NextSense

NextSense

EEG-based brain health monitoring with personalization

Overview

NextSense provides personalized brain health solutions by collecting longitudinal EEG data through comfortable biosensing earbuds worn day and night. The system analyzes this real-world brain activity together with environmental and behavioral patterns to identify triggers and deliver real-time, personalized treatment and medication recommendations through subscriptions. It targets epilepsy, difficult-to-diagnose conditions, and anyone seeking to optimize rest and focus, offering study designs, cognitive assessments, self-reports, and 24/7 monitoring. Compared with competitors, NextSense combines continuous real-world data with contextual insights via consumer-style earbuds rather than relying solely on clinic visits or short tests, aiming to help clinicians and individuals manage brain health over time.

Significant Headcount Growth

About NextSense

Simplify's Rating
Why NextSense is rated
B-
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Data & Analytics

AI & Machine Learning

Healthcare

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$30.7M

Headquarters

Mountain View, California

Founded

2020

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • February 2026 shipping and $249 launch pricing create the first commercial revenue engine.
  • Early beta data over 106 nights showed higher slow-wave activity and better morning recovery.
  • QuHarrison Terry joined the board in February 2026, strengthening go-to-market execution.

What critics are saying

  • Smartbuds need iPhone 12 and iOS 17, shrinking the addressable market immediately.
  • Neural-sensing wearables face tougher rivals like Muse S, Neurable MW75 Neuro, and NAOX.
  • If Smartbuds disappoint on sleep outcomes, NextSense loses its consumer wedge and funding story.

What makes NextSense unique

  • NextSense launched Smartbuds on February 9, 2026, with six EEG sensors in-ear.
  • Jonathan Berent’s former Alphabet X team owns rare ear-EEG and closed-loop audio expertise.
  • The company built 1,000-plus nights of real-world EEG data, uncommon in consumer neurotech.

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Funding

Total Funding

$30.7M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

3 Rounds

Series A funding typically happens when a startup has a product and some customers, and now needs funding to scale. This money is usually used to grow the team, expand marketing, and improve the product. Venture capital firms are frequently the main investors here.
Series A Funding Comparison
Meet Average

Industry standards

$15M
$8.2M
Discord
$15M
Canva
$16M
NextSense
$30M
Kalshi

Benefits

Flexible Work Hours

Hybrid Work Options

Company Equity

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account

Wellness Program

Commuter Benefits

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Parental Leave

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

14%

1 year growth

9%

2 year growth

4%
The Horizons Life
Jul 29th, 2026
The Brainspan Trend: how neurotech is redefining the architecture of longevity.

The Brainspan Trend: how neurotech is redefining the architecture of longevity. The metrics that have defined elite human performance for the past decade are quietly becoming baseline commodities. The global vanguard has spent years meticulously quantifying the vessel - mapping heart rate variability like financial charts, tracking sleep architecture, and measuring glycemic responses to environmental inputs. Yet, as the physical domain becomes increasingly optimized, a profound realization is taking root among those who operate at the absolute limits of performance: the ultimate frontier of longevity is not physical. It is cognitive. TheHorizons is standing at the genesis of a major macro shift - the elegant dematerialization of the clinical laboratory. For generations, accessing the deep architecture of the human brain meant submitting to the sterile, anxious constraints of neuro-diagnostic machinery. Today, those boundaries are dissolving. This is not a story about consumer gadgets. It is a fundamental philosophical transition from tracking physical outputs to actively curating the command center itself. In the framework of true modern longevity, healthspan is incomplete without an identical focus on brainspan and performancespan. The true significance of this shift lies in the transition from reactive observation to closed-loop sovereignty. TheHorizons is moving past the era of simply knowing how TheHorizons sleep or focus, into an era where technology allows TheHorizons to intentionally design its neural states. The brainspan list: 11 pioneers redefining the architecture of longevity. This index maps the 11 pioneers driving the Brainspan Trend, establishing the definitive taxonomy of neurotech infrastructure across four core lifestyle and performance dimensions. This index maps the 11 pioneers driving the Brainspan Trend, establishing the definitive taxonomy of neurotech infrastructure across seven core lifestyle and performance dimensions. 1. Cognitive performance & everyday integration. Devices designed to seamlessly blend into daily life, monitoring brain state, focus, and cognitive fatigue. * Neurable: Specializes in integrating EEG (electroencephalography) sensors directly into everyday consumer form factors, most notably their smart headphones (Enten). They focus on tracking focus trends, detecting cognitive fatigue, and prompting optimal break times. * NextSense: Developing a breakthrough, clinical-grade in-ear EEG wearable designed like standard wireless earbuds. Their focus is on long-term brain health tracking, seizure detection, and sleep staging, capturing neural data comfortably from the ear canal. * Aware: Another major player in the hearable neurotech space. They utilize custom-fit or specialized in-ear monitors embedded with biosensors to track EEG, giving users real-time insights into focus, stress, and cognitive load without a bulky headband. 2. Advanced longevity & biomarker tracking. The frontier of tracking cerebral hemodynamics (blood flow) and systemic stress. * Temple: Founded by Deepinder Goyal under the longevity venture Continue Research, this is a highly buzzed-about, deep-tech longevity wearable. It is a minimalist sensor worn on the forehead/temple area that uses NIRS (Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) to measure Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF), oxygenation, and systemic "Entropy." It treats brain circulation as a sovereign metric for tracking brain aging and cognitive performance, introducing "Entropy Maxima" and "Entropy Minima" as novel biological benchmarks. 3. Meditation & flow-state biofeedback. The pioneers of real-time neural feedback to train the mind. * Muse (by Interaxon Inc.): The category pioneer. Their multi-sensor headbands (Muse 2 and Muse S) use EEG, heart rate, and accelerometer data to provide real-time auditory biofeedback (mimicking weather sounds) that guides users into deep meditation and tracks sleep onset. 4. Performance & tactical Neuroscience. High-performance hardware engineered for elite training environments. * Atlas (Atlas Neuro): Focused heavily on human performance, utilizing non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to decode cognitive states, optimize training efficiency, and manage stress for high-performance leaders and tactical athletes. 5. Sleep engineering & closed-loop Stimulation. Active intervention technologies that do not just track sleep, but alter brain waves to enhance deep rest. * Somnee: A pioneer in "closed-loop" sleep technology. It is a sleek forehead band that uses tACS (transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation) to actively prepare the brain for sleep and prolong deep sleep stages, mapping the user's unique brain signature and stimulating accordingly. * Lumia: represents a paradigm shift in neuro-diagnostics, transforming the ear - a uniquely accessible anatomical window - into a high-fidelity sensor site for tracking cerebral hemodynamics in real-time. By engineering the world's first non-invasive, continuous monitor for cerebral blood flow (CBF), Lumia provides the ultimate audit of the brain's vascular integrity - quantifying the 'fuel supply' that dictates both immediate cognitive readiness and long-term neural resilience. 6. FemTech & cycle-synced neuromodulation. A fast-growing category using targeted neurostimulation to alleviate hormone-driven neural and physical symptoms. * Samphire Neuroscience: Creators of the Nettle (Europe) and Lutea (US) headbands. They use tDCS (transcranial Direct Current Stimulation) to target the prefrontal and motor cortices, helping the brain adapt to hormonal shifts across the menstrual cycle to manage mood, brain fog, and menstrual pain. * Ohmbody: Developed by Spark Biomedical, this unique wearable uses an adhesive earpiece behind the ear to deliver non-invasive Vagus and Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (VNS/TNS). It balances the autonomic nervous system to naturally reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, cramps, and related fatigue without hormones. 7. Mental health & clinical-grade home intervention. Prescription-level neuromodulation for mood disorders. * Flow Neuroscience: A medically approved (CE marked) headset that applies tDCS to treat depression. By delivering a gentle electrical current to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), it naturally reactivates under-active brain regions responsible for mood and emotional regulation. Over the next five years, this neural infrastructure - spanning from a subtle earring to a microscopic stent - will become the definitive arbiter of the luxury longevity ecosystem. It will offer an unvarnished data stream, finally validating the true return on investment of its biological protocols, environmental engineering, and performance therapies. For the executive performer, cognitive equity is the ultimate compounding asset. As the boundaries between biology and environment continue to blur, the ultimate indicator of success will not be the physical metrics TheHorizons accumulate, but the sustained clarity, resilience, and sovereignty of the mind TheHorizons preserve. Extending Horizons. Elevating Life.

Technowize
Feb 12th, 2026
These Smart Earbuds Can Read Your Brain While You Sleep

These smart earbuds can read your brain while you sleep. NextSense has launched EEG-enabled smartbuds designed to track real-time brain activity and enhance sleep quality through personalized audio cues. Featuring six EEG sensors and AI-driven sleep... Over the last few years, several brain-sensing wearables have entered the market with advanced sleep tracking. These wearables not only perform sleep tracking but also interpret sleep stages to make it more relaxing and productive for the users. One of the pioneer companies in brain-sensing wearable technologies has developed EEG smartbuds, which use sensors to track brain activity in real time. NextSense introduced new smartbuds that use EEG to track brain activity and increase productivity through audio cues. Smartbuds are now available in the US for $400, you can also go for the pre-order option if still available for your region, reducing the price to $249. EEG-Enabled smartbuds designed for sleep and productivity. NextSense Smartbuds are one of the first wireless EEG earbuds that not only track sleep but also help you recover and increase productivity. These smartbuds feature six specialized electroencephalogram sensors in conductive silicone tips used for tracking real-time brain activity. The company is marketing the device as an interpreter that helps based on brain activity instead of a tracking device. Sleep optimization meets everyday earbud functionality. These wireless sleep earbuds don't work immediately, it needs time to track your sleep stage, like light or deep REM. Once it detects the sleep stage, earbuds start sharing audio cues to stimulate the brain and enhance deep sleep for a longer period of time. With time, the platform's artificial intelligence learns the neural patterns of users during sleep stages and customizes audio cues accordingly for better results. The hardware weighs around 5 grams for each bud and is comfortable to wear. The company has clarified that the smartbuds design is particularly made considering the side sleepers, which means you can turn over and still have a good sleep with these earbuds. However, all these advanced sleep tracking features will not interfere with standard hearable features like calling, noise cancellation, and listening to music. High-Tech sleep, low mainstream appeal? It is one of the first wireless wearables featuring EEG sensors to track brain activity. Users are still not sure about the accuracy of the product, as it claims to track real-time brain activity for providing customized audio cues. The other issue with this device is user demand, which is still not mainstream for the EEG smartbuds. Many people still prefer to keep sleeping as a technology-free experience. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * February 11, 2026 February 12, 2026

TWICE
Feb 10th, 2026
NextSense Launches EEG Smartbuds

NextSense launches EEG Smartbuds. NextSense's Smartbuds utilize brain-sensing tech to improve sleep TWICE Staff | Published: February 10, 2026 NextSense has announced the official launch of the NextSense Smartbuds, a sleep device that uses six EEG sensors to measure brain activity in real time - then respond with timed audio stimulation to guide the brain into deeper, more restorative sleep. Unlike trackers that infer sleep from motion or heart rate, Smartbuds use EEG sensors to detect when users are entering light sleep, deep sleep, or drifting awake. Over time, Smartbuds learn individual patterns, allowing nightly optimization and personalization based on a user's own neural rhythms. According to NextSense, early data shows Smartbuds deliver meaningful improvements in sleep quality for everyday users. In a controlled beta testing period over 106 nights, Smartbuds were shown to increase slow-wave activity. Additionally, nearly 50% of participants reported having "better" or "much better" sleep and improved morning recovery. Users also rated Smartbuds highly for comfort and audio quality, with 69% of those familiar with earbuds calling the sound superior. Across multiple beta cohorts, NextSense has collected over 1,000 nights of real-world EEG data, making it one of the largest in-ear sleep datasets outside a controlled study. NextSense Smartbuds retail for $399.99 with a limited-time Early Bird launch price of $249. Smartbuds require an iPhone 12 or newer running iOS 17 or later. NextSense Smartbuds are now available for purchase on the NextSense website.

Business Wire
Feb 9th, 2026
NextSense launches Smartbuds: World's first wireless EEG earbuds that actively improve sleep with real-time brain sensing

NextSense has launched Smartbuds, wireless earbuds featuring six EEG sensors that measure brain activity in real time and use precisely timed audio stimulation to enhance deep sleep. Unlike traditional sleep trackers that only monitor, Smartbuds actively respond to brain dynamics to improve sleep quality. Founded by former Alphabet X researcher Jonathan Berent, the Mountain View-based company has collected over 1,000 nights of real-world EEG data. Beta testing over 106 nights showed increased slow-wave activity, with nearly 50% of participants reporting better sleep and improved morning recovery. Smartbuds retail for $399.99, with an early bird launch price of $249. They require iPhone 12 or newer and include a $14.99 monthly Fit Kit subscription for fresh ear tips, with the first three months free.

PR Newswire
Nov 12th, 2025
Corundum Neuroscience Invests in NextSense Smartbuds

Corundum Neuroscience has invested in NextSense during a Series A funding round to support the commercialization of NextSense's Smartbuds, wearable EEG technology for optimizing brain health and sleep. The investment will aid in launching the clinically-accurate in-ear EEG earbuds by Q4 2025. Smartbuds aim to enhance sleep quality through auditory stimulation, potentially boosting slow-wave sleep by 50%.

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