i3 - July/August 2017 - 38

Policy

By Bronwyn Flores

FAC E S O F I N N OVAT I O N

Derek Belch, founder
and CEO, STRIVR Labs
Q What is the STRIVR user experience like?
A By using a lot of different 360 cameras
and combining real videos with CGIbased content, we create an authentic
experience for the user. The videos are
organized in a custom
library for each player
Former Washington
or employee to study
State nose tackle
Robert Barber using
them and improve their
STRIVR virtual realretention of concepts
ity headset at
and reaction time.
STRIVR Lab.
Instead of only getting
a few repetitions of a certain play or job
responsibility, our users can master the
mental aspects of doing their jobs.

 I  

n 2007, Derek Belch was a kicker on the Stanford
University football team and a student in Professor
Jeremy Bailenson's vaunted Virtual Human Interaction
Lab. Belch was convinced virtual reality (VR) could help his
fellow players more effectively prepare for upcoming games
than traditional game footage filmed from the sidelines or end
zone. At the time, the technology wasn't mature enough to
make Belch's dreams a reality, but Bailenson saw the potential.

Six years later, Belch became an assistant coach at Stanford and worked
hand in hand with Bailenson to develop
360-degree immersive video technology
that enables players to relive their
practices from their own perspectives.
"We're using VR to improve human
performance," says Belch. "When someone actually puts it on, we give them
an authentic, realistic 360-degree view
of what they would experience when
they're supposed to do their given task."
38

JULY/AUGUST 2017

Today, STRIVR has become
a stunning success. NFL teams like the
Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, San
Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings and
New York Jets, as well as many NCAA
football programs, use the technology
to better train their players. Bailenson
has invited Fortune 500 CEOs, members
of Congress, NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell and NBA Commissioner Adam
Silver to learn about STRIVR's gamechanging technology.

biggest growth area in the next few years?
What's next for STRIVR?
A We anticipate applications in corporate
training and education will be the biggest
growth areas over the next five to 10 years.
As we continue to improve upon and evaluate the efficacy of our technology and
services, we see opportunities to advance
training in a corporate environment by
utilizing the affordances of VR technology.
Giving individuals an opportunity to feel
immersed and to interact with training scenarios in new ways, we expect companies
to see improvements in efficiency and
skill level, as well as a more evolved sense
of social interaction in the workplace.

Q How could changes in Washington
help ensure entrepreneurs like you and
the VR business as a whole succeed?
A Especially as it relates to California (and
challenges with the cost of living), encouraging access to faster internet and public
or shared transportation would make it
easier for our employees to be remote or
decrease their transportation costs. In
general, we hope that states will embrace
education initiatives that encourage
people of all ages and background to get
involved in STEM opportunities.
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

From Top: Sandra Dahdah/Getty Images; Robert Beck /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

Q What do you expect to be your
http://strivrlabs.com/
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