The Story
From China to the Netherlands
Mao was born in China. His family fled poverty — swimming for over six hours to reach Hong Kong. His father did not make it. That loss shaped everything: a drive to be more than ordinary, to leave something behind that truly matters.
Growing up in the Netherlands, navigating two cultures and two languages, gave him a perspective most people in his industry simply do not have. He understands what it means to be an outsider who builds something from nothing.
The Artist Phase (2005–2019)
Trained at HKU — Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht — Mao became a world-class 3D character artist. He worked at Guerrilla Games on Killzone and contributed to the pre-production of Horizon Zero Dawn. He created VFX for Jackie Chan's Around the World in 80 Days.
His portrait "Alex — Portrait of a Young Woman" went globally viral in 2013, landing on the cover of 3D Artist Magazine. He won CGHUB Gold Awards and was featured in Digital Art Masters Vol. 9. Playboy approached him for a commission. He declined.
The Sweetie Turning Point (2013)
Mao co-created Sweetie for Terre des Hommes — a photorealistic, real-time animated 10-year-old girl used to sting online predators. She contacted over 20,000 predators from 71 countries. She identified 1,000 suspects. She led to real arrests.
The campaign won 12 Golden Lions and the Grand Prix for Good at Cannes Lions 2014 — the Oscars of advertising.
Before Sweetie, I was just making beautiful pictures. Sweetie showed me that you can do impactful projects beyond shooter games.
Reblika — The Studio (2019–2024)
In 2019, Mao founded Reblika in Amsterdam — "The Character Company." He worked with LVMH, Balmain, Rijksmuseum Leiden, Absolut, Abu Dhabi Police, and ECDA. He built AI-powered kiosks, digital influencers, and a VR experience for the Erasmus MC-Sophia children's hospital.
He spoke at Meta Festival 2022 and the [IN]VISIBLE Festival 2026 by XR4Heritage at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels.
Reblium & The Exit (2022–2025)
Mao built Reblium: a photorealistic, fully customizable avatar creation platform. He raised $300,000, turned down VC funding, and launched in June 2024.
Then in July 2025, Applied Intuition — trusted by 18 of the top 20 global automakers and the US Department of Defense — acquired Reblika's generative AI technology. Mao's digital humans now train autonomous vehicles to safely navigate the real world. A full exit. A full validation.
Mascotte Labs (2024–Present)
With Mascotte Labs, Mao is building the cloud layer for digital humans. Deploy once. Run everywhere — from a mobile phone to a kiosk to a full holobox installation.
Mascotte.AI gives Large Language Models a face and a personality. It transforms text-based AI into interactive digital humans that speak, listen, and engage in real time. He is also building Rotation — a Strava-connected app for runners, born from his own experience as a serious athlete.
