VigiLife Ushers In New Wave of Sports Tech with IU Women’s Rowing Pilot

Early last year, VigiLife received an investment from IU Ventures and became a part of the IU Angel Network portfolio. This working relationship with IU recently came full circle when the coaching staff for the women’s varsity rowing team began looking for real-time physiological, performance, and safety data on their 65 athletes during practices and meets. Coach Stephen Peterson, OLY, and his staff decided to go with VigiLife's SafeGuard because it provides the data they need, even in cases where wi-fi and cellular coverage are limited. SafeGuard also gives them the potential to capture additional data, such as the force output of the oars or the speed of the boat.

VigiLife CEO Zachary “Zach” Kiehl, who graduated from the Kelley School of Business at IU, has long credited this partnership with setting the stage for VigiLife's success. “IU Ventures’ impact extends well beyond access to seed capital,” he explains, “and includes tremendous networking opportunities, access to talent, and amazing career development services.”

As for this opportunity to collaborate with his alma mater, Zach couldn’t be more thrilled. “We’re very excited to see this burgeoning partnership blossom as we leverage innovative technologies to improve human health, safety, and performance!”

VigiLife's flagship product, SafeGuard, was built on a foundation of five years of R&D in the Department of Defense. Originally designed to keep workers safe in dangerous environments, the technology is now being adapted for a wider range of uses. This pilot with the IU women’s rowing team marks VigiLife's initial foray into the physical performance market, which includes athletics, public safety, and military performance applications.