Founder @sychedelic_cult | Brain wearables for focus & nervous system regulation | Ex-Neuphony → now building the real thing
San Francisco
Joined May 2021
- Tweets1.2K
- Following342
- Followers122
- Likes691
I can believe in what we're building and still wish it were moving faster. Building Sychedelic means learning to hold both: the belief that it's worth doing and the impatience to see it work. Some days, the second one is louder.
The uncomfortable part of building Sychedelic is that I can care deeply about it and still not know how it will turn out. It's one thing to risk money. It's another to realise you're putting years of your life behind an idea, without a guarantee.
I was chatting with one of our customers back in 2023, and he said, "Your product is great and very futuristic, but it doesn't solve my stress. My Rs10 cigarette can fix it in 2 minutes."
That was an eye-opener. It made me realise why tracking your health isn't meant for everyone.
My daughter doesn't care how long my to-do list is. Right now, she just needs help reaching the top of her sticker train. The rest can wait a little.
We had to redesign the whole product, days away from launch.
₹30 lakhs more to redo the design. That's the part of building hardware you don't see in the final product.
What's the most expensive change you've had to make before a launch?
#BuildingInPublic #HardwareStartup #FounderLife
We love talking about what we put in our cup. We should talk just as much about how calm or wired we feel afterwards. That's a big part of why we're building Sychedelic.
I've always been a big coffee guy, but I've become a lot more intentional about what goes into my cup.
That's why I created The Ultimate Brew. I wanted a coffee I could drink every morning, knowing exactly what was in it, with independent lab results to back it up.
We're officially down to our FINAL WEEK at Sprouts! You can grab a bag in my Ultimate Human section through October 27th.
German founders ask, "Is it perfect?" Indian founders ask, "Who wants it right now?"
Science first and consumer first are both right. The best founders borrow from both: science deep enough to matter, speed fast enough to survive.
Which one are you?
I've built neurotech wearables long enough to say this: looks decide everything.
Nobody wants a mental health device you can spot from across the room. Make the headphone care for the mind, and no habit has to change.
Aesthetics aren't vanity. They're adoption.
Ria Rustagi retweeted
I'm hiring my next Chief of Staff. You won’t know every field I work in. What matters is how quickly you learn, the questions you ask, and whether you can think from first principles. You’ll help evaluate opportunities and work with founders building consequential companies. Technical background preferred. Three-year commitment. Menlo Park, in person. Apply: jobs.ashbyhq.com/khoslaventu…
You can be Forbes 30 Under 30 and still shut down because you ran out of money.
I have stood in front of this shelf and still not known how I would make payroll.
Awards don't pay salaries. Acquisition offers don't pay suppliers. Even great customer retention counts for nothing until the revenue hits your bank.
Storytelling can sell your first 100. Not more. After that, only cash keeps you alive.
Most days as a founder, my head is already running before the day starts. Honestly, I'd rather do a 20 minute tDCS session than scroll my phone first thing.
Cold water at the end of your shower is not a wellness trend.
Within seconds of cold exposure:
- Norepinephrine rises up to 300% above baseline
- Dopamine spikes higher than most stimulants without the crash
- Brown fat activates and burns calories as heat
- HRV improves with consistent use over weeks
20 seconds. That is all it takes to start.
They said hardware is too slow. Then more than $140 million went into hardware in just a few days.
Money and attention are moving to hardware, and to India. The question is now "what will a person wear every day?"
Glad to be building in this moment.
Reading this as a founder and laughing, because we want all of it in one person on day one.
hiring is so hard for early stage startups bc you want someone who is
- insanely proactive and thinks 10 steps ahead (you can tell how proactive they are from the interview process)
- exudes excellence + never delivers anything mediocre. ever.
- has great exec presence so you can put them in front of customers
- already deeply knowledgeable about your industry before day 1
- high APM (actions per minute) and just an execution machine
- knows how to wield AI like a weapon + when to use vs. not use it
- great network that you can hire from as well
I was picked as one of Prospera Women's Top 8 women tech founders, but a visa issue kept me out of Italy. So I asked my friend Greta to pitch @Sychedelic_cult for me, with 7 days to learn our story. She said yes instantly. Jinxed with visas, lucky with people. Thank you, Greta Grace.
A brain wearable was all over the Indian business press this week. Everyone is trying to make brain tech look like something you'd already wear.
That's not a design detail. It's the whole game. If it makes you feel watched or different, you stop wearing it. And a device you don't wear helps no one.
Neurotech is the next big thing in health.
Rings gave us a daily readout of the body. The next question: can wearables help us understand the brain, and respond?
5 startups, 5 different approaches:
• @Neurable: brain sensing in headphones
• Bridge : ultrasound interface
• @Sychedelic_cult : closed-loop PPG + tDCS + adaptive audio
• @MintNeuro: neural-device chips
• @Cala: wrist stimulation for tremor
Same field. Very different evidence. Worth knowing the difference.
