Alex Howland, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Virbela, an AI-powered behavioral simulation platform for enterprise workforce development. Originally developed in partnership with UC San Diego, Virbela scaled as an immersive enterprise platform and was bootstrapped to an eight-figure exit with eXp World Holdings, helping power eXp's growth into a multibillion-dollar company. Alex later reacquired the company to build the AI-native behavioral simulation platform that reflects Virbela's original vision: making leadership and human performance measurable through immersive practice.

 

Alex holds a PhD in organizational psychology and has spent more than 15 years at the intersection of behavioral science, immersive technology, and enterprise workforce development. His career has been defined by a single conviction: the skills that matter most in leadership can be practiced, measured, and improved, not just talked about.