Startups pitched their products to seven judges in a format similar to the "Shark Tank" TV showTWITTER
The NFL on Saturday awarded $50,000 and tickets to last night's Super Bowl to three companies in its third annual First and Future technology competition among nine firms. The startups pitched their products in a format similar to "Shark Tank." Impressio, Inc. won for its liquid crystal material that would replace the foam material inside helmets. It beat out two firms that made materials to attach to the exterior of helmets to lessen impact. Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman, one of the seven judges, said that they decided those materials could get damaged and need to be replaced too often. In the category of technology to improve athletic performance, Curv.ai won for its app that uses a phone camera to capture motion, measure athletic ability and evaluates injury risk. It beat out a sensor that tracks athletic performance and a device that purports to track sleep and induce dreams. In the category to speed recovery, RecoverX won for its device that gets hot and cold and would replace ice and heat packs. It beat out a firm that uses an eye test to detect concussions, and one that has a new process for surgery on cartilage. Sugarman said the eye test firm was good, but there are many firms out there with similar technologies. The event was sponsored by the NFL, ComcastNBC, SportsEngine and the Mayo Clinic (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer).
THE PERKS: In Minneapolis, Jeremy Olson noted the competition, which aired on NFL Network, "produced some made-for-TV moments." The audience "gasped when the creator of the Focus eye-tracking device, designed to assess concussions, replayed how a mixed martial artist was able to follow a cursor on a screen before a fight -- and how he couldn’t come close after the fight." The intangible benefits for the companies are "worth as much" as the cash and Super Bowl tickets. Minnesota-based GoRout won the '17 NFL competition with its "line of wearable technology to expedite play-calling and communication between players and coaches." Owner Mike Rolih said that sales of the system "tripled after winning the competition." Rolih: “When the NFL puts its stamp of approval on something, it certainly makes people take notice" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 2/3).
