Timeshifter jet lag app pitch at Phocuswright 2019

What is Timeshifter?

The world’s most downloaded jet lag app, built on the latest scientific research by leading circadian scientists.

Transcript

Mickey Beyer-Clausen, Co-Founder and CEO, Timeshifter: Hi everyone. I’m here to talk about jet lag science, the Timeshifter app, and how to timeshift to eliminate jet lag.

Last year, about half a billion passengers traveled on long-haul flights. When asked, 93% said they struggled with jet lag. At the same time, the consequences of jet lag are wide-ranging and costly: reduced productivity, performance, safety and also enjoyment. Many people also leave earlier to acclimatize, or need recovery time when they get back home to the family. And then there are the long-term health implications that mirror those of shift workers – increased chances of stroke, diabetes and certain cancers if you travel a lot.

Yet we have been doing it all wrong. We have relied on advice from non-experts, trusted false product claims, or just accepted jet lag as part of travel. Unfortunately, no existing solution can help travelers tackle the underlying cause of jet lag, and it might even make their jet lag worse.

The problem and the solution we’ll find inside our brain. In the hypothalamus part of our brain we have a biological clock – it’s also called the circadian clock. When we travel to new time zones, we disrupt the clock and we start feeling the symptoms of jet lag. What we want to do is reset the clock as quickly as we can to the new time zone.

Surprising to many, the key time cue for the circadian clock is light. If we see the right light at the right time, we’ll shift the circadian clock really quickly towards a new time zone. If we see the wrong light at the wrong time, we’ll make jet lag much worse. In addition to timed light exposure, the right type and dose of melatonin at the right time can help shift you even faster.

For more than 10 years, world-renowned circadian neuroscientist, Harvard professor and Timeshifter co-founder Dr. Steven Lockley has helped NASA apply this science. For the past five years, he’s also helped Formula 1 drivers, other elite athletes and top CEOs. In June last year we launched the Timeshifter jet lag app, so that all travelers could benefit from the same jet lag plans as offered to NASA and Formula 1, but at a fraction of the cost. With Timeshifter, you can adapt to a new time zone three to four times as fast as normal.

So how does it work? You put in your sleep pattern, your chronotype – if you’re an early bird or night owl – your personal preferences, including if you want to use melatonin or not, and your itinerary. Out comes a highly personalized jet lag plan with powerful actions to take at specific times, like when to see light and when to avoid light, when to take melatonin if you opted in, when to go to sleep, and so on.

We’re grateful that since we launched, we’ve been receiving a lot of recognition. I want to highlight the 2019 SleepTech Award from the National Sleep Foundation. But what really excites me is the 4.7 out of five stars in the App Store, and the results of more than 23,000 questionnaires we received from users who have used Timeshifter, validating the effectiveness of the app. And then, of course, the fact that business travelers, our key target group, love Timeshifter.

So how do we get it into the hands of millions of people? We sell to businesses with many traveling employees, and we also grow through channel partners like airlines, OTAs, TMCs and so on. Let me show you a couple of partners we have launched with so far. Six Senses – the number one luxury resort in the world, according to Travel + Leisure – now offers all of its guests a complimentary jet lag plan when they book. Montblanc’s latest smartwatch, the Summit 2, has Timeshifter pre-installed, even in the watch face, so that you can follow your plan. And last week we launched with our first airline partner – very exciting – United Airlines. We’re now offering Timeshifter to their members.

In addition to executing on our plan and continuing to innovate, we also try to create a defensible position for ourselves through patents and trademarks. We have a great team going forward. The timing seems optimal, based on dialogues from inbound inquiries versus outbound targeting. We’ve been able to raise the money we needed so far. And then we have a big upside opportunity, which is that the circadian shifting platform we built can not only be applied to jet lag, but also to other areas, including shift work. Thank you so much.