The Rhythm of the Mind: AJ Keller on Neurosity’s EEG Wearable and the Power of Music

Neurosity is founded on the belief that individuals deserve brain data and control over their mental health. “Neurosity” represents the ethos of our mission – a combination of “neuro” and “curiosity. Dubbed the “personal brain-computer” by Forbes, Neurosity gives users an ultra-portable, science-backed, patented device that measures neural signatures to optimize brain health. Neurosity envisions a future giving 900M+ people the opportunity to alleviate their symptoms of mental illness without medicine – a $383B market. Our vision is to build devices for universal brain health and make neurotech as ubiquitous as smartphones in the next five years. With $2M+ in cumulative revenue and users across 56 countries, we’re on our way.

The brain is the only organ not imaged before treatment with medication. Everyone has someone in their life struggling with mental illness. 1 in 5 Americans struggle with mental illness. We know there is no clear solution for them, and the people trying to help them can only look at people subjectively. I founded Neurosity because I’ve been diagnosed with very common disorders such as ADHD and depression, but I found the existing solutions too invasive. I wanted to use my full stack and hardware engineering background to fix mental health. The Crown device and Shift app combo create a path to peak living: mindfulness, productivity, and sleep. 50 years ago, when the first cell phone was invented, no one would have believed they would evolve into personal computers we carry around in our pockets and can’t live without. In some ways, they’re an extension of us. Neurosity aims to be a natural extension of human thought or neural programming we can guide for a better life experience.

Decades of research prove the scientific correlation between mental states and brainwave frequencies. Neurons send messages all over the body, allowing people to do everything from breathing to talking, eating, walking, and thinking. When groups of neurons fire together in a certain way to send signals to other groups of neurons, the resulting patterns are known as brain waves. The Crown measures brain waves, identifies patterns, and how users respond to different music, vibrations, and inputs. The data allows Neurosity to use stimuli to create the desired mental state using personalized music delivered via headphones. We use Neuroadaptive technology to learn a customer’s neurosignature, and 80% of users report a positive impact within two minutes. By pairing something new, the Crown, with something habituated, listening to music, we create an easy entry point into our customer’s daily habits. 

We love having a community that contributes continuously to support Neurosity! Lowering the barrier to entry for new customers was a big motivator. Memberships are cancelable anytime and include free hardware upgrades, a travel case, and an electrode replacement. The new membership model has been a massive success. On the business side, we now have a stable recurring revenue model with a 3.3X CAC: LTV ratio. On the go-to-market side, we’ve expanded our initial obtainable market by lowering the cost for new users from $2,099 to $99. In moving towards a membership model, we’ve built a strong business with $300K+ exit ARR (as of July 2023) and a massive and growing waitlist of users.

Our closest direct competitor is Muse. Our customers who love us have either considered Muse at one point or another or have a Muse. Our Shift App solution is the first proactive system that uses personalized NeuroAdaptive Audio custom-tailored to the user, increasing the impact and influence on their unique mental state.

V1 of the product has been a tremendous leap forward for at-home brain imaging and non-invasive mental health solutions. We can reduce the payback period for the Crown from 6 months to 3 months with R&D investment. The Crown will become the bedrock for a personal brain-computer with reduced size, increased comfort, and improved user experience. We’re most excited about a fit-in-pocket design that will fit all head shapes and hairstyles and work across all skin colors.