In the second part of our interview with founder Jörg Pintaske, we dive into the idea behind deepzone: how personal experience and scientific curiosity can lead to a market-ready product. Jörg talks about mental strength in endurance sports, technological opportunities – and his vision for how deepzone can rethink mental health and performance.
Missed the first part? Read it here.
Lukas: Jörg, now that we’ve gotten to know you as a person, let’s talk about deepzone. You initiated the project. How long have you been working on it, and how did the idea come about?
Jörg: The idea for deepzone began with a simple but profound realization: I perform best in challenging situations. Early on, I noticed that in decisive moments – in sports, during my studies, or in personal challenges – I functioned particularly well, while others tended to stumble. I only recognized this red thread more clearly in retrospect.
At the same time, I’ve always been fascinated by how we can better understand and harness the potential of the human brain. This led to questions that still drive me today: What is the neurobiological basis of mental balance and peak performance? What happens in the brain when we surpass ourselves – or fail? And above all: how can we systematically train this ability?
Lukas: What motivated you to actually turn this into a company?
Jörg: I’m driven by a mix of fascination and frustration. Fascination, because the brain is our most powerful tool, and it’s incredibly exciting to understand what happens within us when we truly tap our potential. Frustration, because so many people fail – not for lack of talent, but because they don’t use their minds effectively.
It became clear to me: it’s not just about peak performance but equally about mental balance, health, and overall capacity. These problems are growing rapidly – and interestingly, they especially affect those who are trying to bring their ambition into the world. At the same time, societal acceptance of addressing these topics openly is growing, thankfully.
With modern science and new technologies like AI, we now have the chance to systematically solve this puzzle. Translating this knowledge into concrete offerings, products, and technologies accessible to everyone – that’s my motivation behind deepzone.
Lukas: How did you go about implementing it?
Jörg: At the start, I looked for existing concepts – but instead of answers, I mostly found more questions. At the same time, I discovered exciting approaches from very different disciplines. So I dug deeply into the science and began to develop initial concepts, which I tested with pilot groups and athletes.
Much didn’t work, some ideas were interesting but hard to translate into a business model. I learned a lot about our future customers, especially why previous concepts had failed. Step by step, a foundation emerged: today we have a scientifically grounded, practically tested concept – and a business model that allows us to move forward consistently.
Lukas: Let’s talk about our first product: Mind over Miles. What exactly is behind it?
Jörg: Endurance sport always means experiencing your limits – and those are usually mental. Many athletes train for months, investing time, energy, and personal sacrifices in preparation. In the end, the body is in top shape, but the mind often remains a mystery box. That’s exactly where Mind over Miles comes in: a mental playbook for race day. It makes mental strength the decisive resource – for everyone, not just top professionals.
Lukas: And are there already ideas for what comes next?
Jörg: Definitely. One thing is especially clear from working with athletes: recovery is often the first thing to be neglected – and nowhere is that more evident than in sleep. Yet sleep is the most powerful performance factor of all, far more effective than extra training sessions. That’s why we’re developing a program that helps athletes improve their sleep, based on the latest scientific findings and supported by AI models. This program will not only strengthen mental and physical health and increase performance, but it will also be aimed beyond sports, at people in everyday professional life. After all, most athletes are not just athletes – they’re also deeply involved in work and family. That’s exactly where we want to help.
Lukas: Where do you see deepzone in three years?
Jörg: As the go-to address for mental health and performance in sport. We’ll support athletes of all levels – from beginners to professionals – and also reach people who want to tap their full potential in their jobs or daily lives. Our programs will increasingly be AI-supported, supplemented by physical products that help transfer the learnings into everyday life. Three years is a short time to build a brand – but long enough to rise to the top in Germany and leave our first international footprints.
Lukas: And what do you wish for from the community in this journey?
Jörg: Our brain is the most complex architecture in the universe – and yet we use it every day in sport under extreme conditions. So far, we only understand fragments, and no sport is the same as another. Solving this alone is impossible. That’s why I wish for the community to actively work with us on this puzzle. Because only by combining the knowledge of athletes and science – and enriching it with the possibilities of modern technology – can we truly rethink mental health and performance.
Lukas: A nice closing remark. Thank you for the conversation.
Jörg: Thank you!