NTangible has created an innovative analytics platform designed to quantify how well athletes perform in high-pressure situations, offering a new metric called the Clutch Factor to assist collegiate recruiters and sports organizations.
- Clutch Factor predicts athlete performance in pressure moments
- Assessment uses neurolinguistic and psychological analysis
- Platform spans nine sports with expansion plans beyond athletics
What happened
NTangible, a sports-tech startup, has introduced a novel tool called the Clutch Factor that measures an athlete’s mental readiness and likely performance in high-stress moments. This tool uses a psychological test inspired by the Thematic Apperception Test, analyzing athletes’ narrative responses to ambiguous scenarios through a neurolinguistic scoring system.
Founded by former pro baseball player Dan Connerty and psychologist Dr. Ed Levine, the platform generates a score from 0 to 1,000 indicating clutch ability. Scores over 750 correlate with a higher probability of athletes committing to Division I collegiate programs, offering new data points for coaches and recruiters navigating the competitive landscape.
Why it matters
Mental composure and decision-making under pressure have long been difficult to evaluate objectively in sports recruiting, traditionally dominated by physical metrics. NTangible’s Clutch Factor promises to fill this gap by providing quantifiable insight into an athlete’s psychological resilience and performance potential.
This innovation arrives amid intensified competition for top athletes, where multi-million dollar NIL deals and scholarship offers are increasingly common. By integrating clutch performance analytics, organizations could improve talent evaluation and recruitment accuracy, optimizing investments both on and off the field.
What to watch next
NTangible is currently focused on selling its platform to sports organizations and collegiate programs rather than directly to athletes. The company is also exploring potential applications of its psychological assessments in corporate environments, helping HR teams better understand employee performance under pressure.
Upcoming developments include expanding testing to more sports and refining the system for broader use. NTangible will share more on its strategic direction and product roadmap at TechCrunch Disrupt, where it competes for a major startup prize, signaling a critical phase in its growth and market adoption.