In this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, Nic Espanet sits down with Gabe Arrington, co-founder and CEO of Hire a Piranha and an active duty Air Force senior officer preparing for retirement. Gabe shares his unique journey from flying five different aircraft and completing over 270 combat missions to co-founding a cutting-edge XR company focused on mental wellness and mindfulness.
Gabe explains how his background in military innovation led to the development of Pilot Training Next, a groundbreaking program that used VR, AR, AI, biometrics, and data analytics to cut pilot training time in half—saving the Air Force billions of dollars. That same innovative mindset now fuels Hire a Piranha’s mission: helping students and adults quickly reset their minds through immersive, calming XR experiences.
Unlike other virtual reality platforms built for stimulation and entertainment, Hire a Piranha focuses on calming meditation. By combining specialized visuals and acoustics, their headset helps users reach a meditative state in just two to five minutes. Schools in Kentucky are already using the system, especially in special education classrooms, allowing students to reset and return ready to learn. Expansion into Colorado and university pilots are already in motion.
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