WoW Woman in Brain Health I Dr. Ashleigh Kennedy, founder and CEO of Neurovine
Dr. Ashleigh Kennedy is the founder and CEO of Neurovine. She holds a PhD in motor control and a post-doctoral fellowship in neuroscience. She recently received the Ottawa Board of Trade 40 under Forty award for her work with brain health and women in STEM. She has given a TEDx talk on the Ethics of AI in Healthcare and spoken at many conferences about the role of AL/ML in brain health. Ashleigh is an all-American sprinter from Stanford University, a mom of three world-changers and a yogi at heart.
Neurovine takes the guesswork out of brain recovery after illness and injury by delivering data-driven, personalized brain recovery tools. Within the concussion population, Neurovine enables a 40% faster recovery, as well as significant mental health improvement.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
I got into the wearable space through my post-doctoral work in neurorehabilitation. I was fortunate to be involved in several projects that used wearable technology to support patients dealing with early-stage dementia as well as those recovering from concussion and stroke. Although it is a very natural fit for me, it has also been a steep learning curve moving from the academic side to the manufacturer side of the wearable technology sector.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
It has taken almost 4 years to build and validate the Neurovine platform, which includes large software and data analytics offerings. The biggest obstacle for our team has been financing. The development and validation of a novel platform are incredibly expensive, especially in the medical space. This is a common challenge for a lot of women in wearables and one we are fighting hard to change. Other challenges include hiring experienced and diverse talent as well as managing a remote team through a global pandemic.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
My most significant achievement to date is releasing our product in the professional sports arena. We are proud to be working with athletes as they take ownership of their brain health. The conversation has changed a lot around concussion and mental health in sports and the military and Neurovine gets to be part of the conversation that will lead to better long-term health outcomes for these athletes.
What are the projects you are currently working on?
I am working on expanding the populations that we serve, making brain health visible and actionable in patients recovering from long-haul covid and stroke. This involves a very different patient-centered approach than the one we have built for concussion patients but the work is incredibly rewarding.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Of course, the #WomenInTech movement is important to me. The more we see the amazing results of women lead companies the more funding and partnership opportunities become available to us. I long to see the day when the phrases ‘women entrepreneur’ and ‘girl boss’ is no longer used. Rather, women-led companies are as well-funded and as common as those run by men.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
Consumer neurotechnology is an area that is primed for significant growth over the next 5 years. The hardware is becoming more discrete, and the analytic capability of remote monitoring systems is reaching an exciting level. Consumer neuro-devices that regulate mood, enable communication and link with smart devices are the future. The global regulatory bodies are also getting a grasp on how to support the entry of these AI-driven systems into the medical market, enabling important non-pharmaceutical interventions for brain health and recovery.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
My advice would be to get an internship or entry-level experience so you can see which type of positions you like and so you can build your resume early. You may have a technical background but realize you love speaking with the end user. There are so many scholarships and bursaries for women in STEM that companies can leverage to provide this type of experience.
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?
Dr. Heidi Sveistrup, the CEO of the Elisabeth Bruyère Research Institute in Ottawa, is one of the most forward-thinking leaders in the Canadian Health Care system. A champion for innovation, Dr Sveistrup is driving digital health adoption that will allow quality home care for a range of patients.
Urska Srsen is a savvy founder and the CPO at Bellabeat, combining women’s fashion with a wearable and coaching service. The Bellabeat product line is the future of preventative health care for women, and I look forward to the evolution of their product’s capacity.
Finally, I love the work that is being done by Rachel Bartholomew at HyIvy health in raising the bar to support women’s health. This is impactful evidence-based tech that is changing lives.
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This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.