2014-2018
Background
I co-founded VRLA after posting on Reddit in 2014 as a USC student, suggesting an LA VR meetup. John Root from Digital Domain responded, offering the Digital Domain motion capture stage. We met in a Vietnamese noodle shop and conceived what John called "The people's VR conference"—something between a grassroots meetup and a conventional industry gathering. What started as meetups in 2014 held in supportive companies' sound stages evolved into something bigger as the VR community exploded.
Core Problem
The VR industry desperately needed an accessible gathering place where innovation could be experienced by everyone, not just industry insiders. Traditional tech conferences charged up to $1,000 per ticket, excluding indie developers and curious consumers who were driving much of VR's creative energy. There was no place where a teenage VR enthusiast could experience the same cutting-edge demos as Fortune 500 executives, and no platform that celebrated both grassroots innovation and enterprise-level development.
The Approach
VRLA became a platform where attendees could experience hundreds of VR and AR demos, art installations, educational sessions, and product launches—creating a convergence of the most innovative technologies shaping our world. We kept tickets as low as $30 while securing major sponsors like Intel, Dell, Qualcomm, and Microsoft to subsidize dozens of indie developers who could exhibit for free. The combination created a unique ecosystem where breakthrough technology was accessible to families, developers, investors, and industry leaders alike. Located in the heart of the entertainment industry, it became the annual pilgrimage for anyone wanting to glimpse the future of immersive technology.
Results and Impact
We scaled VRLA from small meetups to a yearly event that occupied the largest halls of the LA Convention Center, growing from 150 attendees in 2014 to over 7,000 people by 2018. The event became so essential that industry leaders felt compelled to participate, transforming VRLA into the world's largest VR expo. The accessible pricing model and massive scale created a sustainable platform that connected enterprise sponsors with grassroots innovation, proving that inclusive events could drive both community building and business development in emerging technology sectors.