Hey there!
It’s AlphaBeats here, the start-up with the cool biofeedback technology that is going to help you relax and get into the ‘alpha state’ while you’re listening to your favourite music.
If you happen to be one of our beta testers, we’re so grateful to you for subscribing! If you’re not a beta tester but you’d like to subscribe, also let us know. With this monthly newsletter we want to keep you up to date about what’s happening with AlphaBeats as we’re gearing up to get our product ready for the beta testing phase and our market launch. Join us for this awesome ride!
AlphaBeats is not only a cool product, it’s also a team of enthusiastic people with a passion to create a better, healthier and less stress-ridden world. We want to tell you a little more about these guys. (Yes, they’re all guys. Stereotypical, isn’t it?) Who are they and what makes them tick? For this newsletter we spoke with AlphaBeats’ CEO and co-founder Han Dirkx.
Han Dirkx is perhaps not your average start-up founder. First of all, he’s not really a techie. He studied economics at the university of Maastricht and worked in telecom, automotive and media for several years. After attending a seminar by the famous business coach and motivational speaker Tony Robbins, Han decided to quit his job and follow his lifelong passion of becoming an artist. “I’ve always been a creative person, but I also had an ambition to become rich. Then I discovered that just making money is actually pretty empty and did not fulfil me. And although becoming an artist was challenging financially, it taught me so much about my purpose in life. I discovered I’m someone who wants to create things and contribute something meaningful to the world. That’s also what I’m trying to do with AlphaBeats.”
Han first heard about the technology behind AlphaBeats at a networking event at High Tech Campus Eindhoven. He decided to join a team of enthusiastic techies to try and develop the technology, into an actual product. “It was a little weird sitting at that first meeting, me as an artist among a group of tech nerds. But we got along right away and we’ve made so much progress since then.”
To be sure, Han also suffers from stress. “In business you sometimes have to give unpleasant messages that create friction with people. That’s something that can really stress me out. I’m also a father with three adolescent kids, which can make me worry like crazy. In the past I’ve suffered from financial worries and health issues. So stress is no stranger to me.”
To deal with stress Han practices yoga and meditation and likes going on long walks. Since a few months he also owns a prototype of the AlphaBeats headphones, which he uses almost on a daily basis, usually at the end of his day. While listening to his favourite Spotify playlists, the technology uses his biofeedback signals to tweak the music in such a way that his brain is stimulated to create relaxing alpha waves. “Because I’ve done it so often, I get into the zone very quickly. I can tell the alpha waves are kicking in when I start yawning. And afterwards I feel so peaceful, like I’ve just had a good meditation or came back from a nice long walk.”
Han uses different playlists for different moods. He has one to relax, one to energise him and even one that stimulates trust. His musical styles vary a lot. “For relaxation I love Beyoncé and Alicia Keys, but I also listen to Bach’s ‘Air’, which is such a beautiful piece of music. When I want energy I often play ‘Eye of the Tiger’, very cliché I know, but it works for me. And I’m a huge fan of the Beastie Boys, my kids laugh at me about that.”
Check out Han’s personal Spotify playlists here:
Han Dirkx relaxation playlist