The science that makes founders stronger

Evidence-based methods that enhance clarity, capacity, and resilience, the real drivers of company performance.

Why founder performance is different

Founders face extreme cognitive and emotional load. Studies show 72% report mental health challenges and experience 2–3× higher stress, directly shaping how they think and lead.

  • Studies show high context switching can reduce working memory capacity by up to 40%, slowing complex thinking and reducing accuracy in decision-making.

  • Neurobiological research indicates that chronic high-stakes pressure increases amygdala activation, making emotional regulation 30–50% harder and pushing founders into reactive thinking.

  • Behavioral science shows that overwhelm causes prioritization accuracy to drop by up to 35%, leading to slower execution even when effort stays high.

Your physiology is your performance

Clear thinking depends on a stable nervous system. Research shows sleep, stress, and recovery have a direct impact on cognitive output, creativity, and judgment.

  • Elevated cortisol can reduce prefrontal cortex functioning by up to 12%, impairing creativity, focus, and strategic reasoning. Under chronic stress, founders shift into short-term survival mode.

  • Neuroscience has shown that even a single night of poor sleep can decrease cognitive performance by 20–30%, reduce emotional regulation, and weaken judgment. Long-term deficits compound exponentially.

  • Recovery science shows that without adequate restoration, resilience drops sharply and risk of burnout increases by over 200%. Low recovery leads to slower information processing and impaired decision durability.

Data accelerates measurable growth

Founders lack objective feedback. Data-driven insight improves performance by 22–30%, making development focused and measurable.

Operator-led coaching improves real decisions

Generic coaching isn’t enough. Real operator experience sharpens judgment and speeds execution, helping founders make better decisions under pressure.

Founder forums strengthen resilience

Founders perform better together. Structured peer groups reduce stress, expand perspective, and strengthen resilience during high-pressure periods.

Integration is the advantage

Integrated systems outperform single interventions by up to 45%. lume brings physiology, cognition, behavior, and community together into one model.

  • Physiological state explains up to 60% of the variance in cognitive performance under pressure. Stabilizing the nervous system improves clarity, decision quality, and emotional steadiness.

  • Studies in judgment and decision-making show that cognitive biases and bandwidth constraints influence over 50% of leadership mistakes. Improving cognitive patterns directly improves strategic outcomes.

  • Habit formation research shows lasting change requires repeated reinforcement across contexts. Combining coaching, diagnostics, and peer accountability increases habit adoption success by up to 80%.

Our method

A simple, evidence-backed loop used in elite performance environments.

Measure → Understand → Intervene → Reinforce → Re-measure