2021 MotionCure—coding to alleviate motion sickness
November 2, 2021
By: Alara Tuncer
As researchers we dream of making a meaningful contribution to society that addresses one of
the many problems we face today. For MotionCure this was the problem of motion sickness.
Although they are still in the pipeline for coding their initial prototype, founded by Nastaran
Arfaei (GSAS) and Taraneh Meshkani, MotionCure aims to be a “a virtual reality biofeedback
application to train users against motion sickness through biofeedback.” Since MotionCure is
still brand new, its founders are new to the market. However, the CIE Institute sought out to
pick their brilliant minds that are ready to shape the world for others, specifically for those who
suffer from motion sickness.
MotionCure’s founder, Arfaei shares that he thinks “in the near future,” there will be a “rise in
neural technologies integrated into everyday life. The role of entrepreneurship is to imagine
these advancements and develop one that is relevant and possible right now.”
As “there are many degrees of freedom to any idea,” for a new business or a start up, “the
biggest challenge is deciding which features to keep fixed and which features to experiment
with.” As a participant of the Tech Venture Workshop, Arfaei states that because of the program,
they have understood “where their innovation can be used best and create the most value.” This
is an asset for a new business. He also adds that this has narrowed their focus “on developing it
specifically for that purpose as a starting point.” And that “there are many directions that a
technology can take depending on its immediate use.” Arfaei adds that “I think the hardest part
is deciding to invest your time and energy in an idea or not. Is it the right time? Is it necessary?
Does it have an audience? Our time is the most valuable resource we have and deciding how to
allocate it is a very hard decision.”
Although there will be many challenges that early-stage start-ups might face, Arfaei notes on the
issue of “oversaturation in some fields” as one of the most difficult ones to overcome that make
the “exposure more difficult.” This is something most start-up founders struggle with when
they’re trying to address a question that most people are also trying to tackle.
While to MotionCure’s founder, personal success is defined as “the value of each act” and “how
much positive effect it creates for the advancement of human society as a whole.” Arfaei
explains that this applies to start-ups as well, “as long as your acts generate positive outcomes
for all humans and the planet, you can call it a success.” With emphasis on benevolence for all,
Arfaei notes that the “advancement should not come to just a population at the cost of another
population or endangering the planet.”
The founder of MotionCure also has some thoughts on how we can increase the participation of
women and underrepresented minorities in start-ups and start-up building. “I think as the whole
society becomes more aware of the ways discrimination happens in all realms and aspects, and
the more willing it is to address it holistically, there will eventually be more women and minorities
in leading roles as well. I believe providing a similar chance to everyone will in the end reduce
inequality.” With awareness of the current challenges that unduly affect women, Arfaei adds that
this “includes not putting the burdens of childcare or home care disproportionately on women” in
addition to also paying women “equal to men for the same job and giving people from different
economic backgrounds a chance to higher education.”
Finally, Arfaei comments on the heightened value of connections and how the system should be
changed to allow for the participation of more women and underrepresented communities. “I think it is
generally believed that having personal connections with investors is the more
predictive feature of whether a startup gets funded or not. I think if there were better objective
structures for evaluating the value of startups in a way, for instance if investment companies
had in-house scientists to evaluate science-related startups with higher decision-making power,
perhaps an industry twin to peer review system, more women and minorities would see a
chance of representation.” Arfaei adds “I generally find blind auditions the best answer,
reminiscent of the story of American trombonist Abbie Conant who was selected in a blind
audition to the Munich Philharmonic; a chance that she would probably not have if the audition
was not blind.”
At CIE Institute, we’re excited to see MotionCure shape the realities of those in need and wish
its founders the best of luck in their venture!