
🏫 SFSU Welcomes VRARA Silicon Valley Chapter for RED Lab Open House
🚨 You're Invited! 🚨
Join us on Wednesday, May 7th, 2025 as the VR/AR Association Silicon Valley Chapter hosts an OPEN HOUSE at San Francisco State University to celebrate the launch of the Reality Experience Design Lab (RED Lab), led by the incredible Dr. Sanika Doolani 💫.
Located in Thornton Hall 218, the RED Lab will be a new creative and tech-forward space welcoming #SFSU students this fall — focused on bringing the latest #VR and #AR innovations to life! 🙌
📍 Location: San Francisco State University – RED Lab, Thornton Hall 218
📅 Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
⏰ Time: 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
📧 RSVP: SV@TheVRARA.com
Come network, explore emerging immersive tech, and experience firsthand the next generation of spatial computing and design. Let’s build the future—together! 🚀
#VRARA #REDLab #ImmersiveTech #SpatialComputing #XRInnovation #VR #AR #SFSU #SiliconValley

🚀 The future of #XR starts here! Join us for Jumpstarting XR in Your Business!
Are you a #startup, #entrepreneur, or an organization with an XR product or service looking to scale? This event is for you! Jumpstarting XR in Your #Business is designed to help innovators navigate the immersive technology landscape, explore opportunities, and take their XR ventures to the next level.
💡 Expect a one-hour panel discussion with a Q&A session, followed by
networking.
🥗 Food and drinks provided! Limited to 50 attendees.
📩 RSVP to sv@thevrara.com
📅 March 5, 6-8pm PST
📍 Tests Assured
2728 Orchard Parkway
San Jose 95134
Let’s shape the future of XR together! Who’s in? 🚀
VR/AR Association (VRARA) Tests Assured
Gordon Bell Dr. Sanika Doolani 💫 Yogini Joglekar Arghavan Harirchian-Saei
#VRARA #MixedReality #ExtendedReality #VirtualReality #AugmentedReality #SpatialC
VR/AR Silicon Valley Chapter Halloween Costume Party
Come join the VRARA Silicon Valley chapter for a spooktacular evening in San Francisco at the VR/AR Association Silicon Valley Chapter Halloween Party!
Come in your most creative costume and immerse yourself in a virtual and augmented reality fun night. Network with fellow tech enthusiasts and see some of the latest VR/AR tech. Your party ticket includes two drinks and appetizers. A few demo tables are still available; reach out to sv@thevrara.com for more information!

Transforming Education and Training with Spatial Computing Tickets
In an era of technological innovation, the fusion of education and immersive technologies is reshaping how we learn, train, and acquire new skills. Our panel of distinguished experts will provide insights into the use of immersive technologies across diverse educational settings, from K-12 to higher education and corporate training.
Discussion topics will include:
Immersive learning ecosystem
Enhancing engagement
Real-world applications
Inclusivity and accessibility
Measuring success
Overcoming challenges
See you at what promises to be an interesting, informative event and a great opportunity to network with others in the San Francisco Bay Area VR/AR/Spatial Computing industry/community. Light bites and refreshments will be served at the beginning of the event; networking and demo tables will be at the beginning and end of the event.
Agenda:
6:00PM: Registration, networking/demos, light bites and beverages
6:40PM: Introductions - VR/AR Association
6:45PM: Panelist introduction
7:00PM: Panel discussion, Q&A
8:00PM: Networking/demos
8:45PM: Event ends
Panelists (see here for bios):
Brooks Filippin, Head of Business Development, ManageXR
Tina Korani, Assistant Professor, New Media; Adobe Education Leader; Co-founder of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication Immersive Storytelling Lab, San Jose State University
Chris Tassone, Founder, Sama Learning, Materials Science Division Director for SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Chuck Thota, Product Owner, ThinkReality Cloud, Lenovo
Marv Su (moderator), Chapter Co-Vice President, Marketing and Events, VR/AR Association - Silicon Valley Chapter

Apple Vision Pro: Implications and Impact on Spatial Computing
In early June, 2023, Apple unveiled its long-anticipated spatial computing headset, the Apple Vision Pro. Through a panel discussion that will include spatial computing experts, developers, competitors, and venture capitalists, the event will examine Apple’s announcement, the capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro, the implications for spatial computing hardware/platform competitors, and how spatial computing developers are preparing for the impending launch of the Apple Vision Pro.
See you at what promises to be an interesting, informative event and a great opportunity to network with others in the San Francisco Bay Area VR/AR/Spatial Computing industry/community. Light bites and refreshments will be served at the beginning of the event; networking and demo tables will be at the beginning and end of the event.
Agenda:
6:00PM: Registration, networking/demos, light bites and beverages
6:40PM: Introductions - VR/AR Association
6:45PM: Panelist introduction
7:00PM: Panel discussion, Q&A
8:00PM: Networking/demos
8:45PM: Event ends
Panelists:
Tipatat Chennavasin , General Partner, The Venture Reality Fund
Cory Heizenrader, CEO, EducationXR
Nicole Lazzaro, President and Founder XEODesign and XEOPlay
Marv Su (moderator), Chapter Co-Vice President, Marketing and Events, VR/AR Association - Silicon Valley Chapter

Spatial Computing: Exploring the Convergence of AR/VR, AI, ML, IoT, Edge/5G
In the fast-moving, ever-evolving spatial computing industry, this event will capture and present a snapshot of today’s best practices in deploying Enterprise VR, AR, and Web 3.0.
Join industry luminaries and leading companies delivering spatial computing solutions and services to the enterprise as we spend an afternoon sharing and discussing current hardware, software, services, solutions, best practices, and case studies to help you deliver the most compelling, greatest ROI VR, AR, and Web 3.0 initiatives for your company. Presenters and panelists will also share their perspectives on how the spatial computing industry will benefit from the recent tidal wave of interest and activities in artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT) and the game-changing implications for their companies and institutions.
See you at what promises to be an interesting, informative event and a great opportunity to network with others in the San Francisco Bay Area VR/AR/Spatial Computing industry/community. Lunch will be served at the beginning of the event and refreshments and light bites will be served during the networking and hands-on demo session at the end of the event.
Agenda:
11:30AM - 1:00PM: Registration, lunch, networking, hands-on demos
1:00PM - 1:15PM: Introduction
1:15PM - 1:30PM: Keynote presentations
1:30PM - 1:45PM: Break
1:45PM - 2:30PM: Panel discussion
2:30PM - 2:45PM: Break
2:45PM - 4:00PM: Additional presentations
4:00PM - 5:30PM: Networking, hands-on demos, refreshments and light bites
Keynote speakers:
Vishal Shah, General Manager, XR (AR/VR) and Metaverse, Lenovo
Panelists:
Prem Balachandran, CEO/Founder, Aatral
Jill Boyce, CEO & Founder, Vimmerse
Mike Lohse, Hardware Product Manager, Commercial AR/VR, Lenovo
Hemanth Satyanarayana, CEO & Founder, Imaginate
Neil Smith, Professor, UCSD, and CIO, FalconViz
Marv Su (moderator), Chapter Co-Vice President, Marketing and Events, VR/AR Association - Silicon Valley Chapter
Speakers:
Rajnikant Gupta, Head, Technology Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, TCS
Chuck Thota, Product Owner, ThinkReality Cloud, Lenovo
For more information on presenters and to register, click here.

VRARA Panel on Immersive Learning Immersive Insights: A 360° Look at the State of VR & AR Learning
Join us for the panel
Watch our panelist talk from different angles – live in Palo Alto (April 13th) or literally as a 360° video premiere at the virtual VRARA Enterprise & Training Forum (May 24th)
Option 1:
Live in Palo Alto / April 13th, 4:30pm
Option 2:
360° video premiere / May 24th, TBA
(during our Enterprise & Training Forum)
Perspective on VR/AR Learning from John Haddick (Lenovo), Monica Arés (Ex-Meta), Oliver Göck (3spin Learning) & Dr Walter Greenleaf (Stanford University)
Very exclusive event (extremely limited on-site seats) or 360° video for an immersive experience in your VR headset or via YouTube
Chance to talk to the panelists after the event if you attend the panel in Palo Alto (requires application through our form on the right)

How Silicon Valley is Driving Next Generation Metaverse Hardware {Chapter Event}
Many Silicon Valley companies are at the center of metaverse hardware innovation. Join us for a networking mixer, panel discussion, and demonstrations of what industry experts and designers are focusing on to further enable spatial computing. If you are interested in subjects such as optics, sensors, haptics, sound, software, content creation (consumer/enterprise), systems integration and deployment, investing, and more, you won’t want to miss this exciting event.
Panelists:
Richard Bailey, Vice President, Engineering, Quintar
Chris Baker, Head of Product, EMG Hardware, Meta
Brian Hamilton, VP, Sales & Marketing, DigiLens
Bernard Kress, Director, Optical Engineering - AR hardware, Google
Cynthia Maller, Head of 3D Creative Technology, Walmart
Marv Su (moderator), Chapter Co-Vice President, Marketing and Events, VR/AR Association - Silicon Valley Chapter
Agenda:
6:00PM - 7:15PM: Networking, light food/beverages
7:15PM - 8:00PM: Panel discussion
8:00PM - 8:30PM: Demos/networking
To read the panelist bios (and to register), click here
The Growing Potential of the Metaverse for Enterprise with Oracle, Lenovo, immerse, Xvisio
11am EST / 1pm CST / 2pm EST
Moderators:
Ed Haravon - Chapter President VRARA - Chicago.
Feroz Mohummed - Chapter President VRARA - Silicon Valley
Guests:
Surya Kommareddy - Oracle Corporation
Chuck Thota - Lenovo
Amy Baker - Immerse.io
John Lin - Xvisio Technology Corporation
Description: As we all understand, Metaverse is a digital space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users. But what does Metaverse mean for Enterprises? Is Metaverse only for the gamers, or is it beyond gaming? Are Enterprises Metaverse ready? Who governs the Metaverse, and who defines the standards and protocols for Metaverse? How will Enterprises get benefited from using Metaverse? What will be the typical use cases for Enterprise Metaverse?
We are sure many of you have these questions on your mind. So please come and join this panel discussion, co-hosted by VRARA Chicago & Silicon Valley Chapters. Our esteemed panelists are industry experts representing customers, different enterprise verticals, solution providers, platform providers, and technologies for Enterprise Metaverse.
Panelist bios:
Surya Kommareddy, Director Industry Strategy - Industry 4.0, Manufacturing, Oracle Corporation
Surya has over 20 years of leadership experience in developing and promoting digital solutions for the manufacturing industry. His current focus at Oracle is on enabling the enterprises of the future through smart manufacturing strategies and transformative technologies.
Chuck Thota, Lenovo, ThinkReality Product Owner
Chuck is the Product Owner of the Lenovo ThinkReality Cloud for AR/VR devices and has rich experience in various enterprise Solutions deployments globally for AR VR and MR Business cases. Additionally, he led many large-scale XR deployments & worked closely with the customer IT Teams to roll out different off-the-shelf and custom solutions in the AR/ VR space with a combination of hardware and SaaS platforms
Amy Baker, Immerse, Corporate Partner Director
Amy has worked with emerging technologies throughout her career, including smartphones, secure communications and virtual reality. With her diverse background in sales, product and marketing she is uniquely positioned to help enterprise customers throughout their buyer’s journey and understands how to help organizations solve real business problems using digital transformation best practices. Amy leverages her experience working with both startups and global organizations to bring world-class adoption and implementation strategies to virtual reality rollouts in her role at Immerse, and is the founder of XR Studioz, a VR Arcade focused on multi-player and free roam experiences.
John Lin, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Xvisio Technology Corporation
John has more than 20 years of experience in the imaging industry, including 8 years of experience in the XR space. He has held various technical and senior management roles at Fortune 500 company such as Toshiba Semiconductor, Aptina imaging, and On Semiconductor. He has solid technology and business training and practice over 20 years. He holds a master’s degree in engineering from Tsinghua University in China and an MBA degree from USC in the US. He has 5 US patents in imaging devices and many under filing. Under his leadership and entrepreneurship, Xvisio Technology grew rapidly in the past three years and won 20+ awards worldwide. It is recognized as a top-rated XR core technology startup.
New Horizons for Education and Vocation Development with NYIT, MIT, Politécnica de Madrid, IP2d (online event)
A researcher, a PhD candidate, a Professor, a Vocational training expert: four different perspectives for this roundtable about education. The core of the conversation will orbit around new horizons of education and training. We'll discuss the impact of new technologies, including current experiences, expectations and opinions about AR and VR. The session will be moderated by Gabriele Sorrento, president of VRARA Silicon Valley Chapter.
Roundtable participants list:
Jose Maria González - Researcher at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Mohamed Ismail - PhD Candidate in Building Technology at MIT
Christian Pongratz - Professor at New York Institute of Technology
Tyler Middlestadt - Vocational training expert, IPD2 Group
Venture Capital in XR: Silicon Valley VCs Weigh In on Where They See Traction - Dec 2 at 11am PST/2pm EST (Online Event)
Dec 2 at 11am PST/2pm EST
The virtual and augmented reality market is forecasted to grow from over $10.2B this year to $34.4B in global revenue by 2024 according to Artillery Intelligence. Venture Capitalists (VCs) traditionally look for hyper-scale opportunities within any market. So where are they looking to see this growth in virtual and augmented reality across, enterprise, consumer, media, advertising? Join the VR/AR Association’s Silicon Valley Chapter online event to hear from Mike Boland of Artillery Intelligence give a market opportunity overview and Silicon Valley VCs who will weigh in on where they are looking to place bets.
New hardware technologies, cloud computing, 5G, battery optimization, computer vision and AI are creating what could be the perfect storm to unleash multiple unicorn companies in the XR (augmented and virtual reality) ecosystems.
Speakers/Panelists:
Industry Expert: Mike Boland, CEO & Chief Analyst, Artillery Intelligence linkedin.com/in/bolandmike
VC Panel:
Gayathri Radhakrishnan, Director, AI Fund, Micron Technology linkedin.com/in/gradhakrishnan
Angelo Del Priore, Partner, HP Tech Ventures linkedin.com/in/angelo-del-priore-04136b1
Amy LaMeyer, Partner, WXR Fund linkedin.com/in/amylameyer
Ryan Wang, Founding Partner, Outpost Capital linkedin.com/in/ryanwangglobal
Moderator: Nathan Pettyjohn, President VRARA and Commercial AR/VR Lead at Lenovo linkedin.com/in/nathan-pettyjohn-17619710

Get Ready for our Online Summit with a deep dive Session – May 6
Get your ticket for this pre-event here, and already register your profile that will be good for June!
Not only will you be creating a hopin account, you will get a feel for how to navigate the platform by joining us for this month’s Travel & Tourism Online Meetup with a special presentation from Axel Springer AG and HEADGEAR. This is a deep dive session on WebAR and their new publisher’s solution. More information on the event’s page…
Smartglasses - How and when will they replace our smartphones and smart watches? (Online Meeting)
The VR/AR Association (VRARA) Silicon Valley Chapter invites you to join us for an online fireside chat about our smartglasses future
HoloLens functionality in a Ray Ban-like sunglasses form factor is what will lead to ubiquitous consumer acceptance of AR, posits Ben Delaney in ImmersivEdge Advisors’ new report, “Smartglasses Roadmap – the 20's.” Join us as we host an online fireside chat to explore the findings and takeaways from Ben’s research, including:
Research methodology
Defining smartglasses, their functionality, use-cases, killer apps, and when they’ll be available
How smartglasses will differ from today’s AR glasses?
Technology trends that will enable smartglasses
Will everyone want to wear smartglasses?
Market sizing, pricing
The smartglasses ecosystem; hardware/software winners and losers
How you and your company can prepare for the upcoming smartglasses revolution
How will COVID-19 impact the report’s findings and the AR/VR industry in general?
Guest and Moderator:
Ben Delaney, CEO, ImmersivEdge Advisors
Dirk Schart, CMO & President, RE'FLEKT Inc.
Silicon Valley event: Innovations in VR and AR Hardware in 2019, Where We Are Headed
Join us to discuss and learn about the latest generation of buzz-worthy VR and AR hardware and accessories introduced so far in 2019 and the design process involved in bringing them to market:
Hear leaders in VR and AR hardware share during a panel discussion what they’ve launched in 2019, the innovations they've introduced, how customers are using these new devices, and the implications for XR developers
Discuss where VR and AR hardware are going in 2020 and beyond
Get hands-on demos with their current product offerings
Network with the best and brightest in VR and AR hardware
Speakers and Panelists
Vivek Agrawal, Business Lead, Bose AR, Bose Corporation
Rémi Arnaud, Principal Architect, Varjo Technologies
Nola Donato, Senior Principal Engineer, Samsung Research America
Tom Emrich, Mentor/Advisor, Board Member: AugmentedReality.org, Founding Partner: Super Ventures
Vince Fung, Director, Product Marketing, Ultrahaptics
Damon Hernandez, Product Manager, Samsung Research America, and W3C Immersive Web Working Group member
Bernard Kress, Partner Optical Architect, HoloLens team, Microsoft Corporation
Realities360 Conference & Expo - San Jose, CA
VRARA Members get 20% discount, email info@thevrara.com
It's time to move beyond the hype and unleash AR and VR’s potential for training and education. 2019 Realities360 Conference & Expo is the event for those looking to build, buy, apply, and explore augmented and virtual realities in their work. You can choose from 50+ sessions showcasing how organizations are actively leveraging XR technologies, explore ground-breaking keynote sessions, and build the knowledge and skills you need with hands-on learning experiences. Plus… New this year is the Realities360 Expo, your one-stop shop to find the products, services, and partners you need to support your AR/VR strategy.
See you in June at the tech hub, Silicon Valley, for the premier AR/VR event for training and education.

AWE - Santa Clara, CA
VRARA Members get discount, email info@thevrara.com for your code!
AWE (Augmented World Expo) is the world’s leading event series for XR professionals aiming at improving the way we work, live, and communicate via technologies like Augmented Reality, Mixed and Virtual Reality, Smart Eyewear and Wearable Computing, as well as gesture, sensor, and tracking devices. Now in its 10th year, AWE USA will take place on 29-30 may in Santa Clara, California.
Enterprise AR: Implementations, Measuring Success, and Lessons Learned
Join us for interactive discussions and demos on Enterprise Augmented Reality (AR) on subjects including:
- Industries and use cases where AR is being used
- The implementation process
- How customers measure success
- Lessons learned in these implementations
The event includes a panel discussion by Enterprise AR companies, customers, and industry analysts and will be held at Atheer’s office in Santa Clara; Atheer is a leading company providing AR solutions for the enterprise.

NVIDIA GTC19 Conference on AI, VR, AR - Silicon Valley
VRARA Members get 25% discount. Email info@thevrara.com for your code.
GTC is the premier AI conference providing training, insights, and direct access to experts on the hottest topics in computing today, which of course include AR and VR. Check out the list of AR/VR sessions here.
VRARA Silicon Valley Event: The Emergence of Web-based VR/AR
RSVP here
The VR/AR Association (VRARA) and 8th Wall invite you to join us for discussions and demos on WebXR
About this Event
Join us for interactive discussions and demos covering Web-based VR/AR, how they are being used, and implications for the VR/AR ecosystems. The event includes a panel discussion by industry experts covering all things WebXR. The event will be held at 8th Wall’s office in Palo Alto*. 8th Wall is a key company driving WebAR development.
Panelists
To be announced - please check back for updates
Agenda
6:00PM – 7:00PM: Check-in, networking, light food and drinks served
7:00PM – 7:15PM: Introductions
7:15PM – 8:15PM: Presentations, demos, and panel discussion
8:15PM – 9:00PM: Networking, meet the speakers
*8th Wall's office is a 5 minute walk from the California Avenue Caltrain Station in Palo Alto, and there is plenty of nearby street and garage parking.
Get involved! Help shape the VR/AR industry and share your point of view
Call for speakers: if you are working on WebXR applications and would like to participate in this event
Sponsors: if you would like to sponsor this event or future events
Volunteers: join the VRARA Silicon Valley Chapter team to plan and run events
Email us at: sv@thevrara.com