Jolt Athletics

Jolt Athletics, operating as Jolt Sensors, LLC, provides a wearable head impact monitoring system designed to enhance athlete safety. The company's origins are rooted in the personal experience of its founder and CEO, Ben Harvatine, a former MIT wrestler who suffered a concussion that was not immediately diagnosed. This experience inspired Harvatine, a mechanical engineering graduate, to design a solution to prevent similar situations for other young athletes. Founded in Boston in 2014, the company was co-founded by Harvatine and fellow MIT alumnus Seth Berg, who brought expertise in computer science and electrical engineering to the project.

The core product is the Jolt Sensor, a small, clip-on device that attaches to any athletic headgear, such as helmets, headbands, or goggles. This sensor utilizes two accelerometers to measure the linear and rotational acceleration of an athlete's head, tracking impacts in real-time. When an impact surpasses a predetermined threshold, the sensor vibrates to alert the athlete and wirelessly transmits an alert via a custom low-energy Bluetooth protocol to a connected mobile app monitored by parents and coaches from up to 200 yards away. The system does not diagnose concussions but serves as an objective tool to flag significant impacts, prompting immediate evaluation. The accompanying app tracks impact data for individual athletes and entire teams, creating statistics on total impact exposure to help mitigate high-risk situations. It also includes features for symptom evaluation and tracking recovery.

Jolt Athletics targets the youth sports market, serving teams from grade school through college, as well as being trialed by professional teams. The business model is based on the direct sale of the sensor hardware, which retails for $99, and is supported by a free companion app for iOS and Android devices. The company gained initial funding and visibility through a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014, which surpassed its $60,000 goal. It has also participated in accelerator programs such as MassChallenge and the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator powered by Techstars, and received support from the MIT Venture Mentoring Service.

Keywords: head impact sensor, concussion detection, athlete safety, wearable technology, sports technology, youth sports safety, impact monitoring, mobile health, Ben Harvatine, MIT startup, Jolt Sensor, sports-related head injuries, athletic monitoring, real-time alerts, team sports safety, wrestling safety, football safety, soccer safety, sports wearable, Bluetooth sensor