The Open Loop with Chay Carter

In this episode of The Open Loop, Chay Carter is joined by Mikko Karvinen, CEO of Nexstim, a Finnish neurotechnology company developing navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS).Mikko shares his journey from CFO to CEO during a challenging period for Nexstim, and how the company refocused its strategy around precision brain mapping, neuromodulation and commercial growth.We explore how Nexstim uses patient-specific MRI data to guide TMS stimulation, its applications in neurosurgical planning and depression treatment, and why accurate targeting is becoming increasingly important in neurotechnology.Mikko also discusses Nexstim's partnerships with Brainlab and Sinaptica Therapeutics, the potential of TMS-EEG in Alzheimer's research, and the opportunities ahead for precision neuromodulation.Key takeaways:🔹 How navigated TMS uses brain imaging to deliver more precise and repeatable stimulation🔹 How Nexstim navigated financial challenges and evolved its commercial strategy🔹 Why brain mapping is becoming increasingly important in neurosurgical planning🔹 How the Brainlab partnership is supporting Nexstim's global expansion🔹 Why TMS-EEG, personalised targeting and Alzheimer's research could open new opportunities for neuromodulationHost: Chay CarterFounder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy NeuroLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/Guest: Mikko KarvinenCEO, Nexstim PlcLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikko-karvinen-4909a/Company: NexstimWebsite: https://www.nexstim.com/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 Mark Slater, Co-Founder of Otherside.Mark shares how his personal experience living with epilepsy, combined with a career in healthcare advertising and brand strategy, led him to build Otherside alongside Jon Nelson, a neuroscience agency bringing lived experience into the heart of healthcare communications.We explore why groundbreaking neurotechnology often struggles to connect with the people who need it, and how more human communication can help bridge the gap between scientific innovation and real-world impact.Mark also shares the story behind the Otherside Lounge, a community initiative creating spaces for people living with epilepsy to connect, share experiences, and help shape the future of brain health.Key takeaways:🔹 Why lived experience is essential to effective neurotechnology communication🔹 How Mark's experience with epilepsy shaped the creation of Otherside🔹 Why healthcare language often fails to reflect patients' everyday experiences🔹 How the Otherside Lounge is creating meaningful connections within the epilepsy community🔹 Why trust, accessibility and patient understanding matter as consumer neurotechnology continues to growHost: Chay CarterFounder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy NeuroLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/Guest: Mark SlaterCo-Founder, Otherside | Board Member, Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium (PERC)LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-slater-other-side/Otherside: https://otherside.health/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 Ryan Glatt and Lauren Sergio of NERON.Ryan is a Brain Health Coach and Director of the FitBrain℠ Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, where his work focuses on brain health, exercise science, clinical exergaming, dual-task training, and cognitive wellness.Lauren is a Professor and neuroscientist at York University whose work focuses on movement control, cognitive-motor integration, and how the brain coordinates thinking and movement.We explore how NERON is using simple movement-based tasks to assess more complex brain communication, and why thinking while moving could become a valuable part of brain health measurement.Ryan and Lauren also discuss ageing, concussion, fall risk, sport, military applications, and the challenge of making brain health assessment more accessible outside traditional clinical settings.Key takeaways:🔹 Why thinking and moving together can reveal more than cognition or movement alone🔹 How neuromotor and visuomotor control relate to everyday brain health🔹 Why dual-task assessment may help identify risk earlier than traditional screening tools🔹 How NERON uses simple movement tasks to assess complex brain communication🔹 Where this technology could be used across ageing, concussion, sport, military and community health settingsHost: Chay CarterFounder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy NeuroLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/Guests:Ryan GlattBrain Health Coach | Director, FitBrain℠ Program at Pacific Neuroscience InstituteLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-glatt-ms-cpt-nbc-hwc-50ba3664/Lauren SergioProfessor and Neuroscientist, York UniversityLinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lauren-sergio-2793351aThe 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 Adam Fraser, Chief Operating Officer at Omniscient Neurotechnology.Adam shares how Omniscient is taking connectomics out of the lab and into clinical practice, using AI and MRI data to help decode the brain’s structural and functional networks.We explore how connectomics can support neurosurgical planning today, why brain network mapping could become important across DBS, stroke, coma, epilepsy and psychiatry, and what it takes to build a scalable neurotechnology platform inside the US healthcare system.Adam also discusses Omniscient’s go-to-market journey, reimbursement, medical education, the company’s US focus, the role of AI in brain mapping, and why mental health remains a long-term North Star for the business.Key takeaways:🔹 What connectomics means and why it matters for brain health🔹 How structural and functional connectomes act like “roads and traffic” for the brain🔹 Why neurosurgical planning was Omniscient’s first major clinical focus🔹 How connectomics could support future work in DBS, stroke, coma, epilepsy and psychiatry🔹 Why bringing new neurotechnology into the US healthcare system requires evidence, reimbursement and medical educationHost: Chay CarterFounder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy NeuroLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/Guest: Adam FraserChief Operating Officer, Omniscient NeurotechnologyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-fraser-23202133/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 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 platformGuest: Jonathan “JB” BerentFounder and CEO, NextSenseLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-berent/Host: Chay CarterFounder, Carter Sciences | Co-Founder, Reccy NeuroLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chay-carter/Key Chapters:00:39 Introduction to NextSense and Brain-Sensing Smartbuds01:40 From Stanford, Lucid Dreaming and Google to NextSense04:56 Lucid Dreaming, EEG and Dream Communication07:46 Learning Neuroscience and Building at Google X11:56 Spinning NextSense Out of Google14:54 Fundraising, Consumer Neurotech and Investor Challenges21:53 Product-Market Fit and the Toothbrush Test27:28 Why NextSense Chose Earbuds for Brain DataThe 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/