About
Versal is an open publishing platform for anyone to create interactive online courses - no coding required.
The Internet has connected all of us like never before. And yet, online learning is often one-dimensional - limited to videos and slide decks. It doesn’t have to be that way. Computers, and the modern Internet, are designed for interactivity.
We believe by partnering with education enthusiasts and developers, together we can make a difference.
Now, as we open Versal up for the first time, we can’t wait to hear what you think.
Team
Gene Linetsky
CTO
After some years as a mathematician, software engineer, startup founder, inventor, teacher, manager, textbook author, piano player, and father, Gene has finally reached his level of incompetence in each of these areas.
Full bio.
Tom Neustaetter
Board of directors and advisor
Scott Bennion
COO
Scott enjoys building high growth technology companies, and removing friction from the system. He is passionate about bringing two of his greatest interests together at Versal: technology and learning. He likes hiking, biking, traveling, and things that go fast.
Full bio.
Carlos Cuadra
Head of content and author relations
Carlos is excited to be working with authors and managing the content and production team at Versal. He's just happy to talk to people. In his last job, he talked to plants.
Full bio.
Allison Wagda
VP, Marketing
Allison started at Versal less than 48 hours after her first interview (someone had to translate the technical diagrams on the whiteboard into plain English – and fast.) If she’s not holed up in SF with her nose in a book, head due east. She’s in Tahoe.
Full bio.
James Douglas
Engineer
A programmer passionate about continuous learning, James helps build the Scala backend of the Versal Platform. When not knee-deep in type theory, he can be found riding his bicycle.
Dylan Pyle
Engineer
Dylan is a front-end engineer with a penchant for clean APIs and big ideas, and for creating new ways for education to grow with technology. Outside of the office, he enjoys cycling, skiing, and exploring San Francisco.
Julia Khusainova
Designer
Julia is a self-taught UX/UI designer with major in Computer Science. Full inderstanding of highly technical aspects makes her perfect for crafting interfaces for Versal products. Believes in simplicity and functionality, she is a perfectionist by nature and will pore over every small detail to make sure things are just right.
Chris White
Education
Chris creates courses for Versal. He also makes experimental theater and performances. He can't decide whether to create a Versal course about making experimental performances or to make an experimental performance about creating courses for Versal.
Alex Zelensky
Engineer
Lives and works for Versal in Ukraine.
Mike Bannister
Engineer
Hacker and code artist. Obsessed with building software that is important, fun, and easy to use. Otherwise he can be found at Bay Area playgrounds with his daughters.
Dian Xiao
Designer
Dian graduated recently from Carnegie Mellon with a bachelors in Information Systems and Human-Computer Interaction. At Versal she uses her interdisciplinary education to work on a variety of projects. In her spare time she likes biking, cooking, and playing board games.
RJ Zaworski
Engineer
Mediocre banjo player
Charles Ruhland
Engineer
Enthusiasm for programming and education from an early age led Charles to earn a bachelors in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon. Before joining Versal, he was an instructor for Hackbright Academy, and remains involved by participating in their mentorship program. When he's not coding in Scala on the backend, Charles enjoys running, hiking, and reading.
Nina Govan
Product manager
"Everything you can imagine is real" - Pablo Picasso. One of Nina's favorite quotes and source of inner inspiration.
Sergei Wintizki
Engineer
After an academic career that felt too long, Sergei found a lot more fulfillment as an iPhone / Android developer and architect. Passionate about learning, thinking, understanding, explaining, logic, programming, languages, and mathematics. Likes books.
Devon Berger
Designer
Devon received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design from Maine College of Art. Before joining Versal, she worked as a designer and patronized the flea markets of Brooklyn, NY. Now in San Francisco, she spends her time designing and listening to records with her birds Gigi and Goose.
Mike Chappell
Video production
Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Production from Long Beach State with an emphasis on cinematography. Before joining Versal, he worked as an independent producer for a number of corporate clients.
Jan Paul Posma
Engineer
Oxford-graduated computer scientist with a very broad range of interests. Loves working with amazing people on paradigm-shifting concepts. Lives and works for Versal in the Netherlands.
Andrey Mereskin
Engineer
Andrey fell in love with computer programming when he was 11 years old, and, despite the time, there is still novelty in these relations. Currently Andrey is exploring the opportunity of sharing the code between client and server, and finds JavaScript handy. Besides computer programming, Andrey loves being with his family, travelling and walking with nature. Lives and works for Versal in Russia.
Monica Cereseto
Video production
Monica graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature with an emphasis on film and critical art theory from the University of Oregon in 2012. Her interests include film, literature, and the culinary arts.
Barry Morrison
Engineer
Geek. Keep out of direct sunlight. Feed and water regularly.
Selby Walker
Engineer
A UC Davis graduate and San Francisco native, Selby fell in love with programming at an early age. In her free time, you'll find her playing Settlers of Catan with friends and listening to live music around the city. She loves skiing and going on hikes on Mt. Tam with her dog, Zeus.
Kelley Robinson
Engineer
Kelley came to Versal from finance by way of Hackbright Academy. She enjoys sarcasm and baking.
Chris Poseley
VP, Business development
Marvel at the beauty of a well-done deal.
Stephen Wakulchik
Content and author relations
Trained in neuroscience and battle tested teaching in inner-city Oakland, Stephen hopes to leverage the science of learning and memory through education technology to positively impact educational outcomes for students around the world. In his spare time, Stephen enjoys trail running, Muay Thai kickboxing, brewing delicious tea, and pandas.
Dan Garzi
Designer
When I'm not drawing or designing, you can probably find me reading a book about vague scientific theories. If I'm not doing that then there's a good chance I've been abducted by aliens.
John Martin
Corporate controller
When not keeping abreast of the latest accounting pronouncements or developing SQL scripts, John can be found exploring the City with his wife and son.
Claire Menke
User research
People fascinate me (hence the degree in anthropology). When not in the office, I can be found taking photos, browsing the ASPCA adoptable dogs list, or traveling with my stuffed animal friend, Fat Penguin.
Shaohua Zhou
Engineer
From a small village in Hunan, China to the center of universe San Francisco, Shao has travelled a long way. From scientist, to management consultant, to software engineer, he is an entrepreneur at heart and strives to make something people want.
Andres Mejia
Office manager
An avid futbol fan, born in Colombia, with an unusual passion for food, that loves to expend his free time reading, watching FUTBOL games, hiking and discovering new restaurants.
Ryan Jones
Engineer
Spinning pedals. Cranking code.
Dan McGuinness
Engineer
If he isn't programming, you can probably find Dan surfing, hiking, or rock climbing somewhere in the Bay Area.
Vicky Nguyen
Engineer
Hails from UC Berkeley's mathematics department and Hackbright Academy. When not coding for Versal's backend team, Vicky swims and co-writes short stories with her narcissistic stuffed sloth, Alexander Napoleon.
Kristina Garfinkel
Engineer
A JavaScript enthusiast with a crush on neuroscience
JoAnne Hart
Sr. Director, Demand generation
JoAnne loves helping early stage startups develop performance based marketing programs. Prior to joining Versal, she had the pleasure of working with bay area startups 99designs and Indaco. In addition to doing fancy things with data in Excel, she enjoys nail polish, podcasts and beach vacations.
Aaron Sullivan
Engineer
Aaron is a man who loves to create. Whether he's creating music on his Fender Strat, building mathematical proofs, or building exciting things in computer language, he'll create wherever the wind blows him. He is also enamored with the internet, believing it will change humankind for the better and for ever.
