About Universe
“Universe is the most engaging way to learn AR/VR app development as you are learning these 3D concepts in 3D. Students are able to get the same convenience of online learning with the quality of in-person learning through teaching in the metaverse.”
— Nicolas Barone, Founder
Our Story
"I started this company because of how frustrated I was with how traditional online courses work today." - Nicolas Barone
Universe was created by Nicolas Barone in 2018. During his time as a Cornell engineering student, he grew frustrated with online learning. He loved the convenience and affordability of online learning but saw it lacked the collaborative and immersive elements of in-person learning that he was experiencing at his university. Nicolas then started the journey of bringing the benefits of in person learning online through virtual reality.
Since then Universe has taught 15 courses in the metaverse with a 4x higher graduation rate than traditional online courses. We've grown to be the 3rd largest VR events channel and have taught over 10,000 students. Live learning in the metaverse is future for giving everyone access to high quality education while still being affordable and convenient.
The Mission Behind Universe
1. Make Education Accessible
2. Help you Grow
3. Grow a Community
Meet Our Teachers
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Nicolas Barone
Nicolas Barone has been teaching in the Metaverse for over several years now having instructed 15 Unity courses in the Metaverse. He is the owner of CSinVR, the 3rd largest VR events channel in the world, and has run over 250 events in VR that have attracted over 10,000 attendees. Nicolas has developed worlds for AltspaceVR using Unity and our VRQuiz MRE that have had over 8,000 users and managed development of Universe's VR tutoring app. He also has a computer science degree from the College of Engineering at Cornell University.
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Mark Jeffcock
Mark Jeffcock has been working with relational databases for 40 years, having worked at SERC, Reuters, BT and now Save The Children. In VR, he has taught 5 Unity courses and has been building worlds documenting the history of his local town, Colchester in the UK. His worlds have over 1,000 joins combined. Mark also has a particular interest in using photo-realistic techniques such as photogrammetry, 360 degree photospheres & 3D 180 photos. He has presented his work for both Educators in VR and CSinVR.
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John Howard
John Howard has over a decade of software development experience. He has worked with a variety of programming languages and platforms, including Perl, C++, C#, and SQL on Windows, Linux, Arduino, and Android. He has particular interests in electronics, woodworking, and gaming. His passion for puzzle solving has led him to explore pursuits in VR. He also has a Computer Science degree and a Mathematics degree from Indiana University.
View ProfileMeet Our Staff
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Nicolas Barone
Nicolas Barone has been teaching in the Metaverse for over several years now having instructed 15 Unity courses in the Metaverse. He is the owner of CSinVR, the 3rd largest VR events channel in the world, and has run over 250 events in VR that have attracted over 10,000 attendees. Nicolas has developed worlds for AltspaceVR using Unity and our VRQuiz MRE that have had over 8,000 users and managed development of Universe's VR tutoring app. He also has a computer science degree from the College of Engineering at Cornell University.
Tony Qin
Tony Qin is a graduate from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration with a minor in computer science and game design. He was a software engineer for the iOS app Lab Cat where he created the software architecture, level designer, camera controls, and file management system using SDL and OpenGL. Tony has also created the live 3D animations with Unity for Universe's holoportation lessons. Finally, he led his robotics team to compete in the VEX Robotics competition and qualified for the provincial championship.
