Meet Toye Onikoyi | Virtual Reality Hubspace Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Toye Onikoyi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Toye, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Having come from a city big on a sense of community, support, and mentoring, this paved the way for me to want to give back and start my own business in the city I grew up in. I was doing VR development for my previous 9-5 for the government and I wanted to show people all the cool things that could be done with VR. I went to my friends dance studio she had recently opened and didn’t know how easy it was to rent a space. I was leaving the dance place and saw a building for rent space and felt it was my calling to do so. At the time, I didn’t know what I was going to do with the space. Then, I picked up my friend from the airport in Utah and he was telling me about these specialty sodas which sparked another idea in my head to combine specialty sodas with virtual reality, and a creation was born. It was the perfect match with gamers and sodas.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Bubbler VR is a virtual reality hub space with endless possibilities. Having come from a tech background, I have an advantage of being ahead of tech ideas to implement into my business. I am most excited about the different programs we have to offer for students, teens and adults. From coding classes to VR painting and more, our clubs are a great way to better educate and prepare this generation especially. We are also always excited about our ever-expanding specialty drink menu. I got to where I am today business wise with hard work and creative ideas – not a minute goes by that I am not actively planning for the future or thinking how I can make my business better. It was not easy and still is not easy – nothing successful comes easy. I am currently overcoming the challenges by better educating myself. The best lesson I learned along the way is that mistakes happen – be thankful for them as it is an opportunity to learn. One thing about me is I love to help people and share my love for creating with others.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely have them visit The Bubbler VR. We’d spend a day in Block Island, Newport, Westerly, Providence, and Narragansett. We would eat and drink at The Rhody Hen, Los Andes, Sport & Leisure, and different spots in Downtown Providence. I’ve wanted to try the Rail Explorers in Newport, so would probably try that while a friend was visiting.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Having grown up in a Nigerian household as a first generation Nigerian-American, my parents always instilled a hardworking mentality on me. I was not only encouraged to go to college and get a 4-year degree, but was led to become an engineer by the guidance of my father; for that I am grateful. Being a business owner was not considered to be a successful career since money was something that was not guaranteed. Instead, working for a company was more encouraged. I chose this journey to show my parents that a business owner can be just as successful. As far as books, I would give credit to Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup by Bill Aulet.

Website: https://thebubblervr.com

Instagram: bubblervr

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-bubbler-north-providence

Image Credits
Restaurent