Alphabeats, which provides mental performance for athletes, has partnered with sleep measurement firm SleepScore Labs to create a neurofeedback platform using sleep data and analytics.
This collaboration will bring SleepScore’s advanced sleep data and analytics into Alphabeats’ neurofeedback platform, creating a comprehensive and robust approach to performance training and recovery. This kind of tech is being used for everything from esports to traditional sports to make sure athletes are always at their best.
SleepScore Labs has been measuring sleep data for a while and it is trusted by Mattress Firm, NASA, Therabody, IFF, and other leading global brands. I’ve used SleepScore Labs‘ data to keep track of my own sleep patterns in the past and the data was interesting when it emerged years ago. The companies made the announcements at CES 2025, the big tech trade show in Las Vegas this week.
“We all know how important quality sleep is to performing at your best, but the tools to understand this connection haven’t been widely available,” said Jorrit DeVries, CEO of Alphabeats, in a statement. “SleepScore Labs brings world-class scientific expertise and shares our commitment to rigorous validation. Together, we’re helping athletes and performers train smarter by connecting the dots between mental fitness and quality sleep.”
The company has quotes from a number of athletes who have used the tech.
“The mental focus gained in this off season (with alphabeats) has been nothing more then AMAZING. Definitely helps me lock in more on this journey,” said DeWayne Autrey, a pro football player.
And Maarten Paes, goalkeeper for FC Dallas, said, “I believe in the importance of preparing and recovering both the body and the mind. After using Alphabeats post-game, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my sleep, and it’s the small details that truly matter.”
How it works
In an interview, DeVries said, “Athletes have always trained their bodies but the mind has been neglected. We focus on athletes first and enable it for anybody who wants to improve their brains.”
Much of the way Alphabeats does this is through music, which can be targeted for neural performance, as music can bring out the beast in you. To do this, you can connect an EEG-measurement device, tracking your brain waves via headphones or a headband. You pick your music and find a quiet place to sit and start your session. You can track your mental performance in terms of your ability to put yourself in an alpha state for high performance, DeVries said.
“Every time you are in alpha, the music plays as it should,” he said. “When you move out of alpha, then the music changes.”
It means you can remove unnecessary thoughts in your brain and you’re focused on being in a wakeful rest state, where you can focus on the moment.
“Music and neurofeedback are the core modalities where you can tap into alpha at will,” DeVries said.
Various athletes have said they use this type of alpha focus to perform better.
The SleepScore partnership
SleepScore Labs brings extensive scientific validation to the partnership, having conducted studies with over 10,000 participants through their research division. This aligns with a critical market need. According to McKinsey, while sleep ranks as consumers’ second-highest health priority, it remains the area with the most unmet needs.
“Alphabeats has proven that music-driven neurofeedback can transform mental training for athletes,” said Colin Lawlor, CEO of SleepScore Labs, in a statement. “Sleep is fundamental to both mental and physical performance. By joining forces, we’re helping users optimize their complete performance cycle – from training to competition to recovery.”
The integration will center on SleepScore’s Sleep.ai Intelligence Platform, which transforms and analyzes sleep data from over 500 wearables. The new solutions will give users deep insights into how their sleep affects their mental training, while providing clear recommendations for improvement.
SleepScore has more than 600 million hours of sleep science data, and it shows how sleep quality impacts training effectiveness. It offers personalized recommendations to optimize the performance cycle. The analytics data will roll out in the first quarter and coaching features will follow.
The quality of sleep data is much better today than a decade ago, thanks to wearables and smart watches.
This partnership adds a strategic facet to alphabeats’ growing mental training ecosystem, which includes collaborations with Muse, BrainBit and Feed.fm. As Alphabeats enters 2025, the company also announced plans to launch the alphabeats Performance Collective, which brings together leaders across science, sports, and business to advance the future of mental performance. Further details and founding members will be announced throughout Q1 2025.
Alphabeats raised $4.2 million to date and it has in Laguna Beach, California, and Eindhoven. Alphabeats will be in the Dutch pavilion at CES 2025 with a demo. DeVries joined a year ago and the company started in the Netherlands in 2019 and it expanded to the U.S. in 2024.
