Friday, February 17, 2012

Zeo helping NFL Combine athletes get rest

By Patricia Resende, Correspondent

Wannabe-pro football players will soon be able to get their required ZZZs thanks to technology developed by Newton-based Zeo, a developer of sleep tracking technology.

Zeo is teaming up with Althletes’ Performance, a training, physical therapy and nutrition company, to work with professional athletes who have been invited to Indianapolis to participate in NFL Combine being held at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of Super Bowl XLVI. Athletes’ Performance, which has facilities in Texas, California, Florida and Arizona, supports athletes including 14 number one NFL draft picks in 2011 and dozens of MLB All-Stars and MVPs, according to the company.

A number of the 300 athletes, who were invited for NFL Combine, will use Zeo’s Sleep Manager Bedside and its mobile version of the technology to track and measure their sleep.The Sleep Manager Mobile application is a version of the sleep management device that uses the sensor-equipped headband with a smartphone app and relies on a user’s smartphone instead of the clock radio device.

 Both Zeo products will be combined with Athletes’ Performance Core Performance program of nutrition, movement and recovery.

“Zeo is thrilled to announce our partnership with Athletes’ Performance,” Zeo CEO David Dickinson told Mass High Tech. “By combining sleep management technology with integrated performance training, we plan to expose more athletes, including those invited to the NFL Combine, to the awesome power of sleep  - and add another tool to the current Athletes’ Performance method.”

The athletes will see a positive impact on their quality of sleep, how they recover from physical activity and their performance on the field, according to Dickinson.

Founded as Axon Labs in 2003, Zeo has landed several rounds of funding including its most recent $1 million round in November 2011 and another $12.3 million round in December 2010.

While Zeo is currently focused on Athletes’ Performance clients, the company hopes to work with more athletes in the future.