Overcoming the fear of flying with augmented reality glasses. This is the origin of Psious, a Barcelona-based startup that uses this technology in therapies that expose patients to situations that make them uncomfortable or scared, with the aim of normalizing them.
Its founder and CEO, Xavier Palomer, had a friend who, precisely, did not dare to get on a plane. And another friend who told him that virtual reality could be used for him to overcome the trauma. There was scientific evidence that this technology could be useful, but no one had yet found a commercial solution. This was in 2013, when Palomer began to devise his product. It took him three years to do so, until he finished developing it in 2016.
The operation of Psious is simple. The patient experiences immersively those situations they avoid or do not know how to manage. They do so at all times accompanied by their psychologist, who controls everything they are seeing. In the case of a person who has a panic of getting on a plane, the entire process is recreated for them: when they pack their suitcase, take the metro or taxi to the airport, go through security checks, and board the plane. While the patient experiences these scenes, the psychologist notes their reactions and obtains very valuable information, since they see how they act without filters.
The startup offers its product to a thousand psychologists, mostly from private healthcare, but also from public healthcare, with a presence in Barcelona hospitals such as Clínic, Vall d'Hebron, or Sant Pau. Its clients are distributed among the United States (40%), Spain (30%), and other European countries.
To achieve this geographical expansion, the round it closed in 2019, with the support of Sabadell Asabys, Caixa Capital Risc, and Sabadell Venture Capital, was key. The eight million euros it obtained have also allowed it to hire more employees, going from a dozen two years ago to the current 60.
With its main headquarters in Barcelona, Psious also has employees in the United States, the Netherlands, and Austria. During 2021, it plans to increase its staff by 30% to 40%, and expects to go for its second round at the end of the year. The company, which has not yet registered profits, billed almost one million euros in 2020 and expects to double this figure during this fiscal year.
Silicon Valley Spain Venture Summit
Psious has been one of the startups that participated in the Silicon Valley Spain Venture Summit, an event organized by the California Spain Chamber of Commerce, with the aim of facilitating the access of emerging companies to this US venture capital market. The creator of this initiative is Pepe Agell, an entrepreneur who lives in California. This event, which was held virtually on June 10, had the support of BSartup from Banco Sabadell, Caixa Capital Risc, Cuatrecasas and Inveready.