July 31, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by South Dakota Biotech. 

This cutting-edge startup is as compelling as its founder’s own story.

GreenLight Bionics is a South Dakota startup that uses virtual reality games to provide physical therapy solutions.

Its founder is Kouadio Marc-Antoine Audoin Beugretto Niamba – who asks that you please just call him Marc.

Originally from Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, in West Africa, he came to the United States in 2017 to finish his undergraduate degree in psychology, which he began in Johannesburg, South Africa. He since has earned a master’s degree in human factor psychology and is completing a Ph.D. in the same field, as well as a master’s in computer science.

Niamba started GreenLight Bionics three years ago after joining USD’s TRAC, or Technology Readiness Acceleration Center.

“My initial idea was to conduct research to show the benefits of virtual reality as applied to post-amputation treatment, but I learned through TRAC that academia was not my only option,” he said.

“So I formed a team, participated in the Giant Vision Student Competition 2021 and ranked fifth. After that, I was convinced that if I learned more, I could create a business. The company has since pivoted to a different market, but the niche is still the same.”

Today, the focus is on using virtual reality gaming in physical therapy applications.

“As we believe that quality care begins with patient engagement, our mission is to restore motor impairments by prioritizing efficiency, innovation and, most importantly, fun,” Niamba said.

At the moment, the company’s primary objective is the reduction of cervical and lumbar spine disorders in Air Force pilots.

“Pilots face risks associated with neck and spine injuries sustained during flight operations. This is in part due to the necessary performance of routine movements within the cockpit, while withstanding accelerations greater than five times gravity,” he said. “Therefore, we propose a virtual interface that provides flight simulations specifically tailored for strengthening the head and neck muscles, thereby preventing neck and back injuries.”

The GreenLight Bionics managing team includes three members: Niamba, Shania Rehmudin and Zishen Yang.

Kouadio Marc-Antoine Niamba and Shania Rehmudin

The company completed the FAST Launch program last year.

FAST Launch is a growing program provided through BioRise, a new nonprofit initiated by South Dakota Biotech designed to help connect early-stage companies with funding.

In the case of GreenLight Bionics, the funding covered the development of a minimum viable protype as well as the testing of the prototype on human subjects, plus an initial customer discovery phase.

Niamba said he learned valuable business lessons along the way.

“To begin with, I learned that scientific hypotheses do not always align with market needs. Although my initial idea — post-amputation treatment — solved a problem, it could not garner interest from my target population,” he said.

“Had I not sought the customer’s opinion when I did, I would have invested much more resources in tech development just to later change directions. Most importantly, I learned that the greater value of the FAST Launch program is its ability to connect entrepreneurs with actors from the ecosystem they wish to integrate. All the customers I interviewed in my inquiry were part of a network I am interested in, and nurturing these relations provides a greater reward that goes beyond FAST Launch.”

GreenLight Bionics is the sort of company BioRise exists to help incubate, said Joni Ekstrum, executive director.

“This is a company that truly puts the ‘tech’ in biotech, and we can’t wait to see how they apply their technology to advance human health,” she said. “Their innovation has the potential to assist patients recovering from so many conditions that part of the challenge here is figuring out the best direction to go next. That’s where a program like FAST Launch and its corresponding funding can be so beneficial.”

The team from South Dakota Biotech/BioRise and FAST Launch has been instrumental in mentorship and support, Niamba said.

“Our team has a small number, so we have been pestering them for help, and they always respond,” he said. “Also our team consists of Ph.D. students juggling part-time jobs with schoolwork, so investing thousands of dollars in tech development was out of our reach until now.”

The program is available with a U.S. Small Business Administration grant through the FAST, or Federal and State Technology, Partnership Program.

For GreenLight Bionics, “our next target is the development of a fully functional myoelectric controller that samples the electrical activity of muscles and converts them into virtual reality inputs,” Niamba said.

“Although a minimum viable prototype has been developed, our technology still relies on market-ready, research-grade hardware that carries functions unneeded for the current problem and is unnecessarily expensive.”

Using funding through BioRise, the company plans to create its own hardware through rapid prototyping and perform further customer discovery, he added.

“Our vision is to someday become a global platform providing preventive and rehabilitative care through virtual reality games.”

To learn more

• To learn more about GreenLight Bionics, click here.
• In addition to upcoming workshops, FAST Launch offers on-demand sessions and will be adding one-on-one training next year. To get connected, click here or email [email protected].
• To connect with BioRise, click here.

The Federal and State Technology Partnership Program provides funding through the U.S. Small Business Administration to organizations to execute state and regional programs that increase the number of Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer proposals leading to an increase in the number of SBIR/STTR awards from women, socially or economically disadvantaged individuals and small businesses in underrepresented areas – typically rural states. FAST awards build the SBIR/STTR ecosystem through outreach, technical and business assistance, and financial support.