Santa Cruz Accelerates graduate, Immergo Labs, a Virtual Reality and Healthcare Startup, was recently awarded a Competitive Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the United States National Science Foundation.

Santa Cruz, California, June 6, 2024 – In the hot tech-hub of Santa Cruz, California, something pretty cool just happened. Picture this: Immergo Labs, a startup that’s been hustling through the ranks of the Santa Cruz Works Accelerator, just landed a whopping $1 million National Science Foundation grant. And why? Because they're dreaming big—like, really big. They're gearing up to revolutionize the way we do physical rehab with a new virtual reality platform that doesn't just aim to fix you up but wants to do it in a way that’s smarter, cheaper, and way more accessible.

Here’s the scoop: Immergo Labs isn’t just tinkering around with fun VR gadgets. They’re all-in on creating an extended reality platform that could change the game for full-body rehab. Imagine strapping on a VR headset and being guided through physical therapy exercises by AI, all from the comfort of your home. This isn't just about convenience; it’s about making top-notch rehab accessible in corners of the community that are too often overlooked.

“We are thrilled and grateful to receive this Phase II SBIR award from the NSF. This funding will enable us to greatly advance our research and development efforts from directly co-designing with clinicians and patients to extending novel AI tools for full-body assessment and beyond,” said Aviv Elor, Co-Founder and Principal Investigator of Immergo Labs

Their mission? To crank up patient engagement through uber-cool, immersive tech and cut down those hefty healthcare bills while they’re at it. They’re not just pushing boundaries with tech; they’re literally pulling science fiction into reality, shaping up to potentially trim down the whole healthcare ecosystem’s costs. Plus, they're pioneering some fresh standards in telehealth—think hybrid care models that blend physical and virtual therapies.

So, while the graduates of the Santa Cruz Works Accelerator keep dazzling the investment world, Immergo Labs is out there, putting their new funding to work, aiming to bend the future of healthcare one immersive experience at a time.

Meeting in the Immergo Beyond Platform using Meta Quest Virtual Reality Headsets

Wait, there’s more!

For more details on Immergo’s grant, see the NSF award here: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2304278

Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $275,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1,000,000). Small businesses with Phase II funding are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.

Entrepreneurs who submit a written Project Pitch will know within about a month if they meet the program’s objectives to support innovative technologies that show promise of commercial and/or societal impact and involve an appropriate level of technical risk. Startups and small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. To learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/

About the National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs: America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.