people around you because alone you will not go anywhere."

Headquartered in Estoril, Mirage Virtual Reality, according to João Caiado, prides itself on knowing that the product they created provides greater security to the final client and facilitates the property acquisition process by allowing the 3D visualization of houses or offices still under construction.