(clicks) >> Hey welcome back everybody. Jeff Frick here with theCUBE. We're in downtown San Francisco with Zuora Subscribe. About 2,000 people all focused on the subscription economy. And we're looking at some really cool products. We've had GE on, we're going to have Caterpillar on, but this is something new. You know, kind of these medical devices. Fitbit on steroids. I don't know how you describe it. Dr Sumon Pal. He is the cofounder and Chief Scientific Officer for Thync. Welcome. >> Thank you, thank you for having me. >> Absolutely. So give us a little bit of background on Thync, and then we'll jump into the device. >> Absolutely. So we're the first subscription service for wellness and better mental health. >> Okay. >> And the way it works is that there's hardware which is a neuromodulator, and they interface with your skin which is some pads and basically you put this on the back of your neck. There's software, there are programs that come along in the app and what these are are algorithms that have been developed to stimulate certain nerves in the right way. Those nerves in turn connect with your brain stem and that is the center for stress, for sleep cycles, for mood in general. And over the last five years we've developed a way to safely stimulate those nerves, such that you can sleep better, your mood is improved and you can de-stress. >> Okay, so let's back, back way up. You covered like a, you went the whole enchilada there. So you basically did some research. You guys figured out that nerve can stimulation can give better wellness. >> Right. >> And is that just during sleeping hours, during waking hours, all the above, kind of? >> Yeah, so it's both. I mean a session lasts about 10 to 15 minutes. >> Okay. >> In that time, what's happening is that it's dampening the stress response in your body. >> Jeff: Okay >> So if you do this on a daily basis or you do this in the evenings when you come home from work, you are kind of detaching from that stress that's built up during the day. >> Jeff: Without drinking a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. >> Absolutely. Without really any toxicity, without any side effects, without any addiction. Without any of the issues that come along with pills and substances. >> All those other things. Okay so then you put this thing on. >> That's right. >> So you put it on like right after you get home from work, or? >> Sure. >> Or when you go to sleep? Does it make a difference? >> Or if you just had a bad meeting. You had a rough morning. If there's kind of an acute occasion where you're anxious or highly stressed then you can use it then, too. >> Okay, so it's kind of yoga in a box. If I would be so presumptuous. >> Without any effort, right. >> No damage to the knees. >> Right, right. >> All right, super. So, a little bit in terms of the history of the company, so you said this is version two that you just came out with >> Right. Yeah, we've been developing the product, the technology in general for about five years. We've done three published studies. We've tested thousands of subjects. The first product has over two million minutes of use without any adverse side effects or, you know, we know that it's a really safe and powerful method to help people. >> Okay, and what does it retail for? >> So the hardware costs 149. >> Okay. >> And then there's the subscription. And the subscription is because there's a consumable involved, which are these pads. Which are actually a proprietary formulation so that this is absolutely painless, absolutely comfortable. And we have algorithms, so you're actually streaming these programs and those programs are highly complex, changing over time and constantly being updated. So for the software, service, and for the pads you pay either $29.99 a month or you pay $19.99 a month depending on a longer commitment. >> Okay. And when you decided to go with the subscription pricing, versus just selling it and if I need more pads, I order a 12-pack of pads or whatever. What were some of the things you thought about and then what are some of the outcomes that you have found? Both kind of expected and unexpected in having a subscription relationship with your customers. >> Yeah, it's a great question. So, one of the things that's really important about, so stress leads to a huge number of health issues. Everything from cardiovascular issues to being linked with diabetes, to being linked with premature aging. And so it's important to chronically reduce your stress levels. And you want to have all the components around when you need it. It's not one of those things where you've had a terrible day, you're extremely anxious. You know, you want everything to be there. You don't want to go and then order some pads online, order what you need online. >> Right, right. >> So that's one aspect, and the second is that you want access to the programs that are being updated all of the time. And what we find is that when people are on a subscription service, that kind of constant use which is so critical for your health, mental health, general well-being, is maintained in a better way than if you're kind of having to reorder these things or buy them. So really it's about supporting and promoting this kind of continuous regular use and routines. >> And I would presume that then you also get the benefit too 'cause you're getting all those data. >> Absolutely. >> Points that are feeding your algorithms. >> Absolutely. >> So you can make changes to the application, changes to the algorithm. >> That's right and also we have a library, about a thousand programs. And it's also about, we can, for any customer switch out the programs that they have if it's not working for whatever reason. So to kind of rescue people, it's also important to get that data of, what is happening month to month. >> So is a program the sequence of, of, I don't want to say charges but stimulations or whatever. >> Yeah, that's right. >> That set a different pattern, a different frequency and that creates like a program. >> That's right. >> And you experiment to find out what works best for you? >> That's right, it's a lot like music. It's a stimulation pattern that's built in blocks and those blocks change over time. And that is one of the things that we figured out how to do, that no one really had done before. >> Alright, well, pretty exciting stuff. >> Thank you. >> I look forward to watching you guys grow and see how things continue to progress. >> Absolutely, thank you very much. >> Alright, thanks for stopping by theCUBE. Alright, he's Dr. Sumon Pal, I'm Jeff Rick. You're watching theCUBE from Zuora Subscribe. Thanks for watching. (clicks)