Our Impact
Highlighting headset donations, free resources, schools helped, and community success stories.
Supporting immersive learning across healthcare, education, and workforce development
Trusted XR implementation partner from strategy to deployment
Helping simulation centers, educators, and innovation leaders adopt emerging technology
Featured Stories
Tess McKinney Delivers the 2026 Fetzer Lecture at Nebraska Wesleyan University
Tess McKinney, CEO of Firework Media Studio, LLC, was selected to deliver the prestigious 2026 Fetzer Lecture at Nebraska Wesleyan University, presenting on how immersive technology is transforming healthcare education and clinical training for the next generation.
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Silicon Prairie News Features Tess McKinney as Nebraska Innovator
Tess McKinney, Founder & CEO of XRenegades, was spotlighted by Silicon Prairie News in their Prairie Portraits series — recognizing her as Nebraska's only recognized consultant actively implementing VR/XR labs for healthcare institutions in the U.S., with 40+ global industry partnerships.
Silicon Prairie News / XRenegades
Nebraska Business Development Center Feature: XRenegades Expands XR Access
XRenegades was featured by the University of Nebraska Omaha's Nebraska Business Development Center for bringing the benefits of immersive technologies to a wider audience — including XR lab development, hardware and software selection, implementation, training, and ongoing support for educational and healthcare institutions.
Nebraska Business Development Center / UNO
UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing VR Lab
XRenegades transformed the educational landscape at the University of Texas Health San Antonio School of Nursing by establishing a cutting-edge VR lab. We provided comprehensive demonstrations of various applications and guided the school in selecting the most suitable VR hardware and software solutions — empowering nursing students with immersive, hands-on simulation training.
UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing
Tess McKinney Tours Nebraska Showcasing VR to Local Schools
Tess McKinney hit the road across Nebraska to personally visit and demo VR and XR technology to local and statewide educational institutions, helping schools envision immersive learning before making any commitments.
XRenegades / Firework Media Studio, LLC
Ohio State University College of Nursing VR Lab Enhancement
XRenegades visited The Ohio State University College of Nursing's existing VR Lab, engaging with faculty and staff to validate their innovative approach and identify opportunities for improvement — ensuring their immersive technology aligned with educational objectives.
The Ohio State University College of Nursing
Tess McKinney Speaks at the Virtual Reality & Healthcare Global Symposium
Tess McKinney was selected as a featured speaker at the international Virtual Reality and Healthcare Global Symposium (IVRHA), representing XRenegades and Firework Media Studio, LLC on the world stage as a visionary leader in immersive healthcare technology.
IVRHA / XRenegades
GiveXR: Donating VR Headsets to K-12 Schools Across Nebraska
Tess McKinney launched GiveXR, a headset donation initiative providing VR headsets and cases to K-12 schools in need — pledging to donate one headset to a school for every 25 headsets set up by Firework Media Studio, LLC.
GiveXR / XRenegades
XRenegades Featured at the VR Healthcare Demo Tour — Kansas City
XRenegades was selected as one of only eight companies to exhibit at the IVRHA VR Healthcare Demo Tour stop in Kansas City, showcasing immersive technology consulting for healthcare and educational institutions alongside industry-leading XR companies.
International Virtual Reality Healthcare Association (IVRHA) / KC Digital Drive
Tess McKinney Welcomed to the VRARA Healthcare Industry Committee
The Virtual Reality AR Association (VRARA) officially welcomed Tess McKinney to its prestigious Healthcare Industry Committee, recognizing her as a visionary leader and industry expert in immersive technology for healthcare and education.
Virtual Reality AR Association (VRARA)
Speaker at GatherVerse AI Summit 2024
Tess McKinney was selected as a featured speaker at the GatherVerse AI Summit 2024, joining a global lineup of immersive technology leaders, futurists, and innovators. The summit brought together thought leaders from XR, AI, and the metaverse to explore the future of spatial computing and its applications across education, healthcare, and society.
GatherVerse
XR Women Presents: Setting Up a VR Lab for Healthcare Education
Tess McKinney was featured as a speaker for XR Women, delivering a 49-minute expert session on how to build and launch a VR lab for healthcare and nursing education — covering hardware selection, software vetting, funding strategies, IT support, and real-world outcomes from her work at UNMC.
XR Women
UT Health San Antonio College of Dentistry Soft Skills Program
XRenegades partnered with the University of Texas Health San Antonio College of Dentistry to identify and select a vendor to build a pioneering immersive educational program focused on enhancing dentists' soft skills — pushing the boundaries of traditional dental education.
UT Health San Antonio College of Dentistry
Brazosport College XR Demo Day
XRenegades orchestrated a groundbreaking XR Demo Day at Brazosport College, immersing college employees in the cutting-edge realm of Virtual Reality. Attendees experienced a diverse array of software and hardware options — empowering them to ask questions, explore, and envision VR's potential for their institution.
Brazosport College
UNMC Global Center for Health Security: XR for Rural Healthcare
As full-time Instructional Technologist at UNMC's Global Center for Health Security, Tess McKinney developed XR education and remote consultation services for small and rural healthcare facilities, advancing Infection Prevention and Sterile Processing training.
UNMC Global Center for Health Security
XRSurvive: Active Shooter VR Training for K-12 Schools
Tess McKinney spearheaded the development of XRSurvive, a groundbreaking active shooter situational awareness VR application for K-12 students and staff, built in collaboration with senior design students at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
University of Nebraska at Lincoln / XRenegades
UNMC VR Simulations: Rollover Ranch, Heart Health Escape Room & Nurse's Escape
Tess McKinney contributed to the creation of three commercialized virtual reality simulations — Rollover Ranch, Heart Health Escape Room, and Nurse's Escape — developed with a team from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, now available through XRenegades.
University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing
Nebraska Department of Education Conference: VR Showcase for Schools
Tess McKinney was invited to showcase VR and XR technology at the Nebraska Department of Education's NCE 2023 conference, putting immersive learning tools directly in the hands of Nebraska educators.
Nebraska Department of Education
Publications & Press
Applying principles to practice: cleaning and disinfection of extended reality equipment used in healthcare settings
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology · Cambridge University Press
Thomas S. Murray, Erica S. Shenoy, Scott C. Roberts, Richard Martinello, Asher Marks, Kimberly Hieftje, Chloe V. Green, Joseph T. Rothschild, Morgan Shradar, Tess McKinney, et al.
Tess McKinney — Department of Pathology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
A peer-reviewed paper addressing infection control practices for XR headsets and equipment in clinical settings, co-authored by Tess McKinney alongside researchers from Yale School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the CDC.
Current Perspective of Metaverse Application in Medical Education, Research and Patient Care
Virtual Worlds · MDPI (Open Access)
Irene Suh, Tess McKinney, Ka-Chun Siu
Tess McKinney — University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
An Editor's Choice open-access paper surveying the current and emerging applications of metaverse technologies — including VR, AR, and XR — in medical education, clinical research, and patient care, co-authored by Tess McKinney with researchers from UNMC.
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Education Using XR (Mixed Reality) for Small and Rural Healthcare Facilities
Innovations in Health Sciences Education Journal · UNMC Digital Commons
Morgan Shradar, Tess McKinney, Jody Scebold, Lauren Hinkle, Angela Vasa
Tess McKinney — University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
A published abstract from the UNMC Spotlight on Scholarship 2022, examining how XR and mixed reality technology can deliver infection prevention and control education to underserved small and rural healthcare facilities.
Interactive Distance Technology Using Touch Panel Computers in Nursing Education
CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing · Wolters Kluwer / LWW
Beth Culross, Missy Ofe Fleck, Kirsten Curtis, Tess McKinney
Tess McKinney — University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, Omaha, NE
A peer-reviewed study exploring the use of interactive touch panel computer technology for distance nursing education at UNMC, examining engagement and learning outcomes in a clinical training context.
Prairie Portraits: Tess McKinney
Silicon Prairie News · Silicon Prairie News
SPN Newsroom
Tess McKinney — Founder & CEO, XRenegades, Omaha, NE
A featured profile of Tess McKinney in Silicon Prairie News' Prairie Portraits series, highlighting her work pioneering XR technology in healthcare and education, growing global partnerships with 40+ companies, and her unique position as the only recognized consultant actively implementing VR/XR labs for healthcare institutions in the U.S.
Pipeline Welcomes Eight Nebraska Entrepreneurs Into Its 2026 Programs
Silicon Prairie News · Silicon Prairie News
Ben Goeser
Tess McKinney — Pipeline Pathfinder 2026, Go 360 Live, LLP, Omaha, NE
Tess McKinney was selected as one of eight Nebraska entrepreneurs to join Pipeline Entrepreneurs' 2026 cohort as a Pathfinder — a program targeting early-stage founders from underserved communities including women, minority, and rural entrepreneurs. Her venture Go 360 Live uses 360-degree 4K camera technology to enable remote environment evaluations across industries including healthcare and industrial settings.
2025 Tech Innovator of the Year – Tess McKinney
Aksarben Foundation · YouTube
Aksarben Foundation
Tess McKinney — 2025 Tech Innovator of the Year
Tess McKinney is recognized as the 2025 Tech Innovator of the Year by the Aksarben Foundation, highlighting her transformative work bringing XR technology to K-12 education and healthcare, her headset donation program for rural Nebraska schools, and her mission to make immersive technology accessible to underserved communities.
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