In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Jonathan “JB” Berent, Founder and CEO of NextSense.

JB shares the story behind NextSense, from his early fascination with sleep and lucid dreaming to a Google X project exploring deep sleep enhancement, in-ear EEG, and brain-sensing wearables.

We explore why the ear is such a compelling form factor for brain data, how NextSense is building smartbuds for sleep, focus and calm, and what it takes to turn advanced neurotechnology into a consumer product people actually use.

We also discuss lucid dreaming research, acoustic stimulation, fundraising, product-market fit, manufacturing, ARPA-H’s REST programme, and future directions including more sensors, tVNS, and closed-loop sleep modulation.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why NextSense built around in-ear EEG and smartbud form factor
🔹 How a Google X sleep project evolved into a consumer neurotech company
🔹 Why longitudinal brain data could shape the next generation of wearables
🔹 What founders need to understand about product-market fit in consumer neurotech
🔹 How closed-loop sleep modulation, audio and future sensors could expand the platform

Guest: Jonathan “JB” Berent
Founder and CEO, NextSense
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-berent/

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

Key Chapters:

00:39 Introduction to NextSense and Brain-Sensing Smartbuds
01:40 From Stanford, Lucid Dreaming and Google to NextSense
04:56 Lucid Dreaming, EEG and Dream Communication
07:46 Learning Neuroscience and Building at Google X
11:56 Spinning NextSense Out of Google
14:54 Fundraising, Consumer Neurotech and Investor Challenges
21:53 Product-Market Fit and the Toothbrush Test
27:28 Why NextSense Chose Earbuds for Brain Data

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 neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop weekly.

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.

Learn more about Reccy Neuro here: https://neuro.reccy.dev/

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by William Sauvé, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Osmind.

William shares his journey from Navy psychiatry and combat mental health care to TMS, interventional psychiatry, Greenbrook, and his current work helping scale mental health infrastructure at Osmind.

We explore how psychiatry can move beyond traditional medication management, the access challenge facing mental health care, and the role of treatments like TMS, ketamine, esketamine, and emerging psychedelic therapies.

We also discuss real-world evidence, fMRI-guided TMS, accelerated treatment protocols, REMS workflows, psychiatric EHRs, and why interventional psychiatry could become a force multiplier for mental health care.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why mental health care needs a “force multiplier” to meet patient demand
🔹 How TMS has evolved from early adoption challenges to broader clinical use
🔹 Why targeting, precision and real-world evidence matter in brain stimulation
🔹 How Osmind supports workflows for TMS, ketamine and esketamine clinics
🔹 Why emerging psychedelic therapies could change the logistics of psychiatric care

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

Guest: William Sauvé, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Osmind
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-sauv%C3%A9-md-45009813/

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 neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop weekly.

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.

Learn more about Reccy Neuro here: https://neuro.reccy.dev/

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Balder Onarheim, Founder and CEO of PlatoScience.

Balder shares his journey from the Norwegian army and engineering design into creativity research, brain stimulation, and building at-home tDCS devices for mental health care.

This is a practical conversation about transcranial direct-current stimulation, depression, neuroplasticity, usability, regulation, and what it takes to make brain stimulation safe and accessible outside the clinic.

We explore how PlatoScience approaches medical-grade at-home tDCS, why the company works through clinicians, and how design, aesthetics, treatment adherence, and patient experience all shape the future of neuromodulation.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why PlatoScience is focused on at-home tDCS for depression
🔹 How tDCS changes neuronal thresholds without forcing brain activity
🔹 Why medical-grade usability matters for patient adherence
🔹 Why Balder believes mental health care should keep a human in the loop
🔹 How regulation could shape the future of non-invasive brain stimulation

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

Guest: Balder Onarheim
Founder and CEO, PlatoScience
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baldero/

Learn more about PlatoScience: https://www.platoscience.com/

Key Chapters:

00:39 Introduction to PlatoScience and At-Home tDCS
01:55 From the Norwegian Army to Brain Stimulation
05:51 From Biohacking to Medical-Grade tDCS
07:39 Depression, Ageing and Neurodivergence
09:50 How tDCS and TES Work
16:32 PlatoScience’s Device and Clinician-Led Model
29:25 Design, Treatment Sessions and Patient Usability
38:54 EU Regulation and the Future of Brain Stimulation

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 neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop weekly.

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.

Learn more about Reccy Neuro here: https://neuro.reccy.dev/

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Ken Nelson, Board Member, investor, venture partner, and advisor across multiple cardiac, digital health, AI, and neurotechnology companies.

Ken shares his journey from corporate finance into medical devices, cardiac rhythm management, remote patient monitoring, venture investing, and board roles across companies including Epitel, StimCardio, Echo IQ, HeartBeam, Acarix, and Happitech.

This is a practical conversation about what neurotechnology can learn from cardiac digital health, from remote monitoring and AI diagnostics to patient-friendly wearables and predictive care.

We also explore Epitel’s work in long-term EEG monitoring, the future of brainwave data, wearable neuromodulation, and why the next phase of neurotech may mirror many of the lessons already learned in cardiac care.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why cardiac digital health has helped pave the way for remote neuro monitoring
🔹 How Epitel is changing the standard of care in long-term EEG monitoring
🔹 Why patient-friendly wearables can improve data quality and clinical yield
🔹 How AI and predictive analytics could support earlier intervention in heart and brain health
🔹 Why the future of healthcare may depend on combining cardiac, neurological, and biometric data

Host: Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

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

Guest: Ken Nelson

Board Member, investor, venture partner, and advisor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-nelson-56aaa34/

Key Chapters:

00:39 Introduction to Ken Nelson
01:04 From Finance to Cardiac Medical Devices
09:57 iRhythm, Digital Health and Remote Monitoring
13:18 What Neurotech Can Learn from Cardiac Monitoring
16:05 Wearable Neuromodulation and StimCardio
18:04 Multi-Parameter Monitoring and Predictive Care
21:01 Epitel and Long-Term EEG Monitoring
26:53 Brain Data, AI and Actionable Reports

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 neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop weekly.

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.

Learn more about Reccy Neuro here: https://neuro.reccy.dev/

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Corey Keller, MD, PhD, Associate Professor at Stanford University and Co-Founder of Alto Neuroscience.

Corey shares his journey from engineering and intracranial brain recordings in epilepsy patients to psychiatry, TMS, neuroplasticity, and precision mental health.

This is an interesting conversation about what brain stimulation can do today, what we still do not fully understand, and why the next phase of psychiatry may depend on better ways to measure how treatments change the brain.

We explore Corey’s work using invasive and non-invasive brain recordings, his role in the early development of Alto Neuroscience, and why EEG, TMS, fMRI, brain state, dosing, timing, and treatment personalisation all matter in the future of neuromodulation.

We also discuss wearable neurotechnology, brain foundational models, accelerated TMS protocols, esketamine, clinical translation, advisory work, mentorship, and why Corey describes himself as a “skeptical neuroscientist” testing the questions that still need to be answered.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why TMS may still be under-personalised despite its clinical impact
🔹 How EEG and brain recordings could help guide psychiatric treatment decisions
🔹 Why neuroplasticity needs to be measured at the millisecond level
🔹 How Alto Neuroscience emerged from work on EEG biomarkers and treatment selection
🔹 Why the future of mental health neurotechnology depends on better science, not just better devices

Guest: Corey Keller, MD, PhD

Associate Professor at Stanford University

Co-Founder of Alto Neuroscience

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-keller-stanford/

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, 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 neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop weekly.

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.

Learn more: https://neuro.reccy.dev/

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Ildar Rakhmatulin, Founder and Lead Engineer at PiEEG, and Youssef El Abbassi, Co-Founder and Software Architect at PiEEG.

Ildar and Youssef share how they are making brain-computer interfaces more accessible through low-cost EEG hardware and open-source software tools.

This is a practical conversation about lowering the barrier to BCI experimentation, from Raspberry Pi-based EEG boards and PiEEG Server to WebSockets, dashboards, simulations, and developer-friendly tools.

We also explore in-ear EEG, VR and avatar applications, AI agents for interpreting brain data, consumer BCI, and what it could take to make brain-computer interfaces more useful outside the lab.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why PiEEG is focused on lowering the barrier to entry for BCI development
🔹 How low-cost EEG hardware can support researchers, students, and creators
🔹 Why developer experience matters in brain-computer interface software
🔹 How open-source tools can improve transparency and accessibility in neurotech
🔹 Where in-ear EEG, AI agents, VR, and consumer BCI could take the field next

Guest: Ildar Rakhmatulin

Founder and Lead Engineer at PiEEG

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ildar-rakhmatulin-262a66112/

Guest: Youssef El Abbassi

Co-Founder and Software Architect at PiEEG

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

Learn more about PiEEG here: https://www.pieeg.com/

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, 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 neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop weekly.

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 Frank Desiere, PhD MBA, CEO of CorTec.

Frank shares his journey from molecular biology, medical devices, diagnostics and innovation into leading one of Europe’s most advanced brain-computer interface companies.

This is an insightful conversation about therapeutic BCI, stroke rehabilitation, closed-loop neurotechnology, and what it takes to bring implantable brain interfaces into clinical care.

We explore CorTec’s Brain Interchange platform, the company’s first-in-human implants, its focus on stroke recovery, and why the ability to both read from and stimulate the brain opens up a different category of therapeutic applications.

We also discuss patient access, neuroplasticity, device longevity, brain data, future indications including epilepsy and depression, and the ethical questions that come with the next phase of BCI.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why CorTec is focused on therapeutic BCI, not just communication applications
🔹 How brain stimulation could support stroke rehabilitation and motor recovery
🔹 Why neuroplasticity matters for patients years after stroke
🔹 How CorTec is designing implantable technology for long-term use
🔹 Why brain data could become one of the next major frontiers in neurotechnology

Host: Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

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

Guest: Frank Desiere - PhD MBA

Chief Executive Officer, CorTec

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

Key Chapters:

00:39 Introduction to CorTec and Frank Desiere
03:24 Frank’s Journey into Neurotechnology
06:02 CorTec’s Milestones and First-in-Human Implants
08:49 Stroke Rehabilitation and Therapeutic BCI
11:44 BCI, DBS and Closed-Loop Neurotechnology
17:39 Neuroplasticity and Stroke Recovery Outcomes
23:28 Device Longevity and Brain Interchange Technology
29:20 Brain Data, Ethics and the Future of BCI

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 neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop every week.

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.

Learn more about Reccy Neuro here: https://neuro.reccy.dev/

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Daniel Månsson, Chief Scientific Officer and Founder at Flow Neuroscience.

Daniel shares his journey from clinical psychology and computer science into building one of the most recognised at-home neurostimulation companies for depression.

This is a practical conversation about tDCS, treatment-resistant depression, clinical evidence, and what it takes to bring brain stimulation out of the clinic and into the hands of patients.

We explore why Flow chose transcranial direct current stimulation, how the company built its evidence base across Europe and the UK, and what its FDA approval means for the next stage of growth in the US.

We also discuss the challenge of separating clinically validated neurotechnology from wellness products, the role of doctors in at-home treatment pathways, and how precision psychiatry could shape the next generation of depression care.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why Flow Neuroscience chose tDCS for at-home depression treatment
🔹 How the company built clinical evidence through real-world data and RCTs
🔹 Why patient access is central to Flow’s approach
🔹 How at-home neurostimulation can balance accessibility with medical oversight
🔹 Why precision psychiatry could help match the right patients to the right treatments

Host: Chay Carter

Founder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy Neuro

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

Guest: Daniel Månsson

Chief Scientific Officer and Founder at Flow Neuroscience.

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

Learn more about Flow Neuroscience: https://www.flowneuroscience.com/

Key Chapters:

00:39 Daniel’s Journey from Psychology to Neurotech
04:09 Building Flow Neuroscience for Depression Treatment
07:47 From European Regulation to FDA Approval
11:00 Insights from 60,000 Patients
14:26 Preparing for Flow’s US Launch
18:14 How the Flow tDCS Device Works
21:47 Expanding Indications and Next-Generation Devices
25:32 Balancing Patient Access, Safety, and Medical Oversight

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.

Learn more about Reccy Neuro: https://neuro.reccy.dev/

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 neurotechnology.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop every week.

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Brent Bellm, Chief Commercial Officer at Wave Neuroscience.

Brent shares how Wave Neuroscience is developing personalised, biomarker-led neuromodulation for mental health, including its recent FDA clearance for the treatment of PTSD.

This is a practical conversation about EEG-guided TMS, personalised stimulation, and what it could mean to move mental health care beyond one-size-fits-all protocols.

We explore how Wave uses resting-state EEG to analyse brainwave dysregulation, estimate each person’s intrinsic alpha frequency, and guide magnetic stimulation based on the individual brain.

We also discuss Brent’s journey from leading technology companies including PayPal, HomeAway, and BigCommerce into neuroscience, the commercial challenge of scaling software as a medical device, and why mental health care may be entering a new era of biomarker-led treatment.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Why Wave Neuroscience’s FDA clearance for PTSD is a major milestone for TMS
🔹 How EEG can help identify brainwave dysregulation before treatment begins
🔹 Why personalised stimulation may be more effective than one-size-fits-all protocols
🔹 How MERT uses each person’s intrinsic alpha frequency to guide treatment
🔹 Why neuromodulation could become a new phase of mental health care

Guest: Brent Bellm

Chief Commercial Officer, Wave Neuroscience

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-bellm-3b305214/

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, 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.

New episodes of The Open Loop drop every week.

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 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.