ASU spin-out Thync secures funding from Khosla Ventures.
Thync, a neuroscience spin-out of Arizona State University (ASU), has secured $13m in a series A round led by Khosla Ventures.
The company’s technology revolves around so-called neurosignaling algorithms, which are used to positively affect people’s state of mind. Thync builds wearables which it hopes it can sell to help people control stress and induce both energy as well as relaxed states without any need for chemicals or supplements. The product includes biocompatible pads, which transfer the neurosignaling waveforms to a person’s nervous system via a secured Bluetooth connection.
The market for products controlling state of mind is significant, reaching more than $400bn a year globally. In the US alone, the market for energy drinks is $12.5bn a year, while the market for wearables is expected to break through $7bn by the end of 2015.
Thync’s board has grown to also include scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as Harvard and Stanford universities.
Jamie Tyler, co-founder of Thync and associate professor at ASU’s School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, said: “The Thync team is working hard on introducing neuroscience to 21st century engineering. For the first time, we are able to target and optimise neural pathways and brain circuits for personal benefit. Thync technology converges on many of these same pathways to achieve positive effects.”
