PJC interview: Neurable
PJC Interview with Ramses Alcaide, CEO & Co-Founder
of Neurable
“I believe that there is a gem of knowledge in everything people tell you. It's just how and where their advice makes sense.”
- Ramses Alcaide, CEO and Co-Founder, Neurable
About Neurable: Neurable is on a mission to fundamentally improve the way that people live and work by harnessing the power of neurotechnology. Our broad, guiding focus as a company centers on building technology to break down human limitations. Today, we’re committed to giving our users something that they need more of every single day: time. Our team is focused on applying BCI technology to improve productivity and concentration by empowering users to better understand how their mind is working throughout the day.
About Ramses: Ramses Alcaide is an electrical Engineer, neuroscientist, previous CEO of Pharo LLC and current CEO and Co-Founder of Neurable. At Pharo, he managed high impact health projects, such as a malaria prediction system, a rehabilitation technology for stroke patients and a health monitoring system. As a researcher, he has worked extensively to develop the brain-computer interface (BCI) technology for people with amputations, children with cerebral palsy and people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was also the CTO and CSO at NeuroStride, developing their go to market strategy and technology. He is the inventor and primary developer of Neurable. His honors include the Neuroscience Innovator Award, National Science Foundation Fellowship, and Ford Foundation Fellowship.
Ramses’ motivation behind Neurable: When Ramses was 8 years old his Uncle lost his legs in a traffic accident. Witnessing his life and his struggles inspired Ramses to create a world without limitations, a world where everyone could communicate and interact with the world, regardless of their physical abilities. The need for this world was further ingrained into his life after working with people who had ALS/MS and children with severe cerebral palsy in grad school. Creating a world without limitations means that neurotechnology ultimately needs to be accessible to everyone.
On his experience with PJC:
“PJC is on my list of top 10 investors to work with. I can honestly say that without Mike Cunningham who I met through PJC and the PJC team (David Martirano, Matt Hayes, Dan Conway and Rob May) we would not be where we are today. I am humbled and grateful for the support they provide to founders.”
Q&A with Ramses Alcaide
What is the most rewarding aspect about starting your own company?
The fact that my team and I can work to turn a concept that seems like science fiction into everyday reality to change the world for the better has been the most rewarding aspect of starting Neurable.
Where do you see Neurable going in the next few years? And what are you most excited about right now?
In the next few years Neurable will have its first product in the hands of consumers and will also license its IP to companies to help them develop their own devices in order to usher forward the next phase of wearable technology and computing.
What was the best and worst business advice you have received?
I believe that there is a gem of knowledge in everything people tell you. It's just how and where their advice makes sense.
That said, the closest thing to the worst advice I’ve received was being told to not get a dog since it will negatively impact my time and business. I am glad I didn't listen to that advice since he has been an incredible part of my life.
The best advice I received was being told that the most important quality of a leader is empathy—empathy for your team, the customer and how you use your technology.
What are some of the lessons you learned on Raising $$ and what advice would you give/provide for first time founders?
Back big vision with practical progress. While all the best VC’s will want a big vision at the end of the day they also need to make returns to their fund. If you don’t have a plan on how you will make money to get to your vision you will not get funding. Impressive technology only gets you so far.
When you have prepared for fundraising, how did you go about your VC search? What were the strategies around that?
We created a list of VC’s that invested into deeptech and had a successful history of startups reaching exits. Afterwards we ask our network for introductions to these firms and others that met this criteria. PJC was one of the firms our mentor suggested.
What have you found most helpful about PJC?
PJC has been working with early stage companies for a long time. They understand the ups and downs and they show the right amount of support at the most important times. They work as a team to tackle the many challenges that come with running a business all while taking care of their founders.
Anything else you would like to say or share before we wrap up the interview?
The world continues to change at an incredible pace—the shift to remote work brought on by the pandemic has changed our lives and redefined the very concept of the office. At Neurable, we believe that technology needs to support the new ways that we are living and working today—this sentiment is at the core of our company's mission.
This interview was conducted on February 9, 2021.