Healium

Healium operates at the intersection of mental health technology and immersive media, providing a platform that allows users to engage with their own biometric data in real time. Founded in 2015 by Sarah Hill and Dr. Jeff Tarrant, the company emerged from Hill's personal experiences with stress and anxiety stemming from her career as a TV journalist covering traumatic events. This background fueled her mission to create a non-pharmaceutical tool for managing mental well-being. Hill, a 12-time Emmy award-winning journalist, partnered with Dr. Tarrant, a psychologist specializing in neurofeedback, to combine immersive media with brainwave monitoring.

The company's core product is a software platform that translates data from consumer wearables like smartwatches and EEG headbands into interactive virtual and augmented reality experiences. Users can visually see their feelings, such as calmness, represented as interactive elements within more than 40 digital stories, like glowing lights or flourishing plants. This biofeedback mechanism is designed to help individuals learn to self-regulate their nervous system, with studies showing a reduction in anxiety in as little as four minutes. The platform is accessible via mobile apps on Apple and Google Play, as well as on VR headsets like Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro.

Healium's business model targets both individual consumers and enterprise clients. For businesses, it offers solutions to improve employee mental fitness, reduce burnout, and increase productivity. The company also serves schools, healthcare providers, elite athletes, and the US military. Revenue is generated through app subscriptions and enterprise-level packages. The company has secured $4.91 million in funding over four rounds from investors including the Mayo Clinic, KCRise Fund, and Missouri Technology Corporation. A key milestone was a know-how license agreement with the Mayo Clinic to further develop its immersive mental health and fitness capabilities.

Keywords: biofeedback, virtual reality therapy, augmented reality wellness, mental wellness, stress management, neurofeedback, digital therapeutics, immersive media, biometric data visualization, corporate wellness, employee mental health, anxiety reduction, sleep improvement, mobile wellness app, VR meditation, AR biofeedback, mental fitness, self-regulation tool, wearable technology integration, digital health