Holiday cheer at Transfr VR
It was my pleasure to attend Transfr’s holiday lunch at their headquarters just off of Times Square. I’ve had my eye on this virtual reality startup for a while now; their mission is exciting and the folks are lovely.
Transfr first entered my radar in early 2021 when their Chief People Officer, Jessa Vatistas, reached out concerning an interesting opportunity that might be of interest to me or someone in my orbit. That began a conversation longer than perhaps either of us had expected; swapping stories about the evolving nature of recruiting in the virtual reality space. The idea of making the jump from Amazon Web Services to a peppy startup in my own New York backyard did sound tempting. (And I must stress that the people at Transfr are lovely—and a good group of sharp folks is always a big draw.) But I was both making a play for a more serious role in quantum computing as well as rekindling a friendship with my old Unity family. Although the context wasn’t quite right for me to pursue a formal relationship with Transfr, I have remained a big fan of their work. I was delighted to be invited back to hang with Marc Herbert (VP of Engineering), Shelley Hu (Senior Producer, VR Studios), and Evan Harper (Architect).
Arriving at Transfr’s Manhattan headquarters just in time for their holiday lunch.
Transfr’s mission is to train the future of every industry, and open up exciting new opportunities for talent across the globe and at home. They’re using virtual reality to build new pathways from classrooms to careers—training folks for well-paying jobs in high-demand fields, enabling learners to find job security and upward mobility—all facilitated through their immersive, hands-on VR training. As the price of hardware drops, the value of Transfr’s training modules only increases. If that sounds exciting to you, check out their website. Think you’re a good candidate for Transfr’s next open role? Here’s Transfr’s career page.
Marc Herbert (VP of Engineering), Shelley Hu (Senior Producer, VR Studios), and myself at Transfr’s Manhattan headquarters.
Personal trivia: Transfr’s office happens to be in the building next door to where David Reinfurt’s old O-R-G design studio was once housed. (Coincidentally, that very office space has since become occupied by Jake Barton’s Local Projects—a one-time NYU student of David’s, and a prodigy in his own right.) It’s a pleasant nostalgic kick each time I traverse that block of West 39th Street—where I first visited as a young design student back in 2003, studying under some of David’s fellow Yale Design alumni at the University of Connecticut. Good memories. Thanks for adding to them, Transfr!