Tom Brady.
Mike Ehrmann | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Tom Brady struck a partnership with robotic massage device maker Aescape to provide the company with exclusive rights to his recovery and longevity protocols, Aescape announced on Tuesday.
As part of the deal Brady has been given the title of chief innovation officer for the company. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Brady’s business partner Alex Spiro will also join Aescape, as a strategic advisor. They will support both product development and Aescape’s growth into capital markets, the company said.
Brady, a 7-time Super Bowl champion, played in the NFL until age 45 and is arguably one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the league. He attributes much of his success and longevity to his training and recovery efforts. Aescape will work with the MVP to integrate his daily routines into its personalized robotics platform.
“After 23 years playing professionally, there’s no way I could have accomplished what I did professionally without all the massage work and recovery protocols,” Brady told CNBC. “The reason why I’m still able to do what I love to do is because of the bodywork, the care that I received on a daily and weekly basis, and I want to try to make that available for everybody.”
Aescape is a New York-based robotics company with over 100 locations in North America.
Aescape
Aescape was founded in 2017 by entrepreneur Eric Litman. The New York-based company uses AI technology to provide a fully automated and customizable massage. It has more than 100 locations and has delivered more than 25,000 massages using its automated robots.
Aescape’s partners include high-end fitness company Equinox and select Four Seasons, Marriott, and Ritz-Carlton hotel properties across North America. The company is backed by $130 million in funding from investors that include Valor Siren Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, BroadLight Capital, Crosslink Capital and AlleyCorp.
“Our bodies are these machines that need significant ongoing maintenance, and with better maintenance and better care, they can last substantially longer,” said Litman, Aescape’s CEO.
Litman said he has seen firsthand the growth of massages in consumers’ habits. He said Aescape is an attractive option for many customers because it’s lower in cost (starting around $30 per service), you don’t have to shower before or after a session, and treatments can be shorter than a traditional massage.
For Spiro, an investor and attorney, the focus is on Aescape’s scale and growth plan — whether it’s in the football training room, internationally or one day getting massage robots into people’s homes.
“As the machine’s price comes down and this company becomes better known, it will democratize access so that everyday people can use it, get their backs better, return to work, and allow us to do something really good for society,” he said.
