Take a plunge into the depths of the human mind.

Needless to say, the human brain is a rather complex system that is somewhat hard to understand. A lot of people want to be able to read minds and control the real world with their thoughts. Well, as scary as it may sound, that could soon become reality.

A few people that had that exact vision are Adam Molnar, James Hamet, and Ramses Alcaide. They realized the potential of tapping into the inner workings of the mind and developed a Neurable to utilize that.

Neurable is creating a brain-computer interface (BCI) by developing software and hardware that reads the mind. It uses this to interpret human intent and emotion, which in turn can be used to control the technology around us.

Continue reading to learn more about the way these 3 people pioneered the innovation of the 21st century.

The Beginning of Genius

Adam Molnar is a first-generation American of Israeli and Hungarian descent.

As a kid, he was rather sociable and got along with most of his peers. He did well in school, which got him to attend the University of Michigan. At college, he studied entrepreneurship and human behavior. He graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies, with a minor in Behavioral studies.

On the other hand, James Hamet was fascinated by the inner workings of the human mind from a very young age. He attended the French American School of New York, or FASNY, and got a French Baccalaureate of Science. While in school, James learned about the possibility of monitoring the brain’s activity with technology. To continue investigating this, he applied and got accepted at the University of Michigan to study Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

The third of the power-trio behind Neurable is doctor Ramses Alcaide, a neuroscientist. He was not that much different from James Hamet. He too shared his interest in the working of the human brain. Ramses got his Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Washington. Then he moved states to attend the University of Michigan and study Neuroscience. In subsequent years he got his Master’s Degree, and eventually a Ph.D. in the subject.

Great Minds Think Alike

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Adam Molnar returned back to act as a Docent at the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Adam spent 3 years teaching Environmental Principles and promoted sustainability and eco-friendly behavior. Soon after that, he joined Indicia Consulting LLC as a Behavioral Researcher - a place for Adam to directly influence young minds.

During his studies, James Hamet got really involved with the Program in Entrepreneurship and various societies at the University of Michigan. His involvement allowed him to acquire multiple professional skills, such as networking, collaboration, and human resource management. These proved vital in the success of the future projects he got involved in.

Ramses Alcaide hit the ground running when it came to his professional journey. After graduating, he became CEO of Pharo LLC, an investment firm focused on macroeconomic trends in developing countries. He remained in the position for over 4 years, gaining valuable experience in leadership that he would use later in life.

The three men all met throughout the University of Michigan, which they all attended at some point. They got along nicely and stayed in contact long after graduating. Due to their common interests in entrepreneurship and the human mind, they decided to eventually form a company together. The rest, as they say, is history.

Great Vision Leads to Great Innovation

In 2015, while attending the University of Michigan, Ramses Alcaide started working on the first BCI prototypes in the university lab. When he shared the news with Adam and James, the two of them immediately became interested in the project and wanted to join in on the exciting adventure.

It wasn’t long before they moved on from the school's lab and got funding. This allowed them to work on the project full time and create a working prototype. But here is where they came across their first issue. How do they demonstrate the power of BCI technology to the general public?

The solution was a completely different type of technology - virtual reality. In 2017, the popularity of VR was on the rise and more people were getting interested in the emerging technology. So, the team created Developer Kit 1 (DK1), a device that can be used in the HTC Vive VR headset to control an application they developed called “The Awakening”. This proof of concept was a hit and the general public was fascinated.

However, there was another problem. While interesting, many people failed to see any use case for this specific VR-controlling device. So they started discussing with potential partners and analyzed any feedback they could get.

Funding the Dream

What Adam, James, and Ramses realized was that the market was in desperate need of devices that could analyze cognitive performance and various mental states, especially when it comes to performance. So, this is what the team decided to do from now on.

Neurable has had an impressive 7 funding rounds since its founding. Thanks to these funding rounds, the company has raised a combined total of a not-so-shabby sum of $9.3M.

As Neurable hit the scene, a number of prominent companies started to grow interested in what the innovative young firm had to offer. A total of 13 companies became investors in Neurable, with M Ventures, National Science Foundation, and Boston Syndicates (BOSS) as the three leading investors.

The seed funding round was completed in December 2016, enabling Neurable to expand its finances with an additional $2 million from 5 investors. The company hosted another venture funding round a year later in December 2017, and Series A rounds in the subsequent years.

Wow-ing the Science World

Neurable’s first commercial product, the smart headphones called Enten, was launched in May 2022.

Neurable’s CBI devices, when used within VR, could be used to see how trainees respond in different situations. So candidates could perform and practice difficult and potentially dangerous tasks in a safe and cost-effective environment. Furthermore, you could see if the trainee actually learned and knows something, or they just got lucky.

Thanks to getting massive attention from the world of science and from the general public, Neurable fashioned out some ground-breaking plans to follow.

Neurable proudly withstood the competition coming from rivaling companies like NextMind, Cyberkinetics, and EMOTIV, among others.

Ramses, James, and Adam plan for Neurable to further develop its sensors and technology to be used in everyday life. The first gadget the company is eager to finalize is a pair of high-end headphones that can monitor the listener’s mood and adjust the music for peak productivity while working.

Now that’s mind-blowing!

Neurable, Today

Neurable’s headquarters is based in Cambridge, MA. Currently, the company has around 30 full-time employees that are working on the technology of the future.

At the moment, Neurable is working with various organizations such as the US military. It wants to optimize its system to improve the training available. Using Neurable’s technology, it is possible for people’s reactions to the training to be monitored and adequately responded to.

And to think, all of this came from the minds of a few ambitious students at the University of Michigan. Thanks to their hard work and perseverance we could soon have technology that adjusts to our needs, not the other way round.