2017 SharpBrains Virtual Summit: Brain Health & Enhancement in the Digital Age (December 5–7th)
The 2017 SharpBrains Virtual Summit (December 5–7th, 2017) featured over fifty of the world’s top experts and innovators working on ways to enhance brain health and performance in light of emerging neuroscience and digital technologies.
THANK YOU everyone involved in creating such a fun and valuable event: Speakers, Judges, Pitch Finalists and Winners (congrats again), Sponsors, Partners and of course all Participants!
Thank you also to everyone who shared these great moments. and also to WebMD for the great write-up Firms race to find new ways to scan brain health.
All slidedecks are freely available via links below. Recordings were made available for registered participants using their event credentials.
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December 5th: Navigating the Opportunities and Risks Ahead
8.30–9.45am. What do 7.5 billion human brains need to thrive in the Digital Age, and what are key opportunities to better equip them? (view slidedeck Here)
- Álvaro Fernández, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of SharpBrains, and Producer of the SharpBrains Summit
- Sarah Lenz Lock, Senior Vice President for Policy at AARP and Executive Director of the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH)
- Dr. April Benasich, Director of the Baby Lab at the Rutgers Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience
- Chaired by: Dr. Cori Lathan, Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Council on the Future of Human Enhancement
10–11.30am. What are most promising lifestyle and tech options to harness lifelong neuroplasticity, and what are key roadblocks ahead? (slidedeck Here)
- Dr. Álvaro Pascual-Leone, Director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Dr. David Bartrés-Faz, Principal Investigator of the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative (BBHI)
- Dr. Simone Schurle, Assistant Professor for Responsive Biomedical Systems at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
- Chaired by: Dr. David Bach, Founder and President of the Platypus Institute
11:30am-12:30pm. Lunch break
12.30–2pm. How can we harness digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) to scale up brain research, assessments and interventions? (slidedeck Here)
- Dr. Oliver Harrison. Chief Executive of the Health Moonshot at Telefónica Innovation
- Nancy Briefs, President and CEO of Digital Cognition Technologies
- Emma Yang, 9th grader, Creator of Timeless app and MIT Solver
- Belén Guerra-Carrillo, NSF Fellow and graduate student researcher at University of Califonia, Berkeley
- Chaired by: Kayt Sukel, science writer
2–3pm. Watercooler Chats
- We’ll spend some time connecting with other participants, discussing highlights, and exchanging ideas and contact information.
3–4.30pm. How will the Clinicians, Patients and Consumers of the Future ensure appropriate use of brain enhancement methods encompassing lifestyle, supplements, brain training, meditation, bio/ neurofeedback, tDCS and more? (slidedeck Here)
- Dr. Eddie Martucci, Co-Founder and CEO of Akili Interactive Labs
- Dr. Anna Wexler, science writer, filmmaker and postdoc fellow at the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at UPenn’s Perelman School of Medicine
- Dr. Olivier Oullier, President of EMOTIV
- Dr. Peter Reiner, Co-Founder of the National Core for Neuroethics at the University of British Columbia
- Chaired by: Dr. Alison Fenney, Executive Director of the Neurotechnology Industry Organization (NIO)
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December 6th: Brainnovations Pitch Contest
Kickstarted with a keynote by scientist/ policy-maker/ entrepreneur Dr. Tom Insel, the Summit hosted a Brainnovations Pitch Contest (details HERE) to discuss the latest technologies for Brain Health & Enhancement. 12 selected startups pitched their innovative approach and solutions to our distinguished Judges –our very own “Sharp Tank”– and to all Summit participants.
8.30–9.15am. Digital Mental Health: the Hurt, the Hype, the Hope (slidedeck Here)
- Dr. Tom Insel, President and Co-Founder of Mindstrong Health
9.30–10.45am. Top Brainnovation to measure Brain Health & Performance. The three Finalists were:
(slidedeck Here)
- Savonix– pitch by Greg Wong, VP Product Management
- HealthTech Connex – pitch by Dr. Ryan D’Arcy, President & Chief Scientific Officer
- NeuraMetrix (WINNER) – pitch by Jan Samzelius, Co-Founder & CEO
- Judged by: Dr. Adam Haim, Chief of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH); Dr. David Barash, Chief Medical Officer and ED of Global Health at GE Foundation; Dr. Edward Kliphuis, Investment Director at Merck Ventures; Dr. Karen Postal, President of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN)
10.45–11.45am. Watercooler Chats/ Nourishment break
- We’ll spend some time connecting with other participants, discussing highlights, and exchanging ideas and contact information.
11.45am-12.50pm. Top Brainnovation to improve Brain Health & Performance. The three Finalists were: (slidedeck Here)
- Click Therapeutics – pitch by David Klein, Co-Founder & CEO
- AUGMENTx (WINNER) – pitch by Dr. Albert Kwon, Co-Founder & CEO
- Sincrolab – pitch by Ignacio de Ramon, Co-Founder & CEO
- Judged by: Alexandra Morehouse, Chief Marketing Officer at Banner Health; Colin Milner, Founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA); Danny Dankner, CEO and Co-founder of Applied Cognitive Engineering; Zack Lynch, General Partner at JAZZ Venture Partners
1–2.15pm. Top Brainnovation harnessing Big Data. The three Finalists were: (slidedeck Here)
- WEKIT — Wearable Experience for Knowledge Intensive Training – pitch by Paul Lefrere, Innovation Lead
- Sapien Labs (WINNER) – pitch by Tara Thiagarajan, Founder & Chief Scientist
- MyndYou – pitch by Shira Yama Nir, Project Manager
- Judged by: Bill Tucker, Senior Advisor to the K12 Education Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Eduardo Briceño, CEO and Co-founder of Mindset Works; John Cammack, Angel Investor; Neil Allison, Director of Business Model Innovation at Pearson North America
2.30–3.45pm. Top Brainnovation to boost Workplace Productivity and Resilience. The three Finalists were: (slidedeck Here)
- Beam Riders – pitch by Jafar Sabbah, Founder & CEO
- MyCognition – pitch by Martina Ratto, Cognitive Scientist
- The Touchpoint Solution (WINNER) – pitch by Dr. Amy Serin, Neuropsychologist & Co-Founder
- Judged by: Ariel Garten, Founder and Chief Evangelism Officer at InteraXon; Charlie Hartwell, Operating Partner at Bridge Builders Collaborative; Kathleen Herath, Associate Vice President Health & Productivity at Nationwide Insurance; Lisa Neuberger, Managing Director of Strategy + Innovation at Accenture Corporate Citizenship

– This is the Brainnovations Judging Panel…our very own “Sharp Tank”
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December 7th: Expo Day
Selected Summit Sponsors and Partners showcase their most promising brain health & enhancement initiatives and solutions.
8.30–10am. At the frontier with Neuroscape, VR/ AR and Photobiomodulation (slidedeck for all am sessions Here)
- Adam Gazzaley, UCSF Professor of Neurology, presents Neuroscape
- Dr. Walter Greenleaf, Medical VR/ AR Expert at Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab, provides an overview of health applications of virtual & augmented reality (VR/AR)
- Dr. Lew Lim, Founder & CEO of Vielight, discusses photobiomodulation as a new way to enhance brain function
10–10.30am. Watercooler Chats. Final session to connect with other participants, discuss highlights, and exchange ideas and contact information.
10.30–11am. Dr. Bob Schafer, Director of Research at Lumos Labs, presents their expanding vision for brain training, including mindfulness.
11am-Noon. Lunch break
Noon-1pm. From tomorrow’s neuroengineering to today’s brain health (slidedeck for all pm sessions Here)
- Dr. Randal Koene, Lead Scientist at Kernel, discusses future directions of neuroenginnering and human computer interfaces.
- Dr. Leanne Young, Executive Director of the Brain Performance Institute at UT-Dallas Center for BrainHealth presents the new 62,000-square-foot Brain Performance Institute.
1–1.30pm. Debbie Gilmore, Executive Director of The Arrowsmith Program, will present plans to better equip 100+ schools helping students with special needs.
1.30–2pm. Dr. Chris Walling, Chairman of the Educational Advisory Committee at The Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF), will present the new Brain Longevity Therapy Training.
Summit Sponsors and Partners
Gold Sponsors
![]() AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, social welfare organization with a membership of nearly 38 million that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families. Its Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), founded in collaboration with Age UK, is an independent collaborative created to provide trusted information on how to maintain and improve brain health. |
![]() VieLight has a mission to engineer and commercialize non-invasive devices based on photobiomodulation that are safe and effective, easy to use and affordable – all to truly help improve one’s quality of life. It focuses on developing new-generation home-use brain stimulation devices that are enjoying a growing reputation to be helpful for mental acuity in various presentations. Its products are used by both practitioners and consumers all over the world. |
Silver Sponsors
![]() The Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF) has a mission to empower people to build healthy brains and reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease by conducting clinical research and providing educational and professional development outreach. The Arrowsmith Program, available in 80+ schools in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is a comprehensive suite of cognitive programs for students with learning disabilities to train key brain functions involved in learning. Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the USA, employing more than 50,000 staff members in 29 hospitals and other settings ranging from home care and long-term care, to laboratories and rehabilitation services. |
![]() EMOTIV is a bioinformatics company advancing understanding of the human brain using electroencephalography (EEG) with a mission to empower individuals and accelerate brain research globally. Lumosity was founded to help people keep their brains challenged thanks to a simple online tool allowing anyone to train core cognitive abilities. From neuroscience to visual art, they combine diverse disciplines to create engaging brain training programs and, through the Human Cognition Project, they collaborate with over 100 leading researchers, clinicians and teachers from institutions around the world.
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Partners
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Summit Sponsors are institutions developing innovative brain health solutions and willing to help fund this unique event.
Summit Partners are institutions helping promote the Summit through their respective platforms and communities to ensure maximum participation and impact.
Please contact us if you want to discuss details.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where will the Summit take place? Over the Internet. Participate access the virtual meeting room from any location — all that is required is a computer with Internet connection.
What is a virtual conference? The SharpBrains Virtual Summit is just like a physical conference — registered participants can access all presentations, ask pressing questions, and connect with speakers and fellow participants. The main difference is, no one needs to travel.
I cannot participate live in all sessions. Will they be recorded? Yes, all sessions will be recorded and available at no extra cost to registered participants for a full year after the Summit.
Do you offer press passes? Yes, please contact us with details on your publication and idea.
Do you offer CEUs/ CMEs? Sorry, we don’t. But we do offer a Certificate of Attendance to those who request it.

— Registrants for the 2017 SharpBrains Virtual Summit (December 5–7th) as of November 23rd, 2017
What is the typical profile of Summit participants? By design, the Summit is truly cross-sector and multi-disciplinary, so there’s no one “typical profile” — the common theme for participants is working in academia, industry or practice and looking to explore and discuss, in a high quality and carefully curated environment, the latest in brain health and performance.
Over 1,000 professionals in 20+ countries have participated in SharpBrains Virtual Summits. For the 2017 Summit, 177 pioneers have registered so far (represented by the dots in the image to the right), in 23 countries.
What participants said about previous SharpBrains Virtual Summits
“I was impressed by the forward-looking yet practical discussion about enhancing human performance involving such a range of pioneers. A pleasure to be involved!” — Dr. Susan Jewell, President of the International Space Medicine Consortium
“A perfect way to keep the pulse of 3 key innovation themes: mobile apps and wearables, consumer health, and applied neuroscience.” — Jack Young, Head of Qualcomm Life Fund
“An impressive virtual convocation of leading scientists and developers and adopters of cognitive enhancement technology.” — Dr. Robert Bilder, Chief of Medical Psychology-Neuropsychology, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience
“I know of no better resource than SharpBrains Summits to explore the latest frontier in health promotion. Excellent discussions and overall event.” — Dr. Michael P. O’Donnell, Editor-In-Chief of the American Journal of Health Promotion
“Kudos for such a fantastic conference. The discussion about human vs. artificial intelligence and ethics was especially exciting.” — Rajiv Pant, former Chief Technology Officer of The New York Times
“Congratulations on convening such a compelling group of speakers and participants. The implementation was super high-quality and seamless.” — Dr. Eddie Martucci, CEO of Akili Interactive Labs
“The SharpBrains Summit is unique in its impressive ability to unite a diverse collection of cutting-edge thinkers in a “virtual” conference that is shared globally without a hitch.” — Dr. Adam Gazzaley, Director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center at UCSF
“A great way to gather current information on brain health from a variety of sources and to make new connections” — Dr. Catherine Madison, Director of the Ray Dolby Brain Health Center at California Pacific Medical Center