Q&A with Thync: When neuroscience meets wearable consumer tech

Last month, we had the chance to interview the co-founder and CEO of Thync, Isy Goldwasser. Thync is part of a new category combining neuroscience with consumer technology. Their main product is a wearable that uses neurosignaling to shift your state of mind, inducing states of energy, calm or focus.

(Above: Isy with his co-founder, Jamie Tyler. Photo from Thync)

Thync is a new product category for tech – what kind of audience are you trying to reach?

Anyone who’s ever had an energy drink or cup of coffee to jolt into their day or anyone who has a glass of wine to unwind at night. Our lifestyles are demanding and hectic, and often require us to shift from high gear to low gear in a moment’s notice. We want to help you smoothly transition from one mental state to another with comfort and ease.

How is Thync trying to connect with early adopters vs. mainstream consumers?

Early adopters are critical for any new product to provide feedback and share their experience with others. But the power of our Vibes is that they make each person feel better in their own unique way, just like a cup of coffee or a glass of wine effects each of us differently. Whether you’re an athlete needing a boost before a big race, an overworked professional wary of that third cup of coffee, or a harried parent yearning for calm in a sea of domestic chaos, Vibes can help you achieve more in your day.

We also know that seeing and feeling the Vibes makes people believe in the power of Thync. So we’ve deployed a Vibe Squad to provide Vibes at various events so more people can experience them one on one. They visit sporting venues, office buildings, yoga classes, and have even been to New York Fashion Week.

Who do you consider your direct or indirect competitors and what’s your special sauce to differentiate from them?

We’ve created a completely new product and new category of wearable that actually modulates your biology for you and helps you become more relaxed or energized in minutes. Thync uses proprietary neurosignaling technology with low levels of pulsed electrical energy to signal specific neural pathways in the brain.

Think of those pathways as specific lanes in a highway. When the pathways are signaled, users can-tune the balance between their sympathetic (“fight or fight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) nervous systems, to dial up or dial down their stress responses and energy levels on-demand, creating mental states of calm or energy.

Thync has won many prizes including at CES. What do you think was the main factor that helped gain that recognition?

Unlike other wearables, Thync is not monitoring your stress level or number of steps walked. We actually makes the changes for you so you feel better.

Do you partner with any other companies or organizations? What would be your dream partnership?

We partner with a number of product and marketing organizations essential to our success. In terms of consumer facing partnerships, our first one is with Amazon Launch Pad earlier this year. In terms of dream partnerships, Red Bull and Starbucks are near the top.

What’s next for Thync in evolving the product and growing globally?

This is really just the beginning of how we can bridge technology and neurobiology to improve people’s lives. The magic of Thync is you can still exercise and enjoy your morning coffee and use Thync to amplify those effects, or you can use Thync alone to help achieve a calm or mental state. It’s up to you. We’re working on more Vibe options and where we can next take Thync. This is really only the beginning for our company and what our product can do.