To prevent veteran suicide, Triangle firm creating extended reality therapeutics

CARY – A Triangle startup has advanced to the next stage of Mission Daybreak, a contest that could land the company $3 million, while also help prevent suicide.

The company, BioMojo, LLC, creators of evidence-based, clinically-evaluated extended reality digital therapeutics, has advanced to the final stage of a startup accelerator program conducted by the Veterans Administration focused on developing new suicide prevention strategies for veterans.

“Suicide is one of the most serious public health issues facing our veterans today, and the VA simply cannot do this work alone,” said Jerry Heneghan, the company’s chief design officer, in a statement.  “We are thrilled to be in a position to bring our expertise to the table in order to develop new ideas on the best ways to address this problem.”

“BioMojo is proud to be chosen to participate in this vitally important initiative,” said Heneghan, who is a veteran.

Study: NC ranks No. 10 for vet-owned businesses; Fayetteville tops in mid-sized metros

From 1,300+ to 30

By advancing, the company will also receive $250,000 in grant funding, as one of 30 finalists in the second phase of the virtual accelerator program.  The program had more than 1,300 applicants, according to a statement.

“There is nothing more important to the VA than preventing veteran suicide,” said U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough in a statement.  “It’s our top clinical priority.”

According to the statement, the initiative was created by the Veterans Administration “to address the unique nature of veteran experiences, which often makes veterans vulnerable to suicide.”

BioMojo created an immersive and interactive experiential reality-based scenario from the concept of using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) the role-play experience, specifically to support veterans living and working in prison.

The company, which is based in Cary, also designs digital therapeutics that use a variety of technologies including extended reality (XR), computational biology, AI, data analytics, and wearable biometric sensors.

The next phase of the accelerator program begins in November, where finalists will present their concept and technologies live during an event.

North Carolina ranked 10th in the United States in a recent analysis measuring the number of veteran-owned businesses, and Fayetteville ranked first among similarly-sized metropolitan regions.

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The post To prevent veteran suicide, Triangle firm creating extended reality therapeutics first appeared on WRAL TechWire.

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