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SpatialGen

Our Story

Zachary Handshoe and Michael Butterfield first crossed paths at ExxonMobil, where Zach joined as the first new-grad after the 2020 COVID pandemic. Working together on a four-person team, they quickly formed a strong partnership.

Under Michael's leadership as the lead software engineer, their 4-man team developed a groundbreaking data centralization and prediction platform. Their efforts generated over $500 million for ExxonMobil in less than a year.

The RedBull Racing car in front of the XOM cube
The RedBull Racing car in front of the XOM cube

After the project's success, Zach left ExxonMobil to pursue his previous startup, which he sold to OFFLOADIT.com in 2023. Shortly after, Zach reached out to Michael, reigniting their collaboration.

During their time at ExxonMobil, Michael experienced the company's attempts to implement VR, which had varying degrees of success due to design and product challenges. When Apple announced the Vision Pro, the duo knew this was the opportunity they'd been waiting for. On September 19th, 2023, after months of research and testing, HALOCLINE INC was born.

On a business trip to the Bay Area in late 2023, Michael and Zach discussed their vision for SpatialGen over breakfast. It was during this conversation that Michael proposed dedicating a portion of SpatialGen's future profits to providing software engineering education to rural communities in America—a cause close to their hearts.

The old Handshoe family home in Lubbock
The old Handshoe family home in Lubbock

Michael and Zach both showed incredible curiosity as children. As a kid, Zach experimented with building bombs using household chemicals until his mother refused to give him gasoline. Michael's resilience and dedication shined through as he worked as a janitor to support himself while pursuing his studies. Together, their persistence, drive, and complementary skills make them the perfect team to lead the future of 3D technology.

Their vision caught the attention of Jason Calacanis, who decided to invest in the future of 3D data and video.

If you're ever looking to find Michael, he may be hosting a puzzle party in the Houston area. And Zach, well, gas now costs too much.

Photo of the bay area business trip
From the business trip in 2023