Darren Hall

Founder. Operator. Gamer.

Founder and CEO, VS Online. Building the career platform for competitive gaming.

WHO I AM

Twenty years as a competitive gamer. Twenty years scaling revenue organizations at VC-backed technology companies. The combination is not a coincidence — it is why VS Online exists.I have spent my career inside the companies that define how software businesses scale — Avalara ($8.4B exit), Coupa Software (IPO), HiveMQ, and Oomnitza. Multiple $1M to $25M ARR runs. I know how to build, scale, and operate.I have spent my entire life as a competitive gamer who never had a legitimate path to earn from my skill. That is the problem I am solving.Servant leadership is not a philosophy I adopted. It is how I have always operated. The team comes first. The community comes first. The mission stays the same regardless of where we are in the fundraise.

20 Years	$8.4B	228	5000+
Competitive Gamer	Exit at Avalara	Pros Committed	Waitlist

GIVING BACK

I have a theory. Every one of us is one fatal car crash away from homelessness. In an instant a support system disappears, income stops, and the floor falls out. It can happen to anyone. That belief has driven me to serve for my entire adult life.It started at Boston University volunteering at Pine Street Inn in Boston. Then St. Martin de Porres in Seattle. The work looked different each time but I always ended up in the kitchen feeding people. That has never changed.Today I am actively involved with three organizations that matter deeply to me.CROP, providing formerly incarcerated individuals with full-service reentry support and 12 months of intensive career training. Helping people rebuild from zero.LoveNeverFails, supporting survivors of human trafficking. I have an upcoming event helping graduates prepare for job interviews. Getting them ready to walk into a room and own it.Strively, mentoring the next generation of professionals. I show up the same way I always have in the kitchen and in the interview room.The common thread is simple. Everyone deserves a legitimate path forward. That belief is why I volunteer. It is also why I built VS Online.

My Gaming Journey

The Beginning

Atari → Nintendo → Sega Genesis

Three platforms. One kid who was not going to stop.

Original PlayStation Era

PlayStation 1 — and every PlayStation since

Up late every night. Resident Evil on repeat. Never skipped a generation — PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, PSVR2.

2001 — Game Tester

Original Xbox · Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee

Tested one of the Xbox's launch titles before most people knew the console existed.

Every Xbox

Xbox → Xbox 360 → Xbox One → Xbox Series X

Played both sides of the console war. Still does.

2008 — The Squad Forms

Same core crew. Still running it.

16+ years with the same group of competitive players. That kind of loyalty is rare.

Today — Current Loadout

Battlefield 6 · Forza Horizon 6 · Crimson Desert · PGA Tour 2K25

PS5 · PSVR2 · Xbox Series X · Steam Deck · Nintendo Switch. Platform agnostic. Still competing.

On Deck

GTA VI · State of Decay 3

The wait is part of the game.

VS ONLINE — ONE PAGER

BUILDING IN PUBLIC. GROWING IN REAL TIME

DEEP DOMAIN. PROVEN AT SCALE