The Innovators
Jared DeCoste, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Jared is a multidisciplinary scientist who has spent his career at the interface of materials science and various other disciplines, including biotechnology. Since 2016, Jared has been an instrumental leader in the biotechnology modernization goals of the Department of Defense, and led the first DoD biomanufacturing scale-up effort for biotemplated carbon. In Jared's 14+ years of DoD experience, he has been instrumental in various workforce development and STEM projects, including the creation of VR experiences for K-12 audiences and prototyping VR fermentation equipment. Jared was recognized as the 2018 Maryland ACS Chemist of the Year, and the 2021 Joseph Weinand Award winner for STEM Excellence. He has a B.S. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry from Binghamton University.
Dan Beaupré
Chief Operating Officer
Dan is an educational experience designer who has devoted his entire career to creating transformative experiences. He is the founder of One Giant Leap and served as Vice President of Experiences at the National Geographic Society, where he led the National Geographic Bee, Giant Maps program, Citizen Science, National Geographic Explorers Camp, and the GeoChallenge. Dan is the recipient of awards and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Danish-American Fulbright Commission, and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. In 1998, he received the Distinguished Teacher Award from the White House. Dan has served on the National Parks Service Education Advisory Board, and boards of Kids4Peace, the National Scenic Visitors Center, and Girls Can Do. He has a B.A. in History from the University of Vermont and a M.Ed. from Harvard University.
Tom Schmidt
Creative Lead
Tom is an Emmy Award winning producer with unparalleled experience in storytelling in television and immersive. 40+ years experience as a producer, director & creative director for networks ranging from PBS to ESPN. Tom has been at the leading edge of applying new technology to storytelling his entire career. He is a multi-award winner, most recently for his groundbreaking work on ESPN’s E:60. In 2017, he was nominated for producing College Gameday's "Jacob Jarvis: Why it Matters," ESPN's first narrative Virtual Reality experience. In 2013, he was awarded the Lumière for the industry’s first 4K documentary production. Before starting his production company, Percolate Digital, he was Creative Director at the Associated Press Broadcast Center. He was instrumental in creating the award-winning AP GraphicsBank.
Our Team
Prism Immersive Interns
Leen AL Saleh
Marketing Strategy Intern
Lara Oliveira
Learning Impact Intern
John Kaluiji
Immersive Quality Assurance Intern
Our Contracted Developers
Blake Leftwich
XR Simulation Developer, Eggroll
Michael Oder
Senior XR and Unity Developer, Eggroll
Our Story
Prism Immersive didn’t begin with a fancy technology—it began with a problem in need of a solution. While working together on a Department of Defense–funded education initiative, Dan Beaupré, a longtime leader in STEM education (National Geographic, PBS, Jane Goodall Institute), and Tom Schmidt, a creative storyteller and immersive pioneer (ESPN, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Television), met Dr. Jared DeCoste, an accomplished biochemist (US Army DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center) grappling with a very real challenge: how to train biomanufacturing laboratory technicians better, faster, and affordably.
The three quickly saw the potential of immersive technology as a powerful bridge between conventional SOPs and workforce readiness. Unlike many companies that start with a hammer and go looking for a nail, Prism Immersive began with a need and built the right tool to meet it.
From that need came BioSuite Virtual—a next-gen, high-fidelity training platform that marries the power of immersion virtual reality with rigorous instructional design and thoughtful user experience. Built for real-world application and born out of real-world constraints, BioSuite helps learners train safely, build confidence, and master complex lab procedures before they ever step into a physical facility.
Along the way, the team has proven that a sense of humor—and a few snacks—go a long way. Jared keeps his basement bubble hockey game-ready and his fridge stocked with Diet Mountain Dew. Tom is powered by Fritos (Chili Cheese preferred) and owns more bikes than most people have socks. Dan may not always (okay, never) win at horseshoes, but he’s undefeated when it comes to choosing dessert (Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia preferred). Hailing from Maryland, Florida, and Vermont, they bring different ingredients —but the same appetite for building something that matters.
What unites them is a shared belief: that immersive learning, done right, can open doors—to careers, to confidence, and to a future bioeconomy of unending possibility.