With thirty-two teams each valued at around seven billion dollars, the National Football League (NFL) boasts an overall value of close to $225 billion. And to uphold this value, the league will do all it can to protect its players on the field.
That’s why when it comes to helmets, every team uses ones made by a startup called Light Helmets. Founded in 2018 by Navy SEALs, engineers, doctors, and professional athletes, Light’s helmets are up to forty-percent lighter and safer than traditional helmets. They’re so good, multiple current and former NFL players have invested in the company.
Most legacy helmets are heavy, outdated, and built to pass lab tests, not protect athletes on the field during a real game. On the field, heavier helmets lead to more rapid fatigue, loss of control, and higher impact energies. Perhaps surprisingly, lighter helmets actually reduce injury risk and improve player performance.
Originating from professional auto racing and drawing on materials used in military-aviation helmets, Light set out to create the lightest, safest helmet in football. The company uses advanced nylon and composite shells, along with aerospace-grade EPP foam and precision 3D-printed liners.
Light holds nearly a dozen design and utility patents. And its partner, K3D (winner of the NFL Helmet Challenge and recipient of nearly one million dollars in funding to develop next-generation helmet technology) lets the company simulate thousands of impacts and print new liner geometries in hours, not months.
An independent lab at Virginia Tech ranked one of Light’s helmets No. 1 for safety and performance in both youth and varsity categories. One high school team saw concussions drop from seventeen to two after switching. That’s why along with all thirty-two NFL teams, Light’s helmets are used by more than 100 NCAA programs and more than 600 high school teams.
Light’s helmets are sold at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart, and Academy. Bookings for them have grown more than 300% from 2024. Within five years, the company is projecting to reach $150 million in annual sales.
To help reach this revenue goal, Light is exploring branching out from football helmets and applying its technology to construction helmets, other safety equipment, and branded apparel.