Fred Ehrsam and Brian Armstrong started Coinbase in a two-bedroom apartment thirteen years ago. Both men are now billionaires, but Ehrsam has quietly parlayed his fortunes into neuroscience innovation, launching a brain interface startup in 2024 called Nudge. On Monday, the firm unveiled its first product, the Nudge Zero, a non-invasive ultrasound neuromodulation device.
That’s a mouthful, but “non-invasive ultrasound neuromodulation” simply means modifying brain activity by using an ultrasound machine. Such a device emits ultrasound waves that impact cell membranes in the brain without causing permanent changes or damage.
(The “Nudge Zero” is the first device from Fred Ehrsam’s neuroscience startup / Nudge on X)
Reasons for using ultrasound neuromodulation devices vary, but they typically fall into two overlapping categories, medical and therapeutic. Medical issues would include neurological conditions such as epilepsy and pain management, while therapeutic conditions would encompass less acute scenarios such as depression.
The Nudge Zero, according to Ehrsam, will first tackle acute medical conditions, and its predecessor will eventually be introduced as a therapeutic solution for individuals seeking various forms of mental well-being.
“We will first use the device to attempt to treat acute medical conditions in the coming months,” Ehrsam explained. “With the eventual goal of creating a headphone-like miniaturized version … to enhance mood, cognition, and daily life for healthy people.”
(Computer renderings of what Nudge’s therapeutic wearables may look like once launched / Nudge on X)
Prior to launching Nudge in 2024, Ehrsam and Sequioa veteran Matt Huang co-founded Paradigm in 2018, a crypto-focused venture capital firm that manages three funds, the most recent of which closed at $850 million last June.
The 36-year-old Ehrsam, now worth $2.1 billion, according to Forbes, stepped away from his managing partner role at the firm in 2023 but has remained at Paradigm as a general partner. It appears neuroscience and not crypto is now his primary focus.
“We believe improving the human experience is the most important thing to work on. This should be the goal of technology,” Ehrsam said. “And building technologies to interface with the brain is the most direct way of doing so.”
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