Matthew Stoudt
COFOUNDER & CEO
Josh Sackman
COFOUNDER & PRESIDENT
Meet Our Founders
In 2015, when CEO Matthew Stoudt and President Josh Sackman founded AppliedVR with Chairman David Sackman, they knew virtual reality had the power to change behavior. At that point, VR had shown promise in academic lab settings, but its hardware presented limitations in form factor, price and usability. Since those start-up days, AppliedVR has become a respected leader in virtual reality-based therapeutics.
Before establishing the company, Matthew and Josh had built their own separate careers launching many successful businesses—Matthew in digital media and Josh at the intersection of healthcare and technology. With AppliedVR, they shared a mission: to change the pain treatment paradigm with human-centered technology. It was Josh’s own experience as a pediatric patient that inspired him to make chronic pain more manageable for others. Together, Matthew and Josh have built a team of respected healthcare veterans and digital tech professionals who are part of the pioneering effort that sets AppliedVR apart as an innovator.
LEADERSHIP
Proven Entrepreneurs
and Healthcare Veterans
Matthew Stoudt
Co-Founder and CEOPioneering immersive therapeutics, a new category of therapeutics with the promise to transform millions of lives
Josh Sackman
Co-Founder and PresidentAdvancing patient treatment options to empower the individual and improve the industry
David Sackman
Co-Founder and ChairmanSteering annual objectives as well as short- and long-term strategic priorities
Oliver Koechli
Chief Operating OfficerOptimizing the efficiency of day-to-day operations and administrative procedures
Charisse Sparks, M.D., FAAOS
Chief Medical OfficerAccelerating innovation and ensuring patient safety by contributing extensive medical and clinical insight.
Beth Darnall, PhD
Chief Science AdvisorAdvocating pain treatment methodologies that center on empowering patients
Deitzah Raby
General CounselDirecting the legal and compliance strategies in line with business priorities
Brent Paul
Chief of CommercialSpearheading the implementation of commercial strategies and performance standards
Cris Barrett
Head of PeopleCultivating culture and expressing core values to attract the best talent and help them flourish
Brenda "Bella" Spivack
VP of Brand and CommunicationsGuiding brand messaging and marketing executions—from the granular to the global
Todd Maddox, PhD
VP Research & DevelopmentCreating VRx solutions based on a background in brain science, data and psychology
Liesl Oldstone, PhD
VP Health Economics & Market AccessNavigating all aspects of the product lifecycle, from governmental and multiple-payer logistics to patient access
John Stanzi
VP/GM, Workers CompensationShaping applications for the workers' compensation industry and operational execution
Michael Chibbaro
VP Regulatory Affairs & QualityEnsuring compliance with government regulations while providing patients with state of the art quality.
Nish Parekh
VP Product ManagementProduct visionary with experience creating and launching several products from ideation to worldwide adoption
Emily Judge
VP, Market Access & Strategic PartnershipsCore Expert
Advisors
Brennan Spiegel, MD
Clinical Research AdvisorFacilitating clinical trials and documenting the real-world efficacy of VRx
Andrey Ostrovsky, MD
Commercial AdvisorTranslating research into practice while applying human-centered design principles
Mark Vrahas, MD
Medical AdvisorAdvising on patient pain and recovery with renowned orthopedic trauma expertise
Allison Komiyama, PhD, RAC
Regulatory AdvisorConsulting on FDA regulatory submissions and quality systems reviews
Everett Crosland, JD, MSC
Market Access AdvisorAdvising on patient pain and recovery with renowned orthopedic trauma expertise
Partha Krishnamurthy, PhD, MBA
Decision Sciences AdvisorGenerating new insights on well-being and behavioral change
Stephen Peroutka, MD, PhD
Pain Research AdvisorAdvising on the neuroscience aspects of virtual reality-based therapeutics
Who We Are
Everyone on the AppliedVR team is an entrepreneur—whether they’re working on R&D, coding, marketing or regulatory affairs. Each team member is a visionary in their own way. Each person represents a valued voice. As a work-from-home company, we may not be under the same roof at any given moment, but we‘re connected in our shared mission every step of the way.
How We Work
APART YET UNITED
Innovation is not just what we do—it‘s how we work. While our corporate headquarters is in Los Angeles, California, we‘re a work-from-home company. That allows us to be nimble while staying collaborative and connected. Whether it‘s sharing status updates in our weekly company-wide online meetings or checking in on day-to-day project details in one-on-one Zoom calls, the AppliedVR team is constantly cultivating connections. Off-site meetings, workshops and quarterly “all company” events bring us together in person for enrichment opportunities. Virtual hang-outs like “Coffee Roulette” and monthly happy hours energize our personal connections.
REMOTE WORK
A remote-first culture is not something we expected to be building at this phase of our growth, but we believe there are silver linings to everything. We’ve adapted surprisingly quickly and discovered new ways to work collaboratively across time zones and geography. The work/life benefits have outweighed the challenges. Not only has our potential pool of talent widened, our team tells us they are genuinely happy to spend less time commuting and more time with family and friends.