Stirling Mortlock invests in EyeGuide concussion technology

Former Wallaby Rugby Union Captain Stirling Mortlock aims to see concussion technology devices as readily available as heart defibrillators now are in public settings.

XV Capital, a Sydney based firm founded by Mortlock and James Godfrey, has signed an equity agreement with health tech company EyeGuide Technologies whose technology is revolutionising the help given to people suffering from concussions and other mental health issues.

XV Capital specialises in accelerating and investing in global sports innovation companies such as Melbourne-based EyeGuide Technologies who offer an objective 10-second digital eye test which is used to help those suffering from sporting concussions, head injuries, fatigue, and other mental health issues.

EyeGuide has established itself as a market leader with its simple and affordable device which is now used in 10 countries across amateur and professional sporting organisations as well as workplaces, schools, universities, and clinical settings. 

The partnership aims to accelerate the use of objective technologies as an addition to the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) and Head Injury Assessment (HIA) process which are used to assess concussions.

Having played 80 Tests for the Wallabies, including 29 as captain, plus 140 Super Rugby games for the ACT Brumbies and Melbourne Rebels over a decorated 14-season representative career, Mortlock is all too familiar with the risks of head injury.

Mortlock shares “I suffered multiple concussions during my playing career. If I had access to this technology, it would have provided me with more information about my brain health and also provided my family with more comfort and peace of mind.

“I think it’s crucial that the entire sporting sector prioritises brain health and proactively manages the potential health issues caused by concussions. There needs to be more progress and adoption of objective digital tools to address this critical issue.

“The EyeGuide technology enables every single person to have a neurological passport that objectively quantifies their brain health so they can make better informed decisions.”

Mortlock said the ultimate objective is to have EyeGuide devices made available to all sports participants at sports clubs and schools across Australia and added “just as heart defibrillators are commonplace in public settings, we also need devices like EyeGuide broadly available to help people who suffer a head knock.

“We believe the affordable devices should become an essential sideline tool at all clubs and schools to better protect sports participants of all ages.

“XV Capital specialises in sports innovation and given brain health and concussion management is one of the least digitised areas of sport, we believe there is an amazing opportunity to provide scalable solutions to schools and sporting organisations.

“We assessed many products in the concussion market, and we felt that EyeGuide were the best choice to partner with given the breadth of application, simplicity, credibility and affordability of the product.”

EyeGuide Technologies Chief Executive Shane Keating notes “XV Capital’s knowledge of athlete wellbeing, sports innovation start-ups and general business acumen is a perfect fit for EyeGuide.

EyeGuide has already been used by World Rugby in Europe’s United Rugby Championship as well as in Rugby League and AFL, but it was the accessibility of the tech in community and school sport that attracted XV Capital.

Mortlock continues “while the elite level concussions grab the headlines, we need to make effective digital platforms like EyeGuide available to all levels of sport, not just the elite.

Mortlock and his business partner James Godfrey will be active in the company alongside EyeGuide technology founders, Shane Keating and Matt O’Hare, as the company looks to further cement itself as a world leader in brain health and concussion tech.

Further information visit xvcapitaladvisory.com/ and www.eyeguide.tech

Image top: EyeGuide Technologies; Image above: results incident after one and two weeks