Stimulating Sports & Science
By Peter Hebert
New ideas are abundant. When we encounter one, we have a choice to make: do we embrace it or do we reject it? Too often, the very old, very conservative, very resistant to change, are too set in their ways and say: “that will never work.” Our job is to find those who see to ask and answer: “What if it does?”
At Lux, meeting and investing in pioneering and rebellious scientists, we’re often reminded of the danger in mental shortcuts that would otherwise leave us thinking: “That can’t be!”
Enter Halo Neuroscience co-founders Drs. Daniel Chao and Brett Weingeier. Both spent more than a decade working together at Neuropace, where they developed the world’s first implanted, responsive neurostimulator for epilepsy treatment. After nearly 15 years of work, the device was approved by the FDA in 2013. A patient may have hundreds of seizures a day, but the implant senses the onset of an epileptic episode and applies a counteracting stimulus automatically. With the device, the patient can be free to live a normal life. Adding to decades of progress in treatment of neurological disorders, this demonstrated the great potential of neurostimulation to improve human health and physical performance.
Yet Dan, Brett and co-founder Dr. Amol Sarva wondered: what broader impact could you create with a neurostimulating device that doesn’t need invasive brain surgery? The founders saw that similar effects could result from external neurostimulators without being implanted. External neurostimulation can activate specific parts of the brain in healthy populations and help trigger optimal physical performance for sports training. Drawing on decades of neuroscience research and dozens of studies, the Halo team created a new device: Halo Sport. Simple to use, beautifully designed, and rigorously tested to produce real results.
Some of our team found it hard to believe. No wonder, since advances in science and technology sometimes feel like magic. Elite Olympic and professional athletes might have initially been skeptical too — but now they and their teams are using Halo Sport to dramatically improve performance. The foundation of Halo Neuroscience is based on verifiable science that keeps advancing and improving. We’re excited at Lux to be seed and Series A lead investors in Halo Neuroscience, supporting Dan and Brett’s bold and ambitious vision.
