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AMPD Ventures Inc. Subsidiary Departure Lounge Inc. Enters Education Collaboration Agreement with The Centre For Digital Media - Announces Plans To Establish A Metaverse Innovation Centre

Vancouver, BC, May 4, 2022--(T-Net)--AMPD Ventures Inc. (CSE: AMPD; OTCQB: AMPDF; FRA: 2Q0) a next-generation digital infrastructure provider, announced that its subsidiary Departure Lounge Inc., a Vancouver, BC-based company offering a range of Metaverse-related technologies and creative services has entered into a lease and education collaboration agreement with the Centre for Digital Media ("CDM"), as the first phase of plans to develop a globally attractive Metaverse Innovation Centre.

Departure Lounge will house its range of Metaverse-related technology solutions, including its recently announced state-of-the-art Metastage volumetric capture stage, on campus at the CDM.

The facility is expected to be used as a catalyst for a range of work-integrated learning and research opportunities including students, faculty, and the community of digital content creators across the province.

The CDM will collaborate with Departure Lounge and other industry and community-based partners to develop Metaverse-related micro-credentials and other programs to help address skilled labor shortages and ensure resources are made available to a broad cross-section of the community.

Departure Lounge said in a release that it is seeking expressions of interest from other potential collaborators.

James Hursthouse, CEO, Departure Lounge

"Our founding team has enjoyed working with CDM students, alumni, and faculty on many collaborative projects over the years, and I am pleased that we have been able to establish our Departure Lounge Vancouver HQ at the heart of such a thriving digital media community," said James Hursthouse, CEO at Departure Lounge.

"Departure Lounge and our partners will take an active role in promoting industry academic partnerships and helping to develop the next generation of digital creative talent here in BC as we embrace the opportunity represented by the Metaverse and new frontiers in immersive content development."

Hursthouse also sits on the recently launched DigiBC Micro-Credentials Industry Advisory Committee, an initiative between DigiBC (The Creative Technology Association of British Columbia, a member-supported non-profit organization based in Vancouver, BC), and BC public post-secondary institutions to develop innovative creative technology training in BC to address skills gaps identified by employers.

Dr. Ted Gervan, Managing Director of Academic and Business Operations, CDM

"We are thrilled that Departure Lounge has chosen to locate the new Metastage at the CDM," said Dr. Ted Gervan, Managing Director of Academic and Business Operations at the CDM. "For the last 15 years, we have emphasized the importance of experiential learning through industry project courses, as well as the importance of inclusion and diversity in digital media production. Departure Lounge's Metastage initiative will help grow these opportunities for CDM's teaching and learning community."

In its recent 'Metaverse and Money' report (https://www.citivelocity.com/citigps/metaverse-and-money/ ), Citi stated that the metaverse economy could be worth $13 trillion by 2030.

A Metaverse Innovation Centre as proposed by Departure Lounge would launch a new track for digital media excellence and collaboration with local companies and community-based organizations through a series of training initiatives and collaborative projects focused on the Metaverse opportunity, both IRL (in real life) and in the Metaverse.

About Departure Lounge Inc.

Departure Lounge brings together the experience and expertise of its founding team to develop a cohesive range of Metaverse-focused technology and content opportunities, including a joint venture with holographic capture pioneers, Metastage Inc., to bring their world-leading holographic capture platform to Canada. Departure Lounge was acquired by AMPD Ventures Inc. (CSE: AMPD) in December 2021. It operates as an independent business unit while taking full advantage of the high-performance cloud and compute solutions being offered by AMPD Technologies Inc. https://dlxr.ca/

About The Centre for Digital Media

Founded in 2007, the CDM was established through a ground-breaking education consortium of four leading academic institutions: University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology and Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Located in East Vancouver on the False Creek Flats, the CDM is a thriving mixed-use campus, home to a pioneering graduate program - Master of Digital Media (MDM) - as well as industry collaborators, game and immersive studios, tech start-ups, student residences, greenways, bikeways, and major transit. Talented students from across the globe come to the CDM to work with world-class faculty and industry professionals to become a part of BC's acclaimed digital-creative economy.