Virtuleap, a healthtech and edtech startup, has recently raised $2.5 million for its product Enhance VR, which integrates virtual reality and AI to advance brain health. This funding round was led by GED Ventures Portugal. Virtuleap’s innovative product comprises a suite of virtual reality games designed to assess and improve cognitive skills such as memory, attention, motor control, and spatial orientation.
The company asserts that these games, created by neuroscientists and rooted in neuropsychological assessment tools, can yield vital clinical data for brain health screening and profiling through a unified platform. The data is analyzed using AI learning tools.
Enhance VR, developed by Virtuleap, is positioned as a “mental gym,” offering cognitive exercises across seven categories: memory, attention, information processing, mental flexibility, problem-solving, motor control, and spatial orientation. This program aims to be accessible to everyone and may eventually aid in treating learning challenges like ADHD and other cognitive disorders.
Additionally, Virtuleap is developing a second product, Cogniclear VR, slated for release in 2024. This virtual reality-based cognitive screening tool is being co-developed with partners like Lusíadas Saúde and Roche Portugal, aiming to detect cognitive disorders early, such as Alzheimer’s disease, for better health outcomes.
Amir Bozorgzadeh, CEO of Virtuleap, highlighted that this investment facilitates the accelerated development and commercialization of their pioneering VR cognitive solutions, addressing an emerging cognition crisis.
The company is also advancing AI learning algorithms, using extensive psychometric, physical, and physiological datasets to potentially link cognitive performance with mental health.
Bibi Sattar Marques, partner at GED Ventures Portugal, emphasized the investment’s alignment with their strategy of investing in technology that positively influences people’s lives, particularly in health, merging technology and well-being.
GED, a significant financial group active in Europe, the USA, and South America, manages over a billion euros across venture, private equity, and infrastructure sectors.
Enhance VR, Virtuleap’s flagship product, has already attracted over 60,000 early users globally, available in major VR app stores and in five languages, with plans for additional languages.
The company’s dedication to research is evident in its four published papers, including a promising pilot study indicating the potential to enhance processing speed in students with ADHD. It has also secured $1.8 million in commercial agreements with companies like Penumbra, HP, and BehaVR.
In collaboration with Roche, Virtuleap is developing Cogniclear VR, a cutting-edge tool for early detection of cognitive illnesses, potentially surpassing existing solutions in speed and accuracy.