MIT/Stanford Venture Lab presents: 'The Business of the Brain' on May 18th, Stanford Campus

Stanford, CA, May 13, 2010 – Brain-Computer Interfacing promises a quantum leap in human interaction with technology—allowing thoughts and emotions to control devices and allowing devices to know what we’re "really thinking". Currently, there are more than 300 million brain toting people in the United States alone, making the opportunities for BCI products far reaching.

From entertainment and transportation to medicine and information systems, brain-computer interfacing will bring a fresh perspective to established industries. In this emergent phase of consumer related BCI, innovators are redefining sleep management, gaming, user interfacing, courtroom evidence, and national security—and this is only the beginning.

For the first time, neuroscientists and savvy entrepreneurs, from a number of traditionally unrelated industries, are teaming up to move BCI technology out of research and medical labs and into our everyday lives. Challenges and opportunities including limitations of “wet” sensors, “noise” interference, government regulation, novel user interfaces, designing industry specific BCI applications and cost engineering of current applications will be addressed by the event.

Meet the minds behind this wave and find out how entrepreneurs are using the way we think to drive the future of technology. 
 
Topics to be explored:
• Developing new industries vs. enhancing current industries
• Hardware, software and service opportunities
• Barriers of entry (how to build them up or tear them down)
• What VC's are looking for in BCI
• Data interpretation and context
• Cutting edge vs. currently available

Join the VLAB Social Media (Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn) to see details and entertaining information leading up to the event.

Moderator: Christina Nicholson, Editor for Scientific American 
Presenter: David Dickinson, CEO Zeo Sleep Coach
Panelists: 

Dr. Larry Farwell, Chairman and Chief Scientist at Brainwave Science & Brain Fingerprinting Labs
James Sullivan,  VP of World Wide Partnerships at NeuroSky Brain-Computer Interface Technology
Timothy Chang, Principal  at Norwest Venture Partners

How it will work: A widely-recognized moderator will briefly set the context for what's happening across the BCI industry, and sketch some of the entrepreneurial opportunities that are being created.  The moderator will then lead a Q&A format discussion with the panelists, and later open the conversation up to the audience as well.  We expect to have 4-5 panelists: perhaps 2 companies involved with consumer-related technologies, a VC that specializing in the space, and someone from the academic community .  Each panelist will have the opportunity for a brief opening statement to help get the discussion rolling.

The MIT/Stanford Venture Lab (VLAB: www.vlab.org) is the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the growth and success of high-tech entrepreneurial ventures by connecting ideas, technology and people. We host the largest ongoing gathering of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and thought leaders at our monthly events at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, with an ecosystem that includes 25,000+ Bay Area influencers.

 For More info on VLAB:  http://www.vlab.org/article.html?aid=339

For questions or possible press passes, please contact:

Samuel Smith
s.smith@hphant.com
(650) 863-5184