Austin — For anyone who has trouble with jetlag, Inteliclinic has an answer: a sleep mask.
Inteliclinic’s sleep mask, called the Neuroon, is not exactly traditional. It is a device with biometric sensors that uses its own software to connect to a mobile app via Bluetooth. On the lower end of its technological capabilities, the company says the device and its app help people adapt to jet lag by providing advice on when to sleep and to avoid sunlight. On the high-tech end, the Neuroon has the ability to emit light from it, allowing users to set the mask like an alarm to awaken them with light, the company says. The app’s light also can be used get extra energy, the company says, among other uses.
The San Francisco- and Warsaw, Poland-based company was the winner of the ReleaseIt pitch competition at South By Southwest Interactive Friday, beating out nine other startups from around the U.S. The Neuroon can be purchased online for $299.
Coming in second place was Mend, a Dallas-based app maker that provides in-home, on-demand medical care. For someone who downloads the app, Mend charges $50 for the first physician visit and then $199 for every visit after. The app’s physicians must have five years of hospital experience, according to CEO Jonathan Clarke, who himself is a doctor. The company has raised $4.3 million so far and hopes to be profitable by mid-2017, Clarke says. The company also has worked to make sure it is HIPAA-compliant. “We had excellent lawyers we paid very well to make sure we’re all buttoned up,” Clarke says.
In total, 10 companies pitched during the event, which was hosted by the Dallas Entrepreneur Center’s Trey Bowles.
