WELCOME TO THE CLEVELAND CHAPTER OF THE GLOBAL ASSOCIATION FOR VR AND AR
Cleveland has emerged as a biomedical leader thanks to healthcare networks and hospital programs that are consistently ranked best in class on a global level. A renaissance is in full swing with downtown development and a thriving culinary scene, fueled by our nationally recognized chefs and the rapid growth of bespoke food and beverage companies. Cleveland's renowned art museums, orchestra, and theater district inspire and empower creative commerce in the region.
The city and its lakefront provide popular shooting destinations for huge film franchises including Marvel’s The Avengersand The Fast and the Furious. Our storied and massive philanthropic network is empowering and funding entrepreneurs, community developers, educators, and change agents to remake Cleveland for the Experiential Age.
The arrival of the XR Channel of communication will trigger a shift in human resource demand from the Corporate-Coder towards the Creator-Composer. Innovative Northeast Ohio educators are adapting the learning landscape with cross-disciplinary degree programs that arm students with the 3D Modeling, Illustration, Animation, Sound Design, Architecture, and Game Design/Development skills they will need to deliver compelling, value-added virtual and augmented reality-based experiences.
Welcome to the XR BELT
Cleveland graduates are finding careers that offer immediate opportunities to work locally in Extended Reality including:
Crafting corporate Tech + XR strategy, engineering software, and building VR and AR business solutions for startups, midsize, and enterprise companies at RazorEdge.
AR publishing and storytelling at 360 Alley.
Engineering high-performance optical coatings for next-generation optics from Apple, Oculus, Meta, ODG, Vuzix, Dreamworld, Microsoft, DAQRI at North American Coating Laboratories (NACL).
Selling, designing, supplying, and deploying VR/AR Labs for K–12 and University Level Educators at Channel XR, the world’s first pure-play extended reality marketplace.
Delivering Virtual Reality-based wellness solutions to people in hospitals and assisted living facilities at Flipside VR.
EVENTS
See all events here
NEWS
See daily updates on our Twitter
THE TEAM
Reynaldo Zabala, Chapter President – reynaldo@thevrara.com
Reynaldo is a passionate tech strategist and enterprise software developer who began his career with Accenture’s Microsoft Solutions Organization back in 2000 focusing on large-scale e-commerce platform and ERP system integration projects. Reynaldo launched RazorEdge in 2007 to provide enterprise and midmarket B2B companies with process and technology re-engineering solutions aimed at exploiting market opportunities and driving cost efficiency.
For over 17 years, he has excelled as a technology executive, chief software architect, and enterprise technology consultant for companies ranging in size from startups to global multinationals with over $32B in top-line growth. Reynaldo’s current passion is working to restore Cleveland, Ohio’s position as a leading city of technological innovation. He is the co-founder of CLEVR, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve Cleveland’s socioeconomic conditions by channeling the ingenuity of Clevelanders towards the creation of high-demand AR/VR-based content, products, and services.
Dan Fiore, Chapter Vice President
NETWORK
Connect and build strong relationships with key players in the VR/AR ecosystem through VRARA or partner-hosted events.
COLLABORATE
Work with innovators in the VR/AR ecosystem across all verticals, from original content creators to innovative hardware companies.
RESEARCH
Gain unlimited, exclusive access to VRARA research and publications, or, when applicable, receive discounts to third-party reports.