In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Daniel Powell, Founder of Spark Biomedical.

Daniel shares his journey from consulting into more than two decades in neuromodulation, with experience across spinal cord stimulation, DBS, vagus nerve stimulation, and non-invasive auricular neurostimulation.

This is a practical conversation about building clinically validated neurotechnology and taking one platform into multiple high-need areas.

We explore Spark Biomedical’s work across opioid withdrawal, surgical blood loss, and women’s health, as well as the challenges of reimbursement, clinical evidence, form factor, and scaling wearable neuromodulation into real-world care.

Key takeaways:

🔹 How Spark Biomedical is using auricular neurostimulation across multiple clinical applications
🔹 Why opioid withdrawal is a powerful but commercially challenging indication
🔹 How the “neural tourniquet” could help reduce blood loss in surgery and trauma
🔹 Why OhmBody is applying neurostimulation to heavy menstrual bleeding and women’s health
🔹 Why clinical evidence matters as wearable neurotechnology becomes more accessible

Host: Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

Guest: Daniel Powell

Founder, Spark Biomedical Inc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-powell-a377055/

The Open Loop is a podcast exploring the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of neurotechnology.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with the founders, researchers, operators, and industry leaders building what comes next in brain health, medicine, and technology.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone interested in the future of neurotechnology.

Sponsor:
This episode is sponsored by Reccy Neuro — the home of neurotech. Jobs, companies, investors, events, Cortex industry intelligence, and specialist resources for the neurotech market.

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Ken Mariash, CEO of Sinaptica Therapeutics.

Ken shares how Sinaptica is developing a non-invasive, personalised neuromodulation therapy designed to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by targeting the brain networks involved in memory.

This is a practical conversation about moving beyond amyloid-only thinking and looking at Alzheimer’s as a disease of network dysfunction.

We also explore Ken’s background in medtech, biopharma, and neuromodulation, as well as Sinaptica’s Phase 2 data, pivotal trial plans, reimbursement strategy, and vision for biomarker-led Alzheimer’s care.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why Alzheimer’s may need to be understood as a disease of network dysfunction
🔹 How Sinaptica is combining TMS and EEG to personalise neuromodulation
🔹 Why traditional TMS can be limited by targeting and dosing uncertainty
🔹 How biomarker-led therapy could help clinicians understand whether treatment is working
🔹 Why non-invasive, personalised brain stimulation could become part of the future Alzheimer’s treatment pathway

Guest: Ken Mariash

CEO of Sinaptica Therapeutics

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenmariash/

Host: Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

The Open Loop is a podcast exploring the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of neurotechnology.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with the founders, researchers, and operators building what comes next in brain health, medicine, and technology.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone interested in the future of neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop every week.

Sponsor:
This episode is sponsored by ReccyNeuro — the home of neurotech. Jobs, companies, investors, events, Cortex industry intelligence, and specialist resources for the neurotech market.

Learn more about ReccyNeuro here: https://neuro.reccy.dev/

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Laura Avonius, Founder and CEO of Audicin.

Laura is a Finnish entrepreneur, composer, and digital health leader building at the intersection of music, neuroscience, and nervous system regulation.

She shares how her journey from behavioural science, tech, and music led to the creation of Audicin, a company developing neuroscience-based audio journeys designed to help people focus, recharge, and sleep better.

This is a fascinating conversation about audio medicine, binaural beats, brain entrainment, and the challenge of building evidence-based products in a market crowded with overclaiming and questionable content.

We explore how sound can influence brainwave states, why the listening experience matters, how Audicin is approaching sleep and daytime regulation, and why the future of neurotech may depend on giving people real help, not just more measurement.

Key takeaways:

🔹 How Audicin is using neuroscience-based audio to support focus, relaxation, and sleep
🔹 Why many binaural beat tracks online may not be what they claim to be
🔹 How brain entrainment works through frequency differences between the left and right ear
🔹 Why form factor matters when building sleep technology people will actually use
🔹 Why neurotech products need to prioritise real-world support, not just data and measurement

Host: Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

Guest: Laura Avonius

Founder and CEO of Audicin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-avonius-398a8617/

Chapters:

00:39 Introduction to Audicin and Audio Medicine
06:34 Finding Calm in Busy Urban Life
09:23 How Binaural Beats Influence Brain States
12:26 The Science and Skepticism Around Binaural Beats
18:37 Building the Audicin Sleep Headband
21:34 Expanding Beyond Sleep into Nervous System Regulation
28:21 Why People Need Help, Not Just More Measurement
37:54 Audicin’s Neurotech Business Strategy and Market Vision

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone interested in the future of neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop every Wednesday, with conversations featuring the founders, researchers, operators, and industry leaders shaping what comes next in brain health, medicine, and technology.

Sponsor:
This episode is sponsored by Reccy Neuro — the home of neurotech. Jobs, companies, investors, events, Cortex industry intelligence, and specialist resources for the neurotech market.

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Dr Nandan Lad and Amaza Reitmeier, the executive leaders behind Pharaoh Neuro.

Nandan is a neurosurgeon at Duke and the inventor behind Neurapheresis, while Amaza brings nearly 25 years of leadership experience from Medtronic, including deep experience in brain therapies and DBS.

This is a practical conversation about Pharaoh Neuro’s mission to create a new category in brain care: CSF modulation, or what Nandan describes as “neurodialysis”.

We explore how Neurapheresis could change the treatment pathway for subarachnoid haemorrhage and hemorrhagic stroke by actively filtering cerebrospinal fluid, removing blood and inflammatory material, and helping reduce devastating downstream complications.

We also discuss the company’s clinical data, Series A raise, regulatory pathway, reimbursement strategy, and the broader platform potential across neuroinflammatory conditions.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why hemorrhagic stroke remains a major unmet need in brain care
🔹 How Neurapheresis works as a closed-loop CSF filtration system
🔹 Why Pharaoh Neuro is building a new therapeutic category, not just a device
🔹 What early clinical studies showed in blood and protein clearance
🔹 How CSF modulation could expand into meningitis, ALS, MS, leptomeningeal disease, and other neuroinflammatory conditions

Host: Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

Guest: Amaza Reitmeier

CEO & Director, Pharaoh Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amaza-reitmeier/

Guest: Nandan Lad

Chief Medical Officer & Co-Founder​

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nandan-lad-6262805/

Key Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Pharaoh Neuro and Its Founders
02:39 The Origin Story of Neurapheresis
05:27 How Neurapheresis and CSF Modulation Work
10:20 Clinical Validation and Early Patient Results
13:31 Regulatory Pathways and Creating a New Category
15:25 Platform Potential Beyond Hemorrhagic Stroke
20:18 Pharaoh Neuro and the Broader Neurotech Landscape
23:36 Restoring CSF Balance and What Comes Next

The Open Loop is a podcast exploring the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of neurotechnology.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with the founders, researchers, and operators building what comes next in brain health, medicine, and technology.

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Anoop Antony, Founder and CEO of NeuroX.

Anoop shares his journey from psychology and cognitive neuroscience into EEG, brain health, neurofeedback, photobiomodulation, and wearable neurotechnology.

This is a practical conversation about making brain health more accessible, understandable, and useful outside traditional clinical and research settings.

We explore how NeuroX is combining EEG, HRV, wearable data, and clinical services to build a more complete view of the nervous system, from brain scans and neurofeedback to in-ear EEG and the NEVE platform.

We also discuss the future of EEG wearables, why form factor matters, how brain data could support elite performance and everyday cognitive health, and what it takes to communicate neurotechnology to people outside the neuroscience bubble.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why EEG is moving beyond hospitals and research labs
🔹 How NeuroX is building a nervous system dashboard combining brain and body data
🔹 Why in-ear EEG could help make brain monitoring more wearable and accessible
🔹 How neurofeedback and photobiomodulation are being used in brain health clinics
🔹 Why translating brain data into simple, actionable insights is key to public adoption

Host: Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

Guest: Anoop Antony

Founder and CEO of NeuroX

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoop-antony-529a72181/

Key Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to NeuroX and Anoop Antony
03:46 The Evolution of EEG Technology
06:32 NeuroX’s Vision for Accessible Brain Health
09:09 In-Ear EEG and Wearable Brain Monitoring
12:14 Neurofeedback and Photobiomodulation
14:54 Who Is Using Brain Health Technology?
17:48 Communicating Neurotechnology Beyond the Science Bubble
23:31 Product Roadmap and the Future of NeuroX

The Open Loop is a podcast exploring the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of neurotechnology.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with the founders, researchers, and operators building what comes next in brain health, medicine, and technology.

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Jordi Parramon, a neurotechnology operator, investor, and founder of Nexus NeuroTech Ventures.

Jordi brings more than 27 years of experience across medical devices, health tech, and venture, with leadership roles spanning Boston Scientific, Verily, and a portfolio of neurotech companies including Cala Health, INSIGHTEC, Rune Labs, Lotus Neuro, and Galvani.

This is a practical conversation about what neurotech needs next, from patient access and indication expansion to reimbursement, market access, consumer devices, and smarter investment thinking.

We also explore Jordi’s perspective on the future of neuromodulation, brain data, wearable technologies, BCI, focused ultrasound, and why the next phase of the industry will depend on connecting innovation across the full patient journey.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why neurotech still needs to solve its patient access and penetration problem

🔹 How consumer and regulated devices could work together across the healthcare journey

🔹 What early-stage neurotech investors look for beyond financial modelling

🔹 Why reimbursement and market access are becoming central to funding and M&A

🔹 Where Jordi sees the next major opportunities in neuromodulation and neuropsychiatric care

Host:

Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences

Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

Guest:

Jordi Parramon

Neurotechnology investor, operator, and founder of Nexus NeuroTech Ventures
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordi-parramon-50b2158/

Key Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Jordi Parramon
01:16 From Implantable Devices to Neurotech Investment
04:28 M&A, Platforms, and Early Neuromodulation Innovation
08:57 Patient Access and Indication Diversification
11:19 Wearables, Consumer Devices, and Neurohealth
16:43 EEG, Brain Data, and the Future of Digital Health
18:05 What Investors Look for in Neurotech
28:22 Emerging Opportunities and the Future of Neuromodulation

The Open Loop is a podcast exploring the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of neurotechnology.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with the founders, researchers, and operators building what comes next in brain health, medicine, and technology.

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Jennifer Ernst, founder and former CEO of Tivic Health (now Valion Bio).

Jennifer shares the story behind Tivic’s journey, from consumer bioelectronics and non-invasive stimulation to FDA clearance, retail launch, IPO, supply chain disruption, and a major pivot into biopharma.

This is a practical conversation about the rollercoaster journey of building regulated consumer neurotechnology, bringing a new category to market, and navigating the strategic decisions founders face when timing, capital, and market conditions change. 

We also look ahead to the future of bioelectronic medicine, including peripheral nerve stimulation, AI-native company building, and how electrical and pharmaceutical approaches could eventually work together.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why “going consumer” is not always the easier route for neurotech companies

🔹 What founders need to understand about category creation, claims, and customer acquisition

🔹 How Tivic navigated FDA clearance, retail launch, IPO, and supply chain disruption

🔹 Why remote monitoring, reimbursement, and physician incentives matter for device adoption

🔹 How AI, peripheral nerve stimulation, and bioelectronic medicine could shape the next phase of neurotech

Host:

Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences

Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

Guest:

Jennifer Ernst

Founder and former CEO of Tivic Health (now Valion Bio)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferernst/

Key Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Jennifer Ernst and Tivik Health
03:28 The Journey into Bioelectronics and Neurotechnology
07:01 Consumer Market Challenges in Neurotechnology
10:02 Navigating the IPO Process and Supply Chain Issues
14:01 Lessons Learned from the Tivik Experience
17:39 The Future of Neurotechnology and AI Integration
23:09 Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Its Potential
28:51 Transitioning to Biopharmaceuticals and Future Directions

The Open Loop is a podcast exploring the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of neurotechnology.

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Dr George Harston, Chief Medical and Innovation Officer at Brainomix.

George shares how Brainomix is building clinical AI software to support treatment decisions in stroke and fibrosing lung disease, helping clinicians extract meaningful information from medical scans and use it in time-critical patient pathways.

This is a practical conversation about what it takes to move healthcare AI from algorithm performance into real clinical adoption. We explore why AI is only valuable when it integrates into workflows, supports clinician decision-making, and improves patient outcomes.

We also discuss Brainomix’s journey from Oxford spinout to NHS adoption, Series C growth, and US expansion, as well as the company’s work with hospitals, pharma partners, and clinical trials.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why stroke care depends on faster identification and treatment decisions

🔹 Why clinical AI needs workflow integration, not just strong algorithms

🔹 How Brainomix is applying imaging AI across stroke and fibrosing lung disease

🔹 What it takes to drive adoption across hospitals, healthcare systems, and the US market

🔹 Why the future of healthcare AI will depend on evidence, implementation, and patient impact

Host:

Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences

Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

Guest:

Dr. George Harston

Chief Medical and Innovation Officer at Brainomix

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-harston-3b9496b1/

Key Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Brainomix and Dr George Harston
04:01 From Stroke Medicine to Clinical AI
06:54 Why AI Needs to Fit the Clinical Workflow
12:30 How Imaging AI Can Improve Patient Outcomes
18:25 Expanding AI Support into Fibrosing Lung Disease
24:19 Navigating US Healthcare, Reimbursement, and Adoption
30:09 The Future of Stroke Treatment and Clinical AI
36:23 Brain Data, Personalised Medicine, and What Comes Next

The Open Loop is a podcast exploring the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of neurotechnology.

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Dan Rizzuto, President and CTO at Nia Therapeutics.

Dan shares how Nia is developing a closed-loop neurostimulation system designed to help patients with memory loss, combining implantable sensing, machine learning, wearable components, and personalised stimulation.

This is a practical conversation about the future of cognitive BCIs, what it takes to move neurotechnology from academic research into clinical development, and why memory restoration could become one of the most important frontiers in the field.

We also explore Nia’s FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for TBI-related memory loss, the evolution of BCI over the last 20 years, the reality behind cognitive enhancement hype, and why efficacy matters more than form factor when building neurotechnology for patients.

Key takeaways:

🔹 How Nia Therapeutics is developing closed-loop neurostimulation for memory loss

🔹 Why cognitive BCIs could become a major new category in neurotechnology

🔹 What FDA Breakthrough Device Designation means for clinical development

🔹 Why direct-to-consumer cognitive enhancement still needs stronger evidence

🔹 How the neurotech field is evolving from research breakthroughs to real patient impact

Host:
Chay Carter
Founder, Carter Sciences
Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

Guest:
Dr. Dan Rizzuto
President and Chief Technology Officer at Nia Therapeutics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rizzuto/

Key Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Dan Rizzuto and Nia Therapeutics
02:23 Closed-Loop Neurostimulation for Memory Loss
05:09 From Motor BCIs to Cognitive Applications
09:40 How Nia’s Implantable and Wearable System Works
12:00 Cognitive Enhancement, Ethics, and Future Possibilities
14:09 FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and Regulatory Pathways
16:18 Fundraising, Clinical Trials, and What Comes Next
21:22 Emerging Modalities, Brain Data, and the Future of Neurotech

The Open Loop is a podcast exploring the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of neurotechnology.

In the first episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter, Founder of Carter Sciences and Reccy Neuro is joined by Dr. Owen Scott Muir, Interventional Psychiatrist, Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer at Radial.

Owen shares his personal journey through bipolar disorder, his experience as a clinical trial participant, and how those experiences shaped his mission to build the future of “brain medicine”.

This is a wide-ranging conversation on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), neurotechnology, AI biomarkers, precision psychiatry, and what it really takes to scale brain-based treatments in the real world.

We also explore the future of neuromodulation, patient-centred care, and why Owen believes psychiatry is evolving into a much broader field of brain medicine.

Key takeaways:

🔸 How Owen’s personal experience with bipolar disorder led him into neurotechnology
🔸 Why TMS changed his view of mental health treatment
🔸 How AI biomarkers could help predict which treatments work for patients
🔸 Why Owen believes “mental health” should be reframed as “brain medicine”
🔸 What it takes to scale patient-centred neurotechnology in the real world

Host:

Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences

Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/

Guest:

Dr. Owen Scott Muir MD, DFAACAP

Interventional Psychiatrist
Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owen-muir-md-dfaacap-fctmss-53345b7/

Key Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Owen Scott Muir

02:21 Personal Journey and Mental Health Experiences

05:57 Clinical Trials and the Future of Mental Health Treatment

09:49 Understanding Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

13:06 The Evolution of TMS Treatments

26:57 AI Biomarkers and Precision Psychiatry

35:58 Building a Patient-Centric Brain Medicine Company

46:22 The Future of Neurotechnology and Brain Medicine

The Open Loop is a podcast exploring the people, companies, and ideas shaping the future of neurotechnology.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with the founders, researchers, and operators building the future of brain medicine.

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