In the emerging worlds of virtual reality and augmented reality, a Triangle startup is emerging as a force with potential global impact. So say some of the brightest in Silicon Valley.

PRSONAS hologram technology makes a smashing debut in Silicon Valley, taking home the top prize at the Silicon Valley Open Doors conference. And what a prize that could turn out to be.

SVOD winners have landed some $800 million in funding over the past 12 years.

The win comes just weeks before PRSONAS represents the Triangle at Google Demo Day.

CEO David Rose pitched the virtual hologram startup’s technology to a crowd that included more than 300 angel and venture capital investors. Some 2,000 people packed the annual conference.

“I thought you might like to know that PRSONAS won SVOD.org in Silicon Valley against 37 amazing startups from around the world tonight!”

So wrote Rose in an email to The Skinny late Thursday. He included a snapshot of the first-place prize, as you can see with this post.

But more than a trophy could come to PRSONAS since investors in the crowd represent some $800 million in capital.

PRSONAS will be back on the West Coast for Demo Day on June 8 where Triangle firms have won the event – and investment backing – twice over three years (MATTI Energy, Windsor Circle).

The startup, which also has an office in Wake Forest, is developing “interactive holograms that help attract, automate, and analyze customer engagements.”

Think DATA – with a smile.

SVOD is a top-drawer event, having launched in 2005.

“Our crowd is international: we love startups that come to Silicon Valley from other parts of the world. We believe they carry out of the box thinking that makes Silicon Valley boil with new ideas,” the organizers say.

Topics at the event featured:

1. Self-driving cars, drones, robots, AI
2. Agtech, food, water, clean energy
3. Fintech, blockchain, payments, e-commerce
4. VR/AR, image recognition
5. Industrial IoT, manufacturing automation, process optimization
6. Mission driven investment,edtech
7. Enterprise software, SaaS
8. Medical, health, wellness