Egyptian e-health VRapeutic has joined the MakerLaunch programme at the University of Ottawa, moving it one step closer to expanding into the Canadian market.
Launched in 2017 by Ahmad Al-Kabbany, VRapeutic uses virtual reality (VR) technology to help treat learning difficulties and developmental disorders. The startup designs 3D virtual environments that are especially tailored to instill diverse life skills in children, including social, cognitive, motor, and academic skills.
VRapeutic delivers VR software modules, installed on VR headsets, to therapy centres, with a child then watching particular modules dependent on the therapy plan set by the therapist. It offers unique cloud accounts for every doctor and child, where the performance data and the request modules for every child can be accessed.
After three years of operation in the MENA region, particularly in Egypt and the Gulf region, VRapeutic has been chosen to participate in the MakerLaunch programme. The programme is designed to provide entrepreneurs among uOttawa students and recent alumni – of which Al-Kabbany is one – with the support necessary to facilitate the commercialisation of technologies and establish impactful tech startups.
Throughout the 48-week programme, VRapeutic will be working on several milestones that involve the development of more products, in addition to adding more features and enriching the user experience in its existing products. The team will also be working on designing and implementing its first marketing campaign in Ottawa, on acquiring customers, and on establishing research collaborations with pertinent institutions and research labs.
The startup will also gain access to CAD50,000 (US$39,00) in grant funding, released over three tranches dependent on it hitting certain milestones.
