UCF Business Incubation Program is working to facilitate company growth in tourism, healthcare, sports, and retail industries.
ORLANDO, Fla. (October 27, 2026) — Once again, the science fiction of yesterday becomes reality today, and Central Florida is at the center of it all.
A British firm, SKC Studios, which provides interactive avatars for the hospitality, retail and healthcare industries, has begun expanding into the Orlando market with its North American headquarters.
Once fully operational, the center will employ more than 30 people focused on its creative studio and business development.
“We first started looking at Central Florida because of its tourism industry but quickly discovered many other reasons why this makes sense,” says Babita Devi, co-founder and chief commercial officer of SKC Studios. “We can see customers throughout Florida who could use our technology in very different ways, but we also need talented people to help us create those experiences, and that’s a big part of why we want to build a studio in Central Florida.”
SKC Studios’ conversational artificial intelligence platform, 1956 Individuals, lets people speak with avatars based on real-life and fictional characters. People can ask the avatars follow-up questions, change the subject or request help in another language. Depending on the setting, an avatar can tell a story, explain a service, provide directions or help complete a booking.
For instance, it could let basketball and soccer fans interact with their favorite player. It could give convention attendees a speaker preview by letting them talk with the speaker’s avatar. It could help shoppers find the right store in a mall and let guests chat with a ride character.
“We want people to be able to ask the question that interests them,” Devi says. “At an attraction, that might mean spending time talking with a character and learning something they wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. In a shop or a healthcare setting, it might mean getting help with something they’re unsure about.
The company produces this technology for multiple clients in the United Kingdom and has now landed its first client in the United States.
At Leeds Castle in England, visitors can talk with AI Queen Eleanor of Castile in English, French or Spanish. At IKEA Reading, an avatar greeted shoppers and explained how to use Scan & Pack, which allows customers to scan products as they shop.
Its healthcare work with Modality Partnership, a U.K.-based National Health Service provider, includes digital receptionists and pre-appointment avatars. When it goes live, patients will be able to take time to explain their concerns, and the system passes that information to the healthcare team before the appointment.
In the United States, SKC Studios recently signed a five-year agreement with the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to create an AI Blackbird Pilot. The project will gather stories from former SR-71 pilots, reconnaissance systems officers, engineers, and support personnel to show the impact of one of the world’s first stealth aircraft.
The Air Zoo relationship began at last year’s IAAPA Expo in Orlando. SKC Studios will return to exhibit next month.
Although the characters use AI to hold a conversation, an artist starts by putting pen to paper. The team develops the character’s look and animation, while its responses draw on project-approved information. Connections to business systems allow the avatars to handle practical tasks, including bookings and service navigation.
The UCF Business Incubation Program has been working with SKC Studios to introduce the Central Florida market through its revised Soft Landing Program. The company is part of the new Discovery & Validation track, which lets companies decide whether Central Florida is the right place to expand before making a major investment.
As they complete that process, the company can become a full Soft Landing client, giving them access to the Incubator’s services, such as public relations, accounting consultations, potential client introductions and temporary office space.
“Companies from around the world have a perception of Florida as a great place to visit, but this program showcases all the attributes of our region as a center of innovation,” says Rafael Caamano, interim director, UCF Business Incubation Program. “Companies like SKC Studios realize very quickly that the level of talent and the number of opportunities in Central Florida are significant.
“All of us who have worked with SKC Studios so far see tremendous potential in providing something truly unique and innovative to our local businesses that customers will truly remember,” he adds.
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About SKC Studios
SKC Studios is a UK-headquartered creative technology company that builds conversational AI avatars to transform how people engage with places, culture and information. Their work sits at the intersection of artistic authorship, applied technology, and storytelling- creating experiences that feel natural and intuitive.
1956 Individuals is the flagship conversational AI platform built by the team at SKC Studios. It features interactive, multilingual AI avatars designed for real-world environments, across two types of deployment. Asset avatars carry story, context, and interpretation for experiences, attractions, and cultural settings. Utility avatars handle operational tasks such as service navigation, bookings, and first-contact support across healthcare, retail, and high-footfall environments. Engineered for enterprise impact, the platform enables organizations to turn approved content into live interaction and meaningful action, enhancing engagement while supporting operational efficiency. Every deployment is governed by transparency and ethical design, providing conversational access to information and consistent outcomes at scale. For more information, please visit 1956Individuals.AI.
About the UCF Business Incubation Program: The University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program is a community resource that provides early-stage companies with the tools, training and infrastructure to become financially stable, high-growth/impact enterprises. Since 1999, this award-winning program has provided vital business development resources, resulting in over 300 local startup companies reaching their potential faster and graduating into the community where they continue to grow and positively impact the local economy.
With eight facilities throughout the region, the UCF Business Incubation Program is an economic development partnership between the University of Central Florida, the Corridor, Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, and the cities of Eustis, Kissimmee, Orlando and Winter Springs. In 2023, current incubator clients supported over 1,000 employees and generated over $120 million in revenue. Nineteen companies graduated from the program and remained in the local community. For more information, visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.
Media contact: Alan Byrd, Alan Byrd & Associates, representing the UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-415-8470, alan@byrdconnections.com
SKC Studios: press@skcstudios.uk
