One thing that all emerging companies need? A great tagline. See “brains for botsTM”, and automatically think Neurala, a Boston-based company at the forefront of developing brain-mimicking software for cost-effective, efficient, and more intelligent robots. A recent interview with Neurala’s CEO Massmilano Versace sheds light on the company’s roots, progress, and vision for the future.
Neurala got its start in 2006, after Versace and fellow PhD students, who were pursuing computational neuroscience at Boston University, enrolled in a business course “for fun” and later realized that neuronal-based technology had profound commercial implications. These experiences fed the seed of an idea that sprouted into Neurala. The organization’s first project was in collaboration with another BU colleague, who was working on developing a sniper-detecting robot for the U.S. Army. After the first few years of taking a more consultory approach, Neurala decided to build a software business in 2011.