In this episode, Host Jesse Warner sits down with Kyle Doran, founder of TheNetVR, to talk about building a virtual reality platform focused on meaningful connection and what it takes to keep moving when resources are limited. Kyle shares his path from a traditional career into gaming, how his passion turned into a long-term startup effort, and what he’s learned while building with a volunteer-driven team.
What You’ll Learn
- How deep personal passion can evolve into a business idea, and why commitment matters when timelines stretch longer than expected
- The tradeoffs of building with volunteers, including how it impacts speed, accountability, and long-term execution
- Why early-stage fundraising can become a distraction if it pulls focus away from product-market clarity and customer traction
- The importance of knowing your target customer intimately, especially in niche industries like gaming and immersive tech
- How to think about growth in consumer products where “users” don’t automatically translate to sustainable revenue
- Practical ways scrappy teams can use free AI tools to accelerate learning, support coding, and fill capability gaps
- Key lessons from early mistakes, including underestimating the true cost and risk profile of software and game-like product development
- How to communicate a complex, emerging product to non-technical or non-industry audiences without overpromising
Kyle’s story highlights the less-glamorous reality of entrepreneurship: progress often comes from persistence, iteration, and finding creative ways to keep building even when funding and professional bandwidth are constrained. The conversation reinforces that clarity on mission and customer can be a competitive advantage especially when you’re still in the trenches and learning in real time.
To learn more about Kyle Doran and their work.