Virtuleap, an immersive cognitive training solutions provider, announced the acquisition of roughly $2.5 million in a move to integrate AI as part of its XR product portfolio, with the firm having a history of working with firms such as Penumbra and HP.
GED Ventures Portugal led the $2.5 million investment round, and according to Bibi Sattar Marques, a Partner and Member of the Board of Directors at GED Ventures Portugal, Virtuleap’s newly acquired capital “reflects the company’s strategic approach of investing in technology that positively impacts people’s lives, particularly their health.”
Moreover, Marques explained that “bringing together technology and well-being” reinforces a commitment to “pave the way for a new era in mental health that is accessible to everyone.”
The funding helps Virtuleap integrate its new AI service into its flagship EnhanceVR product, providing immersive cognitive training solutions that cover seven core categories: memory, attention, information processing, mental flexibility, problem-solving, motor control, and spatial orientation.
The AI integration enables users to evaluate training assessments via collected data, which provides critical clinical findings. The CEO and Co-Founder of Virtuleap, Amir Bozorgzadeh, also noted how the funding round enables his firm to “ramp up development and commercialization of our frontier VR cognitive solutions” alongside the recent AI inclusion.
The CEO also noted that the Enahcne VR AI integration comes “at a time in which an impending ‘”Cognition Crisis'” is well underway.”
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Virtuleap uses VR technology and neuroscience research to address cognitive disorders, including traumatic brain injuries, ADHD, and dementia. The firm designed its Enhance VR library of immersive training experiences to improve brain functions such as memory and motor control.
Leading neuroscientists created the training library best suited for healthcare and wellness purposes. According to Amir, in an interview with XR Today, the platform is “agnostic” and therefore, firms can use the service for use in various vertical markets and across workplace goals. Amir also mentioned that the firm has developed an advanced enterprise tool that their organizational partners use for clinical studies or training purposes.
Virtuleap collaborates with leading healthcare institutions and companies to develop innovative solutions to combat Alzheimer’s and Dementia. One of Virtuleap’s key partners is Roche, the firms are working as part of the ‘Building Together Tomorrow’ program. This program aims to improve the quality of life for individuals who have Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
According to Amir Bozorgzadeh, VR can trick our nervous system into perceiving simulated realities as authentic. This opens up a range of therapeutic applications for VR, which healthcare professionals can use either as a companion tool alongside pharmaceutical treatments or as a standalone digital therapeutic.
As part of Virtuleap’s partnership with Roche, healthcare professionals at Lusíadas institutions and partner hospitals conducted a 5-month clinical trial on Virtuleap’s product, where the partners integrated Virtuleap’s Enhance VR library – and its 15 cognitive VR training applications – into their wellness procedures for patients.
Virtuleap’s ability to provide immersive training at home is a crucial aspect of its partnership with Roche. Roche also tested Virtuleap’s Remote Control feature, which allows for improved remote communication between at-home patients and their caregivers. Users can operate the segment with their smartphone, tablet, or desktop. Virtuleap’s Survey Engine also enables healthcare professionals to run questionnaires before and after the VR training sessions.
