Healium partners with T-Mobile, transporting veterans to DC memorials via virtual Honor Flight
May 12, 2021 | Startland News Staff
Veterans living in rural America can experience the sights and sounds of the nation’s war memorials in Washington D.C. thanks to a Kansas City-area startup’s virtual reality technology, powered by T‑Mobile 5G.
“We are losing our World War II veterans at a rate of hundreds a day, and sadly many may not live long enough to be able to see their memorials in person,” said Sarah Hill, founder and CEO of Columbia-based Healium. “This is such a powerful application that can help us reach veterans, including those living in small towns and remote locations. While nothing is as good as a real, in-person Honor Flight trip, this is a beautiful way to take veterans there if they’re not able to travel.”
Healium is an early leader in Mixed Reality solutions designed to improve mental fitness. Since 2015, it has supported the volunteer efforts of Central Missouri Honor Flight, a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring those who served and sacrificed for our country. The Honor Flight Network is a national network of independent Hubs, each dedicated to transporting U.S. military veterans to see the Washington, D.C. war memorials at no cost to the veterans.
Click here to read about a new partnership between the U.S. Air Force and Healium, one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2020.
Launched in recognition of Military Appreciation Month, T-Mobile and Healium are equipping Honor Flight Network volunteers with VR headsets and Inseego 5G MiFi M2000 hotspots to allow veterans to virtually experience the memorials dedicated to them.
Because T-Mobile Extended Range 5G covers 1.6 million square miles, the toolkit enables volunteers to travel to remote locations, meet with veterans in their homes and run a high-bandwidth VR experience using the T-Mobile 5G network, according to the “un-carrier,” which operates the Kansas City-based T-Mobile Accelerator, as well as the T-Mobile Ventures investment fund, and is a co-founder of the 5G Open Innovation Lab.
Click here to read about the current T-Mobile Accelerator class, which debuted in early April. A demo day is set for the end of June.
“5G is the enabler for VR applications that can transport us to new places, giving us immersive experiences that better connect us to our world,” said John Saw, executive vice president of advanced and emerging technologies at T-Mobile. “We are delighted to team up with Healium and Honor Flight Network to help give back to those who have served our country. With 5GForAll we can bring transformative services such as this to everyone, including those living in rural America.”
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2021 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Former Sprint COO LeMay dishes on KC capital, failure
There are few people in Kansas City more connected into the area’s investor, corporate and startup community than FarmLink CEO Ron LeMay. Also now managing director of Kansas City-based OpenAir Equity Partners, LeMay frequently sees the successes and failures of the metro area’s capital landscape. The former Sprint COO recently spoke with dozens of Kansas…
RFP365 partners with Kansas City, raises $950K
On the heels of a six-figure raise, area tech firm RFP365 recently landed the City of Kansas City as a client for its software that eases the request for proposal process. The company’s deal with Kansas City was born from the city’s “Innovation Partnership” program, which affords entrepreneurs the opportunity to “test drive” their technologies…
Study: Gov should take long-term approach to grow new businesses
A recent study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation reports that while governments have long supported entrepreneurship, new business creation is waning. The study — Guidelines for Local and State Governments to Promote Entrepreneurship — found that new businesses comprised about 8 percent of all U.S. businesses in 2011, down from roughly 15 percent in the…
Kansas City’s Innovation Partnership program to expand
Kansas City’s program to streamline the integration of technologies into City Hall is set to expand in hopes of attracting more entrepreneurial participation. The City of Fountain’s Innovation Partnership program plans to ramp up marketing and resources to welcome more companies hoping to test drive their technologies with the city, said Ashley Hand, Kansas City’s…