A six-person virtual reality startup in Columbia, Mo. just landed a Phase I SBIR contract with the U.S. Air Force to help stressed out airmen cope. No details about the deal were released.
Sarah Hill, Healium CEO
“Our products will be put in the hands of people who really need them,” Healium CEO Sarah Hill said. “In the wake of COVID, calls to hot-lines have doubled. And people are looking for drug-less non-harmful coping mechanisms. What Healium provides is a walk in the park for those times when you can’t physically take a walk in the park.”
Hill says her VR experience isn’t a replacement for psychotropic medication or professional counseling, but is an adjunct to other therapies. She says she hopes that this contract will lay a foundation for future contracts targeting other use cases for her products, beyond anxiety.
The 4thEst8 contacted the Air Force SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer, Christina Kroake who confirmed that there was a contract, characterized it as a purchase order, and cleared Hill to release the award document. Hill declined to discuss the dollar amount, time duration, expected outcomes, anticipated number of participating airmen or any other salient details of the contract.
The United States Patent and Trademark office granted StoryUp, Inc. a patent in July, 2019 for a ‘system and method for modifying biometric activity using virtual reality therapy.” StoryUp is doing business in Columbia, Mo. as Healium. It was founded in 2015. According to CrunchBase the company has raised a total of $1.4 million in funding over two rounds; the latest in Oct. 2020 from a non-equity assistance round — preceded by a venture round in 2019.
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