# David McCool

> David McCool is the co-founder, President and CEO of Muzzy Lane, a Massachusetts edtech company that builds 'no coding required' tools for creating online role-play simulations that teach and auto-assess skills. An MIT-trained electrical engineer who once bought a TRS-80 with paper-route money, he spent the 1990s building carrier-grade networking gear before turning his attention to whether software could make learning as engaging as a great video game. Since 2002 he has steered Muzzy Lane from WWII strategy game 'Making History' through publisher partnerships with McGraw-Hill to its current focus on SkillBuild microcredentials and generative-AI authoring tools, with tens of millions of assessments delivered.

- **Role:** Co-founder, President & CEO at Muzzy Lane Software
- **Organizations:** Muzzy Lane Software, Aptis Communications, Shiva Corporation, Nortel Networks
- **From:** New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Electrical Engineering (BSEE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Graduate study in security studies / international relations
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Muzzy Lane, recognized as a pioneer in game-based learning and educational simulations., Built Muzzy Lane Author into a 'gold standard' no-code authoring platform used across 100+ higher-education course areas., Helped grow Aptis Communications to an acquisition by Nortel, with its CVX line exceeding $600M in revenue.

## Career timeline

- **1986** — Joined Shiva Corporation as the 3rd employee; rose from engineer to business manager to vice president, and helped open the company's office in Valbonne, France.
- **1997** — Co-founded Aptis Communications, a VC-funded developer of carrier-class networking products, as Director of Software.
- **1998** — Aptis Communications acquired by Nortel Networks; its CVX product line went on to exceed $600M in revenue.
- **2002** — Co-founded Muzzy Lane Software with a mission to use games and simulations to improve education.
- **2005** — Launched 'Making History,' a WWII strategy game for high schools and colleges.
- **2011** — Released McGraw-Hill Practice simulations across Marketing, Operations Management, American Government, Spanish, and Medical Office.
- **2015** — Introduced Muzzy Lane Author following Gates Foundation research; the platform has since delivered tens of millions of assessments.
- **2023** — Launched SkillBuild, offering soft-skills microcredentials with AI coaching and role-play simulations.
- **2024** — Released generative-AI features including a Production Assistant and open-response question types.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Muzzy Lane, recognized as a pioneer in game-based learning and educational simulations.
- Built Muzzy Lane Author into a 'gold standard' no-code authoring platform used across 100+ higher-education course areas.
- Helped grow Aptis Communications to an acquisition by Nortel, with its CVX line exceeding $600M in revenue.
- Delivered tens of millions of auto-graded assessments through Muzzy Lane's simulation tools.
- Partnered with major publishers including McGraw-Hill to bring serious games to higher education.

## Latest updates

- **2024-08** — Muzzy Lane released generative-AI authoring features including a Production Assistant and open-response question types.
- **2023-05** — Launched SkillBuild, pairing AI coaching with soft-skills microcredentials learners can showcase to employers.

## Links

- Website: https://muzzylane.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davdmccool/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/MuzzyLane
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muzzylane

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-mccool
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-24