# Graham Gaylor

> Graham Gaylor is the co-founder and CEO of VRChat Inc., the social virtual reality platform he built from a single Reddit-recruited room in 2014 into a $500M company with millions of custom avatars and hundreds of thousands of user-created worlds. A Vanderbilt-trained mathematician and software engineer who backed the original Oculus Kickstarter, Gaylor has spent over a decade building the infrastructure for human connection in virtual space - a platform where avatars meet, worlds multiply, and the line between game and community blurs entirely.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at VRChat Inc.
- **Organizations:** VRChat Inc., Zynga, GREE International
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, High School, Kinkaid School
- **Known for:** Co-founded VRChat, which became the world's leading social VR platform with $95.2M total funding, Grew VRChat to a $500M valuation at 2021 Series D, Pioneered the 'VR not required' cross-platform social VR model

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Backed Oculus Rift DK1 on Kickstarter; received one of the first developer kits
- **2014 (Jan)** — Co-founded VRChat Inc. with Jesse Joudrey; launched 'VRChatroom' for Oculus Rift DK1 with first testers recruited from Reddit
- **2014 (Mar)** — Released VRChat version 0.3.5 with uploadable avatar support - a pivotal product decision
- **2014 (Jun-Sep)** — Brief stint as Software Engineer at Zynga
- **2017 (Feb)** — VRChat launched on Steam Early Access
- **2018** — VRChat secured Series A funding led by GFR Fund
- **2021 (Jun)** — Closed $80M Series D led by Anthos Capital at $500M valuation
- **2024 (Jun)** — Announced 30% workforce reduction to ensure long-term financial stability
- **2025** — Inducted into AWE (Augmented World Expo) Hall of Fame alongside co-founder Jesse Joudrey
- **2025** — Launched VRChat Avatar Marketplace (June 2025) and redesigned Community Guidelines

## Achievements

- Co-founded VRChat, which became the world's leading social VR platform with $95.2M total funding
- Grew VRChat to a $500M valuation at 2021 Series D
- Pioneered the 'VR not required' cross-platform social VR model
- Enabled user-generated content from March 2014 - a foundational product decision that defined the platform
- Inducted into the AWE (Augmented World Expo) Hall of Fame for contributions to XR
- Built a platform with hundreds of thousands of user-created worlds and millions of custom avatars
- Led VRChat through a decade of growth from 2 founders to 130+ employees

## Latest updates

- **2025-06** — VRChat Avatar Marketplace launched, enabling creators to monetize custom avatars
- **2025-04** — Inducted into AWE Hall of Fame alongside co-founder Jesse Joudrey
- **2025-01** — VRChat introduced age verification for VRC+ subscribers
- **2024-06** — Announced 30% workforce reduction to ensure long-term financial sustainability
- **2021-06** — Closed $80M Series D funding round led by Anthos Capital at $500M valuation

## Links

- Website: https://vrchat.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-gaylor-661812151
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/grahamgaylor

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/graham-gaylor
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-26