Brain stimulation startup founder talks tackling the opioid crisis while navigating Y-Combinator (Podcast Episode)

Mental health and addiction have been longstanding issues across societies around the world. However, in our modern society, as stigma subsides around these issues, conversations and solutions have arisen. 

In today’s episode, we speak with Adrien Châtillon, CEO & Founder of Actipulse Neuroscience, a neuro-tech company specialized in the research and engineering of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation technologies for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders, to get a better understanding of how their company’s technology stands to advance mental health and addiction treatment. 

Listen to this podcast on Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast, Listen Notes, PodBean, and Radio Public.

To kick off the show, Châtillon shares the backstory of the two previous startups he founded before Actipulse. The first, a Slack for students, and the second, a French movie startup. 

He also discusses the company’s goal to bring this technology from a hospital setting to an at-home setting, to make it more affordable, and how they plan to do this.

Châtillon also highlights how their technology works and how it can help treat depression, smoking addiction and anxiety. Alongside how they intend to use it to slow down Parkison’s and Alzheimer’s.

Additionally, he talks about a recent study conducted by the company that saw 9 out of 10 subjects with smoking addiction stop smoking after treatment using its technology. 

Châtillon explains how they are targeting the dopamine mechanisms in the brain, and an upcoming second trial, which is currently underway, to help tackle opioid addiction. 

Finally, on the topic of addiction, Châtillon shares whether or not this technology might stand to tackle behavioral addictions such as gambling.

And before we wrap up the show, Châtillon shares what it has been like to go through the Y Combinator program and advice for other startups and entrepreneurs that want to be selected for the program.

Disclosure: This episode includes a client of an Espacio portfolio company