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.
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 -- technology and learning -- together at Versal. He likes hiking, biking, traveling, and things that go fast.
Carlos Cuadra
Head of content and author relations
Carlos is excited to be working with authors and managing the content/production team at Versal. He's just happy to talk to people. In his last job, he talked to plants.
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 you don't find her holed up in SF with a good book, head due east. You'll find her in Tahoe.
Alex Zelensky
Engineer
Alex lives and works for Versal in Ukraine.
Mike Bannister
Engineer
Mike is a hacker and code artist obsessed with building software that is important, fun, and easy to use. When not coding he can be found at Bay Area playgrounds with his daughters.
RJ Zaworski
Engineer
RJ is a 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 -- he remains involved in HA by participating in their mentorship program. When he's not coding in Scala on the backend, Charles enjoys running, hiking, and reading.
Sergei Wintizki
Engineer
Following a prolonged academic career, Sergei found increased fulfillment as a software developer and architect. He is passionate about learning, thinking, understanding, explaining, logic, programming, languages, and mathematics. Sergei also 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
Jan Paul is an Oxford graduate in Computer Science with a broad range of interests. He loves working with amazing people to improve education. Since he is Dutch, bicycling is his primary mode of transportation.
Andrey Mereskin
Engineer
Andrey is working remotely (in Moscow!) as one of Versal's frontend developers. On the side he is teaching a course on web development and conducting experiments on online learning. Andrey loves it when things just work.
Monica Cereseto
Video production
In 2012, Monica graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature. Her degree emphasis was on film and critical art theory. Her interests include film, literature, and the culinary arts.
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.
Andres Mejia
Office manager
Andres, born in Colombia, is an avid futbol fan with an unusual passion for food. He loves spending 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.
Aaron Sullivan
Engineer
Whether he's creating music on his Fender Strat or building mathematical proofs, Aaron loves to create. Aaron's belief that the internet can change humankind for the better brought him to Versal, where he lovingly works as a software engineer.
Oren Schaedel
Data scientist
An experimenter at heart, Oren developed a fondness for data while studying decision-making in animals. He co-founded BioNetBook and developed a system to manage scientific methods, helping scientists streamline project development. In his spare time Oren can be found swimming or building public art installations.
Ryan Lester
Account executive
Ryan is an above-average competitive runner and is Versal's first sales hire. He's passionate about education, and on the weekend you can find him volunteering as a high school track coach in Oakland.
Alex Patriquin
Director of marketing
Alex likes to think of startup marketing as a cross between a Sherlock Holmes mystery and a 100 meter dash. As a marketer and web developer, he's connected customers and data to drive growth at several successful startups, like HubSpot and Squarespace. He enjoys APIs, IPAs and A/B testing.
Sarah Karlson
Engineer
Sarah developed early interests in computers, the internet, and psychology into a degree in Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon and a career in software engineering. She enjoys food, data, travel, robust development processes, and classical singing.
