Hidden Gems: Meet Suzanne Borders of BadVR, Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Borders.

Hi Suzanne, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My path to starting a technology company was definitely “non-traditional.” I was born in La Jolla, California, but spent my later childhood in Kansas City, where I never quite fit in. Back then, my life revolved around animals (specifically horses) and I became a competitive show jumper, placing 7th in the nation at the Pony Finals. I had planned for a professional riding career, but a devastating accident left me learning to walk again and forced me to rebuild my life, my goals, and my dreams for the future. I decided to go to college, where I studied psychology. However, my love of punk rock led me to start a local production company that organized shows for KC punk and goth bands. This company grew and became moderately successful and soon I was pprinting band merchandise in my basement, building music websites, and designing online fan communities. During this process, I discovered I had a talent for technology and design, so I moved back to California and built a career in UX/UI design, specializing in data visualization and analytics. But I missed running my own business, and in 2017, I left my job to co-found BadVR with a former boss. The company was driven by a simple idea: make complex data easier to understand by utilizing augmented and virtual reality technology. We built the company without venture capital, securing over $4 million in SBIR grant funding from the National Science Foundation, NOAA, and other government organizations. Using the SBIR pathway, we growe into the defense tech space, although we do also have commercial products used by companies across multiple industries. Nearly a decade later, I’m still running BadVR, and while entrepreneurship is stressful AF, I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Has it been a smooth road? Not even close! But I never expected my path to be easy. I grew up poor. My family was on WIC, and we didn’t own a set of metal silverware until I was eight or nine years old. My parents had no connections to tech or defense. I had no trust fund, wealthy relatives, or angel investors to back me. I built everything, including my network, from nothing – working out of Los Angeles while the heart of the defense industry sat thousands of miles away in Washington, DC. I never fit the tech founder mold, either. I’m covered in tattoos, grew up in the punk rock scene, and spent my youth around some pretty wild characters. Being a woman made things harder still, especially in an industry where few people in power ever looked like me. But I had one thing going for me: I knew how to start over and knew I had the strength to build something from nothing. In 2003, a riding accident left me unable to walk, and I had to fight my way back to health. That experience taught me grit, patience, and how to keep going when the odds were all but stacked against me. Building BadVR has been hard. But, as they say, nothing worth having comes easy.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about BadVR, Inc.?
BadVR is a technology company built around a simple idea: data should be easy for everyone to understand. We use augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence to turn complex information into immersive, three-dimensional experiences. Instead of staring at charts and spreadsheets, our users can walk through data, explore it, and see patterns they might otherwise miss. We specialize in defense technology, with a focus on situational awareness, training, and helping people make better decisions under pressure. Our technology also serves commercial industries, including telecommunications, insurance, and enterprise operations. What sets us apart is our approach to design: we build powerful tools that ordinary people can use, not just engineers and data scientists. We’ve grown without venture capital, earning more than $4 million in government funding and building a business around real technology, not hype. I’m proud that we’ve stayed independent, kept our vision intact, and built products that solve real problems. At its heart, BadVR is about making complex things simple, giving people better information, and helping them see the world in a new way.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We’re always looking for partners who believe technology should solve real problems. At BadVR, we work with government agencies, defense organizations, and commercial companies to build tools that make complex data easier to understand. We welcome opportunities to collaborate on research, pilot programs, and new applications for our technology. We’re especially interested in partners who want to push the boundaries of what’s possible with augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. The best way to support us is simple: work with us, share our work, and help us bring better technology to the people who need it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.badvr.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/badvr_inc
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/badvr
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/badvr_inc
• Other: https://www.medium.com/badvr

Image Credits
Image credits for all images can go to BadVR, Inc. or Suzanne Borders (if it’s a personal image, not related to the company).