Jonathan Truong and Tad Svendrys hit an inflection point with their company, Verapy, at the start of 2020. They had spent the previous three years building their virtual reality technology to make physical therapy more enjoyable and were chosen to pitch at the famed SXSW.
Then, the pandemic hit.
“It was, ‘Where do we pivot?’ and as we tried, there were barriers to entry in every direction,” Truong said. “From parents to therapists — kids weren’t coming in, and they didn’t want to touch anything. So, we saw this as a time where we need to buckle down and see where it all takes us.”
Svendrys went to work in the telehealth industry, while Truong took on the senior manager role for national programs and platforms for the Tampa Bay Wave.
But the duo continued to fine-tune Verapy, which turned into Recovr Health. Truong and Svendrys affectionately describe it as a new iteration of the company, or Verapy 2.0.
“Just like any startup, you have to be open for change, and we think this opportunity to pivot — although it may be drastic — we think it’s even better than before,” Svendrys said. “We looked at the market, the industry, the consumer awareness and what VR is capable of; it really is the best time for us.”
They’ve taken some lessons learned during Covid-19. Instead of a solely virtual reality headset offering, there’s now an iPad component for more ease of use. It’s also entirely focused on the pediatric sector.
“Of course, there were doubts like, ‘Why are we doing this?’ but seeing the impact, the reaction on kids’ faces where they’re excited to go to therapy, it defeats all the negativity, hardships and challenges,” Svendrys said. “Knowing we’re mission-driven, we’re making an impact and hopefully bringing another win for Tampa.”
It’s already racked up one win. Recovr Health is one of 10 companies accepted into Techstars’ inaugural physical health-focused cohort, based in Fort Worth, Texas.
It’s a bit of a homecoming for Truong, who grew up in the Dallas area and spent a significant amount of time in the region’s hospital as a child.
“The fact it’s physical health, that it’s in DFW, where I was a patient at almost every children’s hospital, it’s a nice segway to be able to work with them in that capacity,” he said. “When Tad and I got the ‘congratulations,’ we were ecstatic.”
They’ll spend the next 12 weeks fine-tuning their company in the program, culminating in a traditional demo day.
Recovr Health is bootstrapped, although the founders are gearing up for a seed round for an undisclosed amount. And with the popularity of the metaverse plus increased adoption of virtual reality, the co-founders believe the timing is right for their venture.
“This is something we won’t ever scrap; it’s a part of us,” Troung said. “We had to wait to see what was going on, but we saw the rise of VR, of the metaverse, and we thought, ‘When is the opportunity to bring this back?’ Techstars gave us that, and we took it.”
