Zero to Start Podcast: VR development for beginners

What do your shoes do? 

On today’s episode we’re stepping into the future of footwear with Ian Harrison, creative disruptor, innovation catalyst, XR futurist and the Co-founder of SneakAR. 

SneakAR transforms your sneakers into a dynamic digital canvas with their revolutionary AR experience, turning your shoes into an interactive masterpiece with just a tap.

Ian shares how SneakAR is disrupting traditional brand engagement by building unforgettable  “door knock moments" - unlocking the power of web3, XR and emerging tech to create "people-market fit" that results in lasting moments that matter.

His unique path has taken him from music to manufacturing to the blockchain where his Culture Coin web3 solution was also nominated for an Auggie. 

Find out how brands, creators, musicians and athletes can literally put their best foot forward with SneakAR. 

Thanks for listening. 

We're on the road to 50 episodes! We appreciate all our subscribers and listeners around the globe.

• Zero to Start is now on YouTube. Subscribe on your favorite platform and follow us on LinkedIn for more voices shaping the future of XR.

FEATURED LINKS:

• Ian Harrison on LinkedIn
• SneakAR
• @sneakarshoeco on Instagram
• Muenstervision Incubate. Innovate. Integrate. 
• KiTBetter
• The Shoes of AWE

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• sicilianatrevino.com

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Dominique Wu is the founder of XReality Pro, where she designs, builds, and teaches immersive technologies that empower creators and transform how we interact with XR and AI.

She has consulted for industry giants including Meta and Walmart’s Store No. 8, and is the author of Spatial Design: Breaking the 2D Paradigm.

With over 500 speaker events hosted across her media channels, including the popular XReality Pro YouTube channel, Dominique is a leading voice in XR education and community building.

In this episode, she shares her bold approach to finding product–market fit, why teaching is in her DNA, and how industry newcomers can succeed by positioning themselves as collaborative, adaptable problem solvers in an increasingly AI-driven world.

We get her take on Apple Vision Pro, Android XR and the overall signal to noise in XR and AI.

We also dive into her latest Udemy course, The Ultimate AI Pipeline for XR Development, which takes learners from "zero to hero" in building an interactive XR app inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven. See discount code below!! 

Thanks for listening! 

• Zero to Start is now on YouTube! Subscribe on your favorite platform and follow us on LinkedIn for more voices shaping the future of immersive tech.

FEATURED LINKS:

• Dominique Wu on LinkedIn
• The Ultimate AI Pipeline for XR Development
• GET THE COURSE FOR $12.99 !
• USE DISCOUNT CODE: 6D12F5CF5118525BA256
• Expires 07/23/2025 12:08 PM PDT (GMT -7) 
• Entertainment in Spatial AI with Charlie Fink - XReality Pro Podcast 

CONNECT WITH SICILIANA:

• LinkedIn
• sicilianatrevino.com

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What’s everyone excited about at AWE 2025? What’s still needed as we build the future of XR?

🎧 Listen in for quick-hit insights from leading XR innovators, direct from the expo hall floor.

Featuring:

• Cognitive3D - Build Better XR Experiences with 3D Spatial Analytics
• VR Chat Avatar Marketplace - The First Avatar Marketplace Inside VRChat
• Convai -  Conversational AI Characters
• FS Studio - Synthetic data, digital twins & enterprise XR solutions
• Akuret - AI-powered retail optimization.
• SneakAR - Step into the future of footware.
• The Virtual World Museum - Archiving the history of virtual worlds.
• Caitlin Krause, Mindwise - Empowering Meaningful Connection and wellbeing in a tech-driven world.

Zero to Start is now on YouTube! Subscribe on your favorite platform and follow us on LinkedIn for more voices shaping the future of immersive tech.

FEATURED LINKS:

• AWE 2026 Super Early Bird Tickets
• The Shoes of AWE 2025
• Our AWE playlist !
• Build for Spectacles
• XREAL One Pro - early bird pricing until June 30th 
• Jenna Villa, MetaGal - LinkedIn
• John A. Cunningham, President, Virtualware - LinkedIn
• XR Guild

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• LinkedIn
• sicilianatrevino.com

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AWE USA 2025 delivered on its promise of feeling spatial. 

Not only was the mantra XR is Going Mainstream, AWE founder Ori Inbar optimistically declared 2025 as the year of the Master Builder - passionate domain subject experts creating XR solutions for their community filling in diverse content gaps that are shifting the balance between big brands and dedicated niche audiences.  

Today's show features clips from our favorite moments during AWE’s day-one morning keynotes:

• Ori Inbar's Welcome Keynote - XR Is Going Mainstream! | AWE USA 2025
• Bringing AI and AR Into the Real World Through Spectacles | AWE USA 2025
• Project Aura & More: XREAL’s Vision for the Present and Future of XR by Chi Xu | AWE USA 2025

Excited about our 41st podcast episode! We’re officially on the road to our 50th with a very special mystery guest scheduled for that occasion. 

Thanks for listening! Subscribe to Zero to Start on your favorite podcast platform. 

• Follow our podcast page on LinkedIn!

FEATURED LINKS:

• XREAL One Pro - early bird pricing until June 30th 
• Zero to Start is now on YouTube! 
• Our AWE playlist !
• The Shoes of AWE 2025

CONNECT WITH SICILIANA:

• LinkedIn
• sicilianatrevino.com

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XR pioneer Avi Bar-Zeev has been at the forefront of Spatial Computing for over 30 years: from launching Disney’s groundbreaking Aladdin VR ride in the early 90s and crafting Second Life’s 3D worlds to co-founding Keyhole (Google Earth) mirror-earth spatial browser, co-inventing the Hololens AR headset in 2010 and leading the Experience Prototyping team for Apple's Vision Pro and more from 2016-19. 

Bar-Zeev's so ubiquitous he's been affectionately called the Forrest Gump of XR. 

On today's show, Bar-Zeev returns to the podcast and illuminates his journey through immersive tech from those early days to his latest role as Founder and President of the XR Guild, a 501c3 nonprofit, his response to the urgent need to bring more thoughtful and ethical practices into emerging platforms and AI. 

The XR Guild's Ethical Professionals Mixer is sold out. Zero to Start is proud to have joined primary event sponsor LA SIGGRAPH, and XRA as a "bronze" co-sponsor.

• Heading to AWE USA 2025 ? Road to VR readers can still get an exclusive 20% discount on tickets: https://geni.us/7ijTS - Ben Lang

Thanks for listening! Subscribe to Zero to Start on your favorite podcast platform. 

• Follow our podcast page on LinkedIn!

AWE JUNE 9th:

• 10:30 AM - 04:30 PM | Room 204 | XR Guild and Virtual World Society - UNCONFERENCE

Catch Avi and other guild members at these AWE panels:

JUNE 10:

• 04:30 PM - 04:55 PM  | Room 102A |  For XR/AI Makers, the Secret Sauce is Ethics - Aysu Unal - AiSU, Avi Bar-Zeev - XR Guild

JUNE 11:

• 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM  | Builders Nexus Stage - Expo Hall |
  AI x Metaverse: Advancing Spatial Intelligence, Spatial Computing, and Beyond in Synergy 

FEATURED LINKS

• Our AWE playlist !
• AWE Day One podcast guide!
• XR Guild
• XR Guild Library 2.0
• Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making
• Neely Purpose Driven XR Library

CONNECT WITH SICILIANA:
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On today's show we're spotlighting our AWE day one itinerary. Elevate your conference vibe with our AWE playlist !

Heading to AWE USA 2025 next week? Road to VR readers can still get an exclusive 20% discount on tickets: https://geni.us/7ijTS - BEN LANG

JUNE 10 ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS

• 09:00 AM - 09:25 AM AWE USA 2025 Welcome Keynote - XR Is Going Mainstream! - Ori Inbar - AWE & Super Ventures
• 09:30 AM - 09:55 AM Accelerating the Spatial Computing Revolution for Developers and Enterprise - Ziad Asghar - Qualcomm
• 10:00 AM - 10:25 AM Bringing AI and AR Into the Real World Through Spectacles Evan Spiegel - Snap
• 10:30 AM - 10:55 AM Project Aura & More: XREAL’s Vision for the Present and Future of XR - Chi Xu - XREAL
• 11:00 AM - 05:30 PM Expo, Playground, Gaming Hub
• 01:30 PM - 01:55 PM From Storytelling to StoryLIVING: Our New Reality | Vicki Dobbs Beck - Lucasfilm & ILM
• 02:00 PM - 02:25 PM  Evolving Bystander Signaling Norms and Industry Standards in the Era of AI - Dena Feldman - Meta
• 02:00 PM - 02:55 PM  PANEL: The Next Revolution in Graphics: How 3DGS Changes Everything (Gaussian Splatting)
• 02:30 PM - 02:55 PM Beyond the Banner Ad: How AR is Reshaping Brand Engagement - Tom Emrich - The Next Dimension
• 03:30 PM - 04:15 PM AWE Wellness Walk with Caitlin Krause: A Somatic & Spatial Journey into Digital Wellbeing - Caitlin Krause
• 04:30 PM - 04:55 PM  For XR/AI Makers, the Secret Sauce is Ethics - Aysu Unal - AiSU, Avi Bar-Zeev - XR Guild
• 05:00 PM - 05:55 PM PANEL: Igniting Cultural Institutions: AfroFuturism & Lincoln Center
• 5:00-5:25 pm From Code to Conduct: Building Healthy Communities in VR Games - David Neubelt | Another Axiom (Gorilla Tag) 

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How can we create XR experiences with purpose and why does it matter? 

Last week's MeaningfulXR conference at UC Davis and in VRChat brought together a dynamic XR community from across the globe to explore the answers and featured some of the latest academic research using XR across disciplines including education, psychology, design, AI, health and wellness, tracking data and more. 

On this special episode, I’m sharing the audio recording of our MeaningfulXR panel, Creating platforms and apps to better people's lives 

Led by Carsten Becker, Faculty, Media Design and Extended Reality USC Iovine & Young Academy and featuring Avi Bar-Zeev, XR Pioneer, founder and president of the XR Guild. 

I highlight some of the exciting projects I saw on Day One of the conference and Carsten shares his industry insights, the importance of ethics and purpose driven XR, as well as how to overcome building and investment challenges for new XR students and builders. 

We also hear from Carsten’s Neely Center student mentees who are designing purpose driven XR for social impact.  

Special thanks to Robby Ratan and the MeaningfulXR team!

Thanks for listening!  Subscribe to Zero to Start on your favorite podcast platform... 

Follow our podcast page on LinkedIn!

FEATURED CONFERENCE PROJECTS/CREATORS:

• Reimagining Land Acknowledgment: Co-Designing Location-Based AR with Indigenous Communities - Kai Lukoff, Sean Hauze, Madison Nguyen, Isabella 'Amne Gomez
• CN Vision: A Novel AR Tool for Enhanced SLP Neuroanatomy Learning - Maura Philippone, Jesse Sanderson
• Immersive Religion: Enhancing Religious Literacy through Extended Reality -John Soboslai
• Navigating Ethics in Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Design for Dyslexia Interventions - Aurelia O'Neil

FEATURED LINKS:

• MeaningfulXR Conference
• Neely Purpose Driven XR Library
• Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making
• XR Guild
• XR Guild Library
• VIDEO Lightning talk: A Deep Dive into Eye-tracking in XR with Avi Bar-Zeev - Stanford Cyber Policy Center

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• sicilianatrevino.com

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Today’s bite-sized episode is a quick shout out to the Meaningful XR conference  happening Thursday May 22nd and Friday May 23rd at the UC Davis International Center and virtually in VRChat.

On Friday at 12:30pm  I’ll be joining the panel, Creating platforms and apps to better people's lives 

Led by Carsten Becker Faculty, Media Design and Extended Reality at USC Iovine & Young Academy 

Featuring Guljaha Shaik Neely Fellow 2024-25 and recent MBA graduate from the USC Marshall School of Business

And friend of the podcast Avi Bar-Zeev XR pioneer, founder and President of The XR Guild, a non-profit that seeks to support and educate professionals in XR on ethics and most positive outcomes for humanity.

Thanks for listening! Happy installing... Subscribe to Zero to Start on your favorite podcast platform Follow our podcast page on LinkedIn!

FEATURED LINKS:

MeaningfulXR Conference

Neely Purpose Driven XR Library

Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making

XR Guild

Digital Wellbeing -Caitlin Krause

Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman

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sicilianatrevino.com

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It’s Game ON with GDC in San Francisco at the Moscone Convention Center, March 17th through the 21st. 

On our first episode of 2025 we’re checking out

• The Top Game Developer Trends heading into GDC 2025 
• The Meta Horizon Start Guide to GDC 
• XR events and other happenings featured on gdcparties.com

Find out why you don’t have to have a GDC pass to enjoy some of the best gaming industry panels and networking of the year! 

Thanks for listening! Happy installing... Subscribe to Zero to Start on your favorite podcast platform Follow our podcast page on LinkedIn!

FEATURED LINKS:

The Top Game Developer Trends heading into GDC 2025 - Beth Elderkin, GDC

Future Realities Summit at GDC - GDC

Unity GDC Events - Unity.com

Niantic at GDC - Niantic

Staying Safe and Healthy at GDC - GDC

GDC Vault- GDC

Meta Horizon Start Program - Meta

"Best part of a conference isn't on the agenda" - Andy Fidel, LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH SICILIANA:
LinkedIn
sicilianatrevino.com

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*not sponsored by Meta, Unity or GDC. 

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Happy New Year's Eve! Before the clock strikes midnight I'm sharing a quick message of thanks and appreciation to all of my guests this year and to you, the listeners, who've downloaded episodes in 37 countries across the world.

Our top listeners are from the U.S., Germany, Australia, Canada and the UK.

Our Top podcast episode of 2024 is:
Retail Therapy: My inner child said no to a $4500 Apple Vision Pro

Followed by:
Apple Vision Pro's paradigm shift with Ash Baccus-Clark, Speculative Researcher and Creative Strategist, ABC Worldwide

Launching JADU on mobile: a first-of-its-kind multiplayer AR fighting game, with Sarah Stumbo Huth, Gameplay Engineer, Jadu AR

Optimizing XR Development: The Power of Automated Testing with Shane Evans, Cofounder, GameDriver

DECEMBER 2024 NEWS

Android XR: The Gemini Era Comes to Headsets and Glasses - Google
Android XR Resources Thread - @tom_krikorian
Hands on: Samsung's XR headset - Ben Lang, Road to VR

Into the Scaniverse - YouTube
Building Into the Scaniverse in Niantic Studio - 8th Wall Blog

Images & Ideas: A New Partnership With James Cameron's Lightstorm Vision - Meta

AWE's The Future of VR Sports/Esports with Sonya Haskins - LinkedIn Livestream

Quest 2/3s/3 Software Update Issue - Meta Community Forums

NEW VR FITNESS WORKOUTS! 

SynthRiders Experience - Barbie Dance'nDream DLC

Jane Fonda X Supernatural - YouTube trailer

TaeBo Reboot - Billy Blanks 

Thanks for listening! Happy installing 2025. 

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