Jackie Lee, Ph.D. is the founder of ScienceVR (sciencevr.com). Jackie is a cross-disciplinary inventor in VR/AR, learning, and Affective Computing. Jackie received his Master's and Ph.D. degrees from MIT's Media Laboratory. Jackie believes that visualization makes things easier and more fun to learn. Jackie and ScienceVR are partnering with MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund, Epic Games MegaGrants, Magic Leap Creator Program, Oculus Start program, and science museums around the world. ScienceVR creates immersive STEM experiences that transform complex concepts into engaging interactions: students learn about electromagnetism with Michael Faraday, how to program the Analytical Engine with Ada Lovelace, or how to play Lewis Carroll’s mind-bending “Game of Logic” with the White Rabbit. Since the pandemic, Jackie has been working on bringing virtual reality into remote learning environments. Jackie received the Virtual World Society's Nextant Rising Star Prize at AWE 2020.

Joshua Ness is a Senior Manager with Verizon's 5G Labs in New York City. He partners with enterprise, startups, and academic teams to drive innovation around 5G and co-create new 5G concepts that take advantage of complementary technologies like spatial computing, edge computing, and computer vision. Joshua sits at the intersection of the application of emerging technology and of the actual nitty-gritty under the hood that makes the technology work. He uses this to create compelling stories that use historical contexts combined with current and future technology advancements in order to educate, inspire, and connect the dots for individuals and businesses.

Thomas Gentle is the CEO & Co-Founder of Shotcall, the first-of-its-kind interactive gaming platform and marketplace that brings together fans and streamers from across the globe. Thomas, along with his Co-Founders, are members of the Techstars Seattle 2020 cohort. From an early age, Thomas struggled with a stutter, so he turned to gaming as a way to connect and communicate with others. The digital realm became a safe haven where the restrictions of his speech lifted and he was able to forge his own sense of community. While attending Georgia Tech, he met Co-Founders Riley Auten and Gordon Li, who shared his passion for gaming. They recognized that technology to handle the coordination and monetization for influencers to reach their massive fan base through gaming was lacking - which is where Shotcall comes in. They set out to build a platform to improve fan and creator engagement, which has exploded into the end-to-end solution for creators and fans to connect. Prior to Shotcall, Thomas founded InvestED Benefits Inc., and held positions as an analyst and project manager. Thomas graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration & IT Management.

Kris Soumas is the Head of Content Strategy & Programming Acquisition, 5G and Gaming at Verizon.

Cynthia Slowik is an Innovation Manager for the 5G Lab in NYC. She’s responsible for live virtual event programming, innovation workshops, and supporting co-creation initiatives across the NYC and Verizon innovation ecosystem. Most recently she executed an event series partnership with WXR to highlight relevant XR topics in a variety of virtual platforms. Notable work achievements from producing NYCxDESIGN, New York City’s official Design ‘Week’ and an active mentor for several highly-regarded tech accelerators such as Barclay's Accelerator, powered by Techstars and hardware tech Futureworks incubator programs.