The Sync Project Announces Award-Winning Product Design Veteran & Entrepreneur Marko Ahtisaari as Chief Executive Officer

BOSTON, July 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sync Project, a global collaboration harnessing the scientific potential of music for health, today announced the appointment of Marko Ahtisaari as Chief Executive Officer. The Sync Project is a PureTech company (PureTech Health PLC PRTC.L).

The Sync Project platform maps music characteristics to real-time, objective measurements of physiology from a rapidly growing variety of sensors and devices, in order to scientifically measure and identify the personalized therapeutic effects of music.

Ahtisaari is a Director's Fellow at the MIT Media Lab, and from 2009-2013 was Head of Design at Nokia, responsible for the product design including hardware, software and packaging of over a billion devices sold. Previously, he was CEO and co-founder of the innovative social travel service Dopplr, acquired by Nokia in 2009.

Ahtisaari's product design work has been honored with numerous prestigious international awards including the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) Awards Gold, the GOOD DESIGN Award, and the D&AD Awards. In addition to his achievements in design and technology, Ahtisaari is an accomplished musician, bass player and composer.

"Marko is a great example of an entrepreneur bridging design, science and art. He is a skilled product strategist and leader, and we're excited to have him lead The Sync Project," said Joi Ito, Sync Project Board Member. "I've known Marko for over a decade and his unique experience spanning Internet services, mobile and music is an excellent fit."

"The Sync Project's mission is to develop music as medicine. We are bringing together the scientists, technologists, clinicians and musicians of the world to accelerate the discovery of the clinical applications of music," said Ahtisaari. "I'm inspired by the potential and thrilled to be joining the team."

About The Sync Project
The Sync Project, a PureTech (PureTech Health PLC PRTC.L) company, is developing a platform to scientifically measure and study the effects of music on our health in areas like sleep, cognition, motor coordination and performance. The goal is to collect and correlate real-time biometric data and music, so that we can pinpoint and understand the health properties of music. Advisors include Robert Zatorre, Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University, Tristan Jehan, Founding CTO of The Echo Nest (Spotify), Hugh Forrest, Director at South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival, and Adam Gazzaley, Director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center and Professor of Physiology, Psychology and Psychiatry at UCSF.

For more information visit syncproject.co

About PureTech
PureTech (PureTech Health PLC PRTC.L) is a science-driven healthcare company, seeking to solve some of today's toughest health challenges through disruptive approaches. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, PureTech has a network of more than 50 leading scientific experts across multiple disciplines – from entrepreneurs to world-renowned scientists – giving PureTech access to potentially groundbreaking science and technological innovations. PureTech is problem-focused and solution-agnostic, looking beyond traditional disciplines and approaching healthcare problems from different perspectives. Focusing on areas of significant unmet medical need, PureTech evaluates more than 650 ideas per year, prioritizing, testing and selecting what it believes to be the most scientifically and commercially promising concepts to advance. For more information, visit www.puretechhealth.com and connect with us on Twitter.

The Sync Project and The Sync Project logo are trademarks of The Sync Project.

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http://syncproject.co