Trent Clews-De Castella (Class of 2007) – VR to reduce pain and stress in patients

Social impact entrepreneur and co-founder of immersive media company Phoria, Trent Clews-De Castella will never forget the advice he received from his older sister on his first day at Radford:

“Be kind Trent. You will change a lot throughout high-school and college, find new friends and learn new things about yourself. However, the one thing that people will remember you for is if whether or not you were a genuinely nice person”

This advice has guided Trent’s career. Now,  he and his business partner Steven Kounnas are expanding Phoria to explore how VR could be used to help improve recovery outcomes for patients in hospital, with Dream3d.

“When I was young, I always had an enthused interest in new technology. In fact, I recall spending months of savings to purchase the first ever MP3 player, it had only one earpiece and played only 30 seconds of ushers U-turn, it was dope. This would have to be the thread that has led me to where I am today, what new tools are out there and how can we tap into their potential to improve our lives.”

What started as a simple idea has snowballed into a multi-pronged approach, encompassing research, educational content for parents, doctors and patients, as well as a powerful tool for escapism.

Dream3d began clinical trials in 2016 with the Royal Children’s Hospital to test the efficacy of VR to reduce pain and stress in patients, with the results being used to inform how immersive experiences can be crafted to improve lives and benefit those who need it most.

And check out his business listed in our directory here.