Carter Intel 010 | Neuroscience, capital and the people to know
New York. New research. People worth knowing.
Hey, welcome back.
I'm in New York this week for the BCI Symposium on 5–6 November. If you're heading over, let me know and let's find time for a coffee.
The neurotechnology map is taking shape, region by region.
Our Central US Neurotech Market Map article is now live, revealing the companies, capital and emerging technologies driving neurotechnology innovation across the heart of America.
Next week, we head further west. Our next instalment explores the Western US beyond California, uncovering the founders, investors and innovation ecosystems that deserve a closer look.
We're keen to connect with those shaping this landscape. If you're building, backing or advancing neurotechnology in the region, let's talk about collaborating and bringing more of this activity into focus.
The Carter Sciences Market Map
The Market Map continues to grow, with 119 more counted companies, 59 more investors, 221 more capital events and 134 more investor–company relationships since the 24 October snapshot. These additions reflect ongoing research and reconciliation, rather than necessarily new announcements this week. I'm also hearing from more specialist neuroscience companies looking for relevant investor introductions. If you're raising capital, or investing and interested in exploring companies working in your area, drop me an email. We can look at the technologies, stages and investment histories together and see where there might be a useful conversation.
Counts include historical and provisional records. Capital events include grants and commitments, not just equity rounds.
Next stop: New York
I'll be at the New York BCI Symposium on 5–6 November, bringing together researchers, clinicians, investors and companies working across brain–computer interfaces. Drop me an email if you'd like to meet while I'm in town.
Forecast Bio
San Francisco | CNS drug discovery and predictive neuroscience
Forecast Bio is building a platform to predict drug responses using human brain organoids, with astrocyte network activity as its primary readout. The idea is to connect these measurements with known human outcomes and improve decision-making in CNS drug development.
The platform is in proof-of-concept testing with reference compounds. Forecast was selected for the fourth One Mind Accelerator cohort and the Merck Digital Sciences Studio. Over the coming months, the team aims to expand validation, benchmark predictive performance and begin its first external collaboration ahead of a planned seed raise.
Why Forecast caught my attention
I came away from my first conversation with Kira genuinely excited about Forecast Bio. The focus on astrocytes rather than the more conventional emphasis on neurons immediately caught my attention. It's a fascinating shift in perspective, and I was keen to understand where it could lead.
Equally compelling is the person behind the science. Kira has the conviction to take an interesting scientific approach and build a company around it. It's exactly what I love about working in neuroscience: meeting people who recognise the potential in a discovery and are prepared to do the hard work of translating it into something useful.
Who should know them: Investors ahead of a seed raise and CNS drug developers interested in partnerships.
Request a Forecast introduction
Otherside Health
Boston | Neuroscience strategy, branding and communications
Neurotechnology companies need to explain complex technologies to investors, clinicians and ultimately the people who might benefit from them. Otherside Health has built its business around that challenge.
Led by co-founders Mark Slater (CEO) and Jon Nelson, Otherside works with early-stage startups and established organisations across neuroscience. Its work spans strategy, branding, messaging, campaigns, PR and stakeholder engagement. Its small teams combine specialist expertise with lived experience of brain conditions.
Otherside has helped a leading global neurodiagnostics business rethink its culture, identity and messaging. Work with emerging companies spans depression, epilepsy, PTSD, stroke, brain injury and other conditions, from North American launches to commercial positioning.
Who should know them: Founders and executives preparing to raise capital, enter new markets or build clinical adoption.
Request an Otherside introduction
Three people from my network who could help solve very different problems. These are confidential introductions, not public CVs. If one sounds relevant, reply with the profile reference and I'll check interest on both sides.
01 | CFO, fundraising and capital strategy
A Bay Area finance and fundraising professional with experience advising businesses on the financial and capital questions that arise as they grow. Their work spans CFO-level responsibilities and investor-facing fundraising conversations, combining strategic finance with the practical demands of building a company.
For an early-stage founder, a strong finance partner can be valuable well before a formal institutional round: shaping the financing plan, explaining the financial model, preparing for diligence and establishing a disciplined way to think about cash, milestones and the next capital requirement. This profile is worth considering where those challenges are becoming central to the founder's workload.
Where they could help: Fractional or senior finance leadership, fundraising preparation, financial strategy and the transition from founder-managed finances to a more structured operation. Specific mandate and availability to be confirmed privately.
Discuss this candidate
02 | Principal Electrical Engineer | Implantable Systems
A San Francisco-based senior principal electrical engineer with nearly 18 years working on implantable neurotechnology and experience across three implant development programmes. They contributed to two generations of technology and led engineering on a subsequent full system redesign.
Their background covers implant electronics, firmware, ASIC development, system architecture and external communication devices. They understand not only the individual components but how the complete implantable system needs to work together. They have experience directing specialist consultants, reviewing ASIC implementation work and taking a functioning prototype towards a reliable, manufacturable product.
What stands out is the balance of deep technical ownership and practical leadership. They are interested in a player-coach role that preserves substantial hands-on engineering time while allowing them to build and guide a team.
Where they could help: Implantable Class III medical devices, principal electrical engineering, hardware architecture, ASIC and firmware integration, design refinement and technical team leadership. Particularly relevant to brain-focused implant development.
Discuss this candidate
03 | Computational neuroscience and neural-data products
A Boston-based biomedical engineering PhD and technical leader working at the intersection of neuroscience, EEG/EMG, signal processing and machine learning. Their experience spans the difficult path between research-grade neural measurements and systems that can operate reliably outside a controlled laboratory environment.
This is the sort of background that becomes particularly useful when a neuroscience company moves beyond proving that a signal can be measured and starts asking how to make the resulting product useful: what features are robust, how models perform on real data and how to connect algorithm development with practical product decisions.
Where they could help: Neural signal-processing pipelines, applied ML, EEG/EMG platforms, algorithm development and translating research into usable neurotechnology products. Current interests and availability can be discussed privately.
Discuss this candidate
This week across neurotech
There's a lot happening across neuroscience this week. I've kept the business, financing, regulatory and people developments here, with the wider clinical studies and research in the full Neurotech Newsletter.
Some of the financing and regulatory developments are particularly worth following: NeuroXess and StimCardio have announced significant rounds, Epiminder has expanded its Minder clearance and Precision Neuroscience is building an international research presence. Here's the wider list.
NeuroXess confirms CNY700m Series B
StimCardio closes $30m Series A
Blue Arbor Technologies closes $10.5m Series A led by Ottobock
MedLink BCI completes RMB100m Series B
BRAINCLOS records undisclosed financing
StairMed discloses cumulative and recent financing figures
Guangdong opens applications for 2027 BCI R&D programme
Epiminder expands Minder FDA clearance to ages 12–75
CereVasc receives FDA IDE for eShunt Alzheimer's study
Paradromics expands Connect-One recruitment nationwide
Pharaoh Neuro announces Breakthrough Device Designation
NeuroDR receives FDA 510(k) clearance K262134
BrainAurora receives Beijing Class II software registration
BrainsWay reports Deep TMS OCD coverage exceeds 118m lives
electroCore submits Quell 510(k) application
MicroPort Susilk detachable coil receives NMPA approval
China registers BCI large-scale-model technical requirements project
KATS lists Gbrain cortical-electrode manufacturing technology
Shenzhen launches BCI regulatory and testing initiative
FDA posts Class II recall for Nalu TD2 Therapy Discs
FDA adds gastric electrical-stimulation devices to shortage list
Shanghai lists EEG data-processing software registration
NET Recovery accepted into FDA TAP
Precision Neuroscience signs Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi research MOU
Empatica launches WellPD home Parkinson's monitoring
Firefly reports over 3,000 Versus headsets shipped
Neuralink prototypes mobile speech and iPhone call integration
Read/Write Labs launches as Dandelion Science's new identity
Zhujiang Hospital reports routine-clinical NEO implant
Nexstim receives Finnish hospital NBS 6 order
Ampa introduces Target Lock nationwide
NeuralPort joins NVIDIA Inception
Neumarker enters health-system collaboration for TMS response prediction
Butterfly Network discloses three BCI partners
Possibility Neurotechnologies demonstrates non-invasive BCI at BIX
Neuralink founder comments on Blindsight regulatory status
BRAINCLOS showcases closed-loop neuromodulation systems
Neurotone AI integrates Lace Pro with CounselEar
Beijing Normal University consortium launches BCI laboratory
Axogen plans prostate nerve-repair market development in 2027
Cortical Dynamics joins Mayo Clinic Platform Accelerate
Inkon Life reports brain-science service revenue and activity
Healthcare Triangle announces Southeast Asia neurotechnology initiative
M42 and Re:Cognition Health launch UAE brain-health services
Wearable Devices and Encord collaborate on Physical AI data
NeuroDoctrine debuts brain-signal drone-control system
China selects Beinao-1 for national BCI application programme
EMOTIV launches browser-based BCI experiences
Nanjing Zhili institute reports two-hospital BCI adoption
CONIX debuts BCI hardware suite at CMEF
Guangdong publishes 2026 BCI industry white paper
Dan Dearen joins SetPoint Medical board
Scott Kauffman joins Cognixion advisory board
Jonathan Drucker joins Neurogram Labs
Charles Pallandt becomes UCANACT founding CCO
Dave Meyer joins BlueWind Medical as VP Sales
Mike Murawski joins ZAP Surgical as SVP Sales, Americas
Hermes Kamimura joins INSIGHTEC medical and clinical science leadership
Lifeward appoints Ronen Tsimerman CFO
NeuroDoctrine appoints Roger L. Cloutier Jr. adviser
HUROTICS appoints Ilbeom Choi COO
68 additional Clinical & Research headlines appear in Neurotech Newsletter #42, including Neuralink's 75-word-per-minute speech decoding in one VOICE participant, MIT and Mass General Brigham's implantable ultrasound-assisted drug-delivery work and research on neuronal–astrocytic iron signalling in anxiety.
I've kept those scientific and clinical developments together in the full newsletter, rather than repeating them here.
As always, drop me an email if there's a company, person or development you'd like to discuss.
Cheers,
Chay
1 State Street, Los Angeles
United States of America