By Lisa Zimmerman, Player Engagement Insider
During his 15-year NFL career, including the last 11 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, quarterback Charlie Batch, originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1998, experienced his fair share of injuries. Upon his retirement following the 2012 season, Batch starting testing the waters in several different areas. One of those was co-hosting a technology-themed radio show through which he became acquainted with many people in the industry. Among them was the CEO of the local technology council whose conversations with Batch ignited a spark in him and led him to his current career path.
Together with his childhood friend, Richard Walker, with whom he grew up just outside of Pittsburgh, and a third partner, Dave Morin, Batch formed Impellia. The company’s mission is to work with various universities to help commercialize some of the technologies they develop, specifically in the areas of sports performance, prevention and injury rehabilitation. Because of their non-profit status, universities cannot market their own products, which is where Impellia steps in.
Impellia’s first license was awarded to them in 2015 by the University of Pittsburgh for a device called PIVOT, which is a software platform designed to assist in the stability of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in the knee and works to determine the level of injury that has been sustained. It can be used both as a diagnostic tool for surgeons as well as for physical therapists during rehabilitation.
Batch explained what inspired him to pursue this type of business venture.
“It started because I was injured a lot during my career, but [NFL players] were privy to a lot of technologies that regular people don’t have,” he said. “Trials to help expedite healing for different injuries. When I saw things like that I thought, ‘Why don’t you see this all the time?’ When you ask the average person on the street, they’re not privy to these types of things. We said, ‘Let’s figure out a way to get this to the average person.’ You’re talking about 250,000 ACL injuries a year - it’s not all NFL players.”
In addition to the license for PIVOT, Impellia is currently working with approximately a dozen other universities with additional licenses for other products on the horizon. It is a complex process that includes agreements for the universities to reach certain benchmarks with their products and the creation of specific contractual agreements that outline the exact marketing process, royalties and other legal details. Impellia’s management and marketing teams work closely with each university to determine the target customer base for the products.
Providing solutions and opportunities for others has long been Batch’s calling. His Best of the Batch Foundation is now in its 16th year and has continued to expand since its launch. He was initially inspired to start the foundation following the 1996 death of his 17-year-old sister, Danyl, who was accidentally shot when she was caught in the middle of the crossfire between two gangs in their hometown of Homestead, Pennsylvania.
The foundation’s focus is on education for children, including teaching them about overall health and nutrition. The foundation runs an alternative middle school and high school for children who have been expelled from their schools for various reasons but are looking for a road back. The school’s graduation rate is 90%. The foundation also provides after-school programs for children offering a variety of activities. In addition, Best of the Batch awards more than $100,000 annually in scholarships.
Assisting him along the way in defining his post-NFL career path have been many of the NFL’s continuing education programs. Batch took part in five of the MBA programs at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Stanford University and the University of Notre Dame. He also attended the Communications Camp at Bowling Green State University and the NFL’s Broadcast Boot Camp.
Batch keeps his hand in the world of football, working as a color analyst and co-host during the football pre-season covering Steelers games on local Pittsburgh television and does postgame analysis for the Steelers radio network. In addition, he serves as an NFL Players Association Trust senior captain, assisting former players with their transition from the NFL.
Batch’s quarterback years are behind him, but he is still managing to keep many balls in the air, with the goal of helping others.
For more information on Impellia and the Best of the Batch Foundation: www.charliebatch.com
Lisa Zimmerman is a long-time NFL writer and reporter. She was the Jets correspondent for CBSSports.com, SportsNet New York’s TheJetsBlog.com and Sirius NFL Radio. She has also written for NFL.com.