Six Diverse-Led Startups to Pitch Their Groundbreaking New Products at NFLPA Pitch Day Presented by Truist

WASHINGTON D.C. (April 8, 2022) – The NFL Players Association is proud to announce the six diverse-led startups that will present their revolutionary business concepts and products to athletes, industry experts and investors at the sixth annual NFLPA Pitch Day presented by Truist on Thursday, April 28 in Las Vegas. The companies – Bandwagon, Hydrostasis, Healium, Impact Biosystems, Point and ZoneIn – will pitch how their products and services will disrupt industries, connect to sport and lifestyle, and align with the marketing power of athletes.

All led by diverse thinkers and entrepreneurs, this year’s Pitch Day companies will compete for access to funding, mentorship and the NFLPA’s unique assets, which may include player marketing and group licensing rights. In previous years, the NFLPA has highlighted and supported some of the most unique new product concepts, which have impacted all aspects of sports and wellness – with athletes at the center of it all. Previous winning Pitch Day companies like wearable technology company WHOOP, sports lifestyle brand round21 and technology platform SwayBrand have all transformed their respective industries. This year’s participants are no different, and their products and services range from human performance to consumer products and fan experience technology.

Truist, this year’s presenting sponsor, is a purpose-driven financial services company committed to inspiring and building better lives and communities, aligning with the Pitch Day mission to empower women, people of color and other underrepresented business leaders. PepsiCo joins as a championship plus level sponsor supporting diverse entrepreneurs and innovative new products. The partnerships were facilitated by OneTeam Partners.

Highlights of the 2022 NFLPA Pitch Day presented by Truist:

• Pitches will be judged by a panel of professional athletes and notable experts touting their own business acumen.
• The winning pitch will garner a prize package that includes $25,000 in marketing services from the NFLPA, $25,000 in services from OneTeam, business resource contributions from Truist, and strategic consultation from Allied Sports and Allied Global Marketing, a full-service integrated global marketing agency that works with the world’s largest entertainment, lifestyle and sports brands including the NFLPA.
• Fireside chats with NFL players who are passionate about off-the-field endeavors that include investing, starting their own businesses and supporting diverse entrepreneurs.

NFLPA Pitch Day Company Profiles:

Bandwagon: Founder: Harold Hughes
BandwagonFanClub, Inc. is an experience technology company that delivers solutions to help fans and consumers connect with their favorite artists, athletes, entertainers, and brands. Their suite of products includes FanClub™, their NFT enablement platform that connects fans with their favorite brands and entertainers — powered by their Proof of Experience™ blockchain — and IdealSeat™ (acquired in 2020), an NFT-enabled ticketing solution for sub-5000 person events. Bandwagon is a Google Black Founders Fund recipient and backed by Backstage Capital, Unseen Capital, Black Star Fund, Realist Ventures, and SC Launch.

Hydrostasis: Founder: Debbie Chen
Hydrostasis provides real-time, personalized hydration monitoring capabilities to smart device manufacturers in consumer and clinical applications. 75% of adults in the U.S. are chronically dehydrated, costing $20B annually and leading to chronic conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, and dementia. Consumer device manufacturers are looking for better health insights and clinicians need objective data and remote patient monitoring. Using patented sensor design and proprietary algorithms, Hydrostasis’ solution is non-invasive, cross-platform, and device agnostic. Our proprietary algorithms are personalized and can notify users before they are dehydrated or reach fluid overload. Hydrostasis is supported by SOSV, NIH, US Air Force and has planned clinical validation studies at UCSD, NYU, and Azalee Care (Japan).

Healium: Founder: Sarah Hill
Healium and Sleepium reimagine mental wellness and sleep by allowing you to train inside virtual worlds with your body’s electricity via any consumer wearable. Our patented augmented and virtual reality solutions improve stress management, sleep, and human performance. Via feedback, these digital drugs empower you to discover the healing powers inside yourself by shifting EEG brain patterns, heart rate, or other biometrics.

Impact Biosystems: Co-Founders: Bridget Hunter-Jones and Craig Cheney
Impact Biosystems builds hardware and software solutions to help athletes recover faster, feel better, and perform at their peak. The Pact system measures your Muscle Readiness to provide unique insights into the state of your muscles, which enables personalized recovery. They are a VC backed startup in the Boston area with a largely MIT based cross-functional team.

Point: Co-Founders: Paige Sullivan and Kingsley McGowan
Connects all your wearable and smart living data for a seamless experience while providing actionable insights and recommendations on how to live optimally.

ZoneIn: Founder: Kush Mahan
ZoneIn is the leading performance nutrition planning and meal ordering solution for sports organizations. The platform leverages automation and AI to deliver personalized nutrition guidance for every athlete, while allowing dietitians and performance coaches to save time and more efficiently meet the nutrition needs of their athletes. ZoneIn is being used by leading professional, college, and youth teams as the solution that allows all of their athletes fuel to win.