Brain health analytics company SyncThink announces that NFL Hall of Fame member and ESPN analyst Steve Young has joined the company’s advisory board.
Young will work closely with Palo Alto-based SyncThink to forge adoption of its FDA-cleared EYE-SYNC technology to, for the first time, enable individuals to work with their physicians and monitor their own brain performance.
“This is about empowerment,” Young states, in a media release from SyncThink.
“Athletes at all levels deserve an objective tool to make informed decisions about the risks of playing their sport.”
Young played for 15 years in the National Football League, during which time he led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships. A two-time NFL MVP and the 1994 Super Bowl MVP, Young retired in 1999 with a 96.8 career passer rating and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2005.
While playing for the 49ers, Young earned a law degree from Brigham Young University. This allowed him to successfully transition to an off-field career after he retired from the NFL, first with his Forever Young Foundation, and now as the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of HGGC—a mid-market private equity firm with $4B under management, per the release.
“Just as when I was in the NFL 20 years ago, today’s process to evaluate players for head injuries remains wholly subjective,” he adds. “SyncThink’s sideline-ready solution will educate athletes, parents, coaches, teams, and medical personnel with real-time, brain health analytics and make the sport safer.”
A cloud-based virtual reality platform, SyncThink’s proprietary technology is designed to assess brain health in 60 seconds. Featuring a virtual reality headset engineered to track eye movements, SyncThink can be used at the moment of injury to detect visual impairment, during training to track the pace of recovery, and proactively to monitor brain health.
“With SyncThink, athletes will have a strong defense—first, by using it for initial screenings, then by immediately deploying it to rule in or rule out an array of impairments. Athletes can also use SyncThink for a powerful offense—harnessing it to speed their recovery, proving their readiness for play, and reaching their optimal brain performance,” Young continues in the release.
Young has partnered with Silicon Valley Sports Ventures to accelerate SyncThink.
“Having Steve join our team to support the work we’re doing is huge validation for us,” SyncThink CEO Laura Yecies states. “Steve’s a leader, both in sport and business, and we’re proud to partner with him to enhance player safety and optimize athletic performance. His expertise and commitment is invaluable.”
[Source: SyncThink]
