InteraXon knows what the pandemic did to our brains

Muse S headband

There are lots of different ways to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, we speak to a company about what they’ve learned by measuring your brainwaves.

“Thank god we make a tool that helps me sleep.”
– Ariel Garten,
InteraXon founder
 

Toronto-based InteraXon, founded in 2007, had a big year in 2020.

The maker of the Muse headband, which uses EEG tracking technology to measure brain activity, released its third version in January with a new soft-band form factor, making the device more comfortable to wear in a variety of different positions – including while lying down.

Surpise surprise, Muse also launched a sleep tracking feature in 2020.

The new product launch was also well-timed to a global moment when a huge swath of the population was suddenly interested in mindfulness, stress reduction, and getting a good night’s sleep. Leaving InteraXon with a lot of great data about the relative mental health of its users during the pandemic.

InteraXon founder Ariel Garten joins the podcast to share some key insights garnered from that data. She also discusses the company’s competition in the (suddenly quite hot) meditation, relaxation, and mindfulness space, and explains why a company that once touted its store placement in Best Buy has fully committed to selling direct to consumers.


BetaKit’s Black Swan podcast is sponsored by Arbor, a new way to support companies that support your values. Download Arbor to your browser to discover more companies that are environmentally and socially responsible.


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Black Swan is a BetaKit podcast. Hosted by Douglas Soltys & Rob Kenedi. Edited by Kattie Laur. Sponsored by Arbor. Produced with support from TWG. Feature image courtesy Unsplash.

Douglas Soltys

Douglas Soltys

Douglas Soltys is the Editor-in-Chief of BetaKit and founder of BetaKit Incorporated. He has worked for a few failed companies and written about many more. He spends too much time on the Internet.

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