Meet Josh Sackman | President & Co-founder of AppliedVR

We had the good fortune of connecting with Josh Sackman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
AppliedVR is addressing two massive societal needs. First, an outdated chronic pain care model, with an overreliance on pharmaceuticals, has created a massive chronic pain epidemic. While the clinical guidelines call for cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based comprehensive pain care approaches, the significant gap in available healthcare professionals to deliver integrated pain care is worsening the issue. There is a six-month average wait time to see a pain specialist in the US, and more broadly nearly 1 in 5 healthcare workers have quit since 2020, worsening the gap.

When you think about traditional medicine in America, it’s often perceived as a “negative good.” People don’t generally enjoy getting injections, pills or surgery, but those are generally the only options that are available. With immersive therapeutics, it’s quite different – it is actually an enjoyable experience for the patient. Additionally, our goal isn’t to keep someone in a VR headset forever. Instead, it’s to help people better regulate their nervous system and learn the coping skills to better manage their condition. So when the headset comes off, they’re better equipped to deal with their chronic low back pain.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My experience in the healthcare system as a child patient shaped my career path greatly. At the age of eight, I grappled with an orthopedic injury that resulted in medical complications—extended hospital stays, months of home recovery, and repeated hospitalizations. I wish I had the tools we’ve developed at AppliedVR to deal with long days of pain, isolation, and anxiety. Because of this personal experience, I shifted my focus over my career into really how technology can improve people’s lives.

Throughout my career, my primary approach was to look for roles that allowed me to go beyond the standard job description, which allowed me to develop diverse skills and experience. It was essential to also surround myself with great people and align my work with my core values. My background, spanning from building consumer health technology like weight loss platforms and social networks, scaling teams in fast growth startups, and digital marketing roles seemed disjointed at first. Yet, it was this rich tapestry of experiences that equipped me with a diverse skillset and the agility to rapidly master new domains, eventually guiding my path in building AppliedVR.

Additionally, realizing the value of self-care was pivotal for my work potential. Without consistent gym sessions, tennis games, quality sleep, and stress-relief practices like breath work, cold exposure, and meditation, I might have faced multiple burnouts on this challenging path.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a native Angeleno living in Studio City, my ideal day would start with an early trail run at Fryman or Lake Hollywood Reservoir, followed by brunch at Republique. I’d then spend quality time with my kids at Coldwater Park in Beverly Hills or strolling through Descanso Gardens. The day would wrap up with a date night at Felix on Abbott Kinney or a Valley favorite like Anajak Thai or Yume Sushi.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I couldn’t have started and achieved all our success thus far without my co-founders Matthew Stoudt and David Sackman, as well as the support of my wife Virginia and kids.

Website: https://www.appliedvr.io/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshsackman/