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Founders depart as VERSES AI (VRSSF) installs David T. Scott as interim CEO

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(Moderate)
Filing Sentiment
(Neutral)
Form Type
8-K

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

VERSES AI Inc. reported significant leadership changes. Founders Gabriel René, Chief Executive Officer, and Dan Mapes, Global Brand Ambassador, resigned from all positions, including the board, effective February 8, 2026. The company states their resignations were for personal reasons and not due to disagreements with management or the board.

The board appointed director David T. Scott as Interim CEO on February 8, 2026 and has begun a search for a permanent CEO. The board also eliminated the Chief Accounting Officer role, terminated Kevin Wilson from that position and as Secretary, and designated Chief Financial Officer James Christodoulou as principal accounting officer.

In a related press release dated February 10, 2026, Scott emphasized shifting focus from research and development toward commercial products, a disciplined go-to-market strategy, and near-term revenue opportunities, particularly in financial services. The company noted ongoing cost-reduction and operational-efficiency initiatives and announced a webinar scheduled for February 17, 2026 to provide further details.

Positive

  • None.

Negative

  • Founders and CEO departure: Founders Gabriel René and Dan Mapes resigned from all roles, including the CEO position and board seats, indicating a major leadership transition that may raise continuity and execution questions for investors.

Insights

Founders exit key roles while an experienced operator becomes interim CEO.

The company disclosed that founders Gabriel René and Dan Mapes resigned from executive roles and the board for personal reasons, with no stated disagreements. Founder departures from both management and the board often signal a meaningful governance and strategic transition for an early-stage technology company.

Director David T. Scott steps in as Interim CEO, bringing prior leadership roles at Amazon Web Services and other public and private companies. The board also removed the standalone Chief Accounting Officer role, consolidating principal accounting duties under the current CFO, James Christodoulou, which tightens the finance structure but concentrates responsibilities.

The press release highlights a shift toward converting research and development into commercial products and pursuing near-term revenue in financial services, alongside cost-reduction and efficiency efforts. Actual impact will depend on the CEO search outcome and how effectively these priorities are executed and described in future company communications and periodic reports.

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 8, 2026

 

VERSES AI INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

British Columbia, Canada   000-56692   88-2921736

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

 

2121 Avenue of the Stars, 8th Floor
Los Angeles, CA
  90067
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

(310) 988-1944

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
   
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
   
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
   
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

Resignation of Gabriel Rene and Dan Mapes

 

On February 8, 2026, Gabriel Rene, the Chief Executive Officer of Verses AI Inc. (the “Company”) informed the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) that he was resigning as both the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board, effective immediately. Additionally, on February 8, 2026, Dan Mapes, the Company’s President Emeritus and Global Brand Ambassador, resigned from all of his positions at the Company, including as a member of the Board.

 

The resignations of each of Mr. Rene and Mr. Mapes from the Board was not the result of any disagreement between either Mr. Rene and Mr. Mapes and the Company, its management, the Board or any committee of the Board, or with respect to any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices. As there are no disagreements as contemplated by Item 5.02(a) of Form 8-K, the Company is disclosing this information pursuant to Item 5.02(b) of Form 8-K.

 

Appointment of David Scott

 

In connection with the resignation of Mr. Rene, the Board appointed David Scott, 56, to serve as the Company’s Interim Chief Executive Officer effective as of February 8, 2026. The Company is currently conducting a search to identify a successor Chief Executive Officer.

 

David Scott has served as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors since October 12, 2025. Mr. Scott has been the Chief Executive Officer of Evil Genius Games since 2022. He served as Vice President of Global Marketing Strategy, Analytics, and Operations at Amazon Web Services, from 2019 to 2022, where he was responsible for marketing operations, analytics, and corporate strategy. Mr. Scott has more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles across public and private companies, including Amazon Web Services, Twitter, AT&T, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Honeywell, and General Electric, as well as multiple venture-backed startups. He has founded and exited three venture-backed companies. Mr. Scott holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Political Philosophy from The College of William & Mary and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Robert Toigo Scholar and Sol C. Schneider Scholar.

 

Mr. Scott has no family relationships with any current director, director nominee, or executive officer of the Company, and there are no transactions or proposed transactions, to which the Company is a party, or intended to be a party, in which Mr. Scott has, or will have, a material interest subject to disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. Mr. Scott was not appointed as the Company’s Interim Chief Executive Officer pursuant to any arrangement or understanding with any other person.

 

Departure of Kevin Wilson and Appointment of James Christodoulou

 

On February 8, 2026, the Board eliminated the position of Chief Accounting Officer and placed the responsibilities of the Company’s principal accounting officer under the portfolio of the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Consequently, effective on this date, the Board terminated Kevin Wilson as the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer and Secretary and appointed James Christodoulou as the Company’s principal accounting officer.

 

-2-

 

 

James Christodoulou has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company since February 2025. From June 2024 to March 2025, Mr. Christodoulou served as Head of Capital Markets and Corporate Development at Exodus Movement, Inc. (NYSE: EXOD), a multi-asset, self-custody, crypto currency wallet, and from June 2022 to March 2024, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Collectable, an early-stage private equity sponsored company that developed an innovative FINTECH business model that democratizes the ability to own high-end collectable art and memorabilia assets that were once only available to financial institutions, collectors, or high-net-worth individuals. From March 2021 to January 2023, Mr. Christodoulou served as Chief Financial Officer of Ryze Renewables, an independent renewable diesel refining company, and from August 2018 to April 2020, he served as President, Chief Operating Officer and a director of Blink Charging (Nasdaq: BLNK), an owner, operator, provider, and manufacturer of electric vehicle charging equipment and networked electric vehicle charging services. Mr. Christodoulou’s prior experiences include Chief Financial Officer of Galeon Navigation LLC, OceanFreight Inc. (Nasdaq: OCNF, which he took public), EastWind Maritime, Inc. and General Maritime Corp., Inc. (NYSE: GMR, which he took public); President of Angelmar Corp.; Chief Executive Officer and President of Industrial Shipping Enterprises Corp.; and Managing Director of Dahlman Rose & Co. Mr. Christodoulou attended Columbia Business School and received his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Rutgers University. Mr. Christodoulou passed his Series 7, 63, 84, and 85 FINRA licenses, and is a CFA Level III candidate.

 

Mr. Christodoulou has no family relationships with any current director, director nominee, or executive officer of the Company, and there are no transactions or proposed transactions, to which the Company is a party, or intended to be a party, in which Mr. Christodoulou has, or will have, a material interest subject to disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. Mr. Christodoulou was not appointed as the Company’s principal accounting officer pursuant to any arrangement or understanding with any other person.

 

Item 8.01 Other Events.

 

On February 10, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing the resignations of Mr. Rene and Mr. Mapes, the departure of Mr. Wilson and the appointment of Mr. Scott as Interim Chief Executive Officer. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

 

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.   Description
99.1   Press Release dated February 10, 2026
104   Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

-3-

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

  Verses AI Inc.
   
February 12, 2026 By: /s/ James Christodoulou
    James Christodoulou
    Chief Financial Officer

 

-4-

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

VERSES AI INC. ANNOUNCES MANAGEMENT CHANGES

 

David T. Scott Appointed Interim CEO, Succeeding Gabriel René. Board Search for a Permanent CEO is Underway

 

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb 10, 2026 – VERSES AI Inc. (CBOE:VERS) (OTCQB:VRSSF) (“VERSES’’ or the “Company”), a cognitive computing company specializing in next-generation agentic software systems, announces that the Company’s founders Gabriel René and Dan Mapes have each resigned for personal reasons from their positions with the Company as Chief Executive Officer and Global Brand Ambassador, respectively, as well as their membership on the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), and that David T. Scott has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer. Additionally, the Company announces that the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer Kevin Wilson has exited the Company.

 

“We believe that David brings a rare combination of public-company leadership, operational discipline, and entrepreneurial execution to the role of Chief Executive Officer” stated Michael Blum, the Chair of the Board. “Over a 30-year career spanning Amazon Web Services, Twitter, AT&T, and multiple public and private technology companies, David has led large, complex organizations through periods of transformation, growth, and financial rigor and he has managed multi-billion-dollar budgets, scaled global teams, reduced costs while accelerating go-to-market execution, and successfully translated deep technology and research into commercial outcomes” continued Mr. Blum. “As a serial entrepreneur, board director, and former interim CMO of AWS, David is recognized for building transparent, performance-driven organizations focused on accountability, capital efficiency, and sustainable shareholder value” concluded Mr. Blum.

 

“I’m honored to step into the role of Interim CEO and confident in the strength of the technology VERSES has built,” said Interim CEO David T. Scott. “Gabriel and Dan created an exceptional company and laid a powerful foundation through their vision and commitment, and I’m grateful for the team that continues to build on that work. Our focus now is straightforward and transparent: converting our R&D into commercial products, executing a disciplined go-to-market strategy, and driving near-term revenue—beginning with opportunities in the financial services sector” continued Mr. Scott.

 

Furthermore, the Company continues to advance its cost-reduction and operational-efficiency initiatives, and that near-term efforts are focused on pursuing revenue opportunities in the financial sector, as well as leveraging the Company’s financial services products and applied research to accelerate commercialization.

 

Further details will be provided in a webinar on Tuesday February 17, 2026 - and a registration link will be published on company channels.

 

About VERSES

 

VERSES is a cognitive computing company building next-generation agentic software systems modeled after the wisdom and genius of Nature. Designed around first principles found in science, physics and biology, our flagship product, Genius™, is an agentic enterprise intelligence platform designed to generate reliable domain-specific predictions and decisions under uncertainty. Imagine a Smarter World that elevates human potential through technology inspired by Nature. Learn more at verses.ai, LinkedIn and X.

 

On behalf of the Company

 

David T Scott, Interim CEO

Press Inquiries: press@verses.ai

 

Investor Relations Inquiries

 

James Christodoulou, Chief Financial Officer

ir@verses.ai

(212) 970-8889

 

 

 

 

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

This news release contains statements which constitute “forward-looking information” or “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to future business activities and plans of the Company. Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are often identified by the words “may”, “would”, “could”, “should”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” or similar expressions.

 

The forward–looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of the Company. As a result, there can be no assurance that such plans will be completed as proposed or at all. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions of management. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward–looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

 

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward–looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward–looking statements and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.

 

The forward–looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward–looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

 

 

 

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