Kernel
Kernel is a neurotechnology company that develops non-invasive TD-fNIRS brain measurement systems (Kernel Flow, DevKit) for global research institutions and a US partner-clinic network, with consumer wellness products, a cloud platform, and a clinical marker pipeline for depression and cognitive decline.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Kernel does
Kernel is a neurotechnology company founded in 2016 by entrepreneur Bryan Johnson that develops non-invasive brain measurement systems based on time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS). Its flagship product, Kernel Flow, is a production-grade neuroimaging system with 40 module locations and over 3,500 measurement channels that performs time-domain diffuse optical tomography (TD-DOT) using dual-wavelength laser sources, custom silicon detectors with greater than 100dB dynamic range, and integrated dry EEG electrodes. The companion Kernel DevKit offers a modular 12-module research configuration, while Kernel Cloud, a Python Task SDK, Kernel Unity Tasks, and a Sync Accessory Box for external device integration provide the data-acquisition, processing, and developer-facing software layers. The company also offers consumer-facing wellness products — a 7-minute Brain Age Tracker and a 30-minute Cognition Tracker — and a clinical product pipeline including a Depression Marker (treatment-response prediction for TMS and Spravato, under NCT06002100) and a Cognition Marker for mild cognitive impairment detection, the latter supported by a published Nature study.
Kernel operates a hybrid go-to-market model. It sells Flow and DevKit hardware systems directly to research institutions, universities, hospitals, and clinical research organizations globally under multi-year contracts bundled with Kernel Cloud subscriptions. It also runs a US partner clinic network — currently six named sites across California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming — through which consumers book pay-as-you-go Brain Age and Cognition scans. Additional revenue streams include KerneLabs paid research studies and cloud/API access for NeuroAI developers. Primary customer segments are research institutions and academia, longevity and wellness clinics, clinical research organizations, and developers building on the Kernel platform; the company is currently transitioning from a research-instrumentation posture to a multi-channel commercial platform.
Cumulatively, Kernel has raised more than $400 million across disclosed funding rounds, including a $50 million personal founding investment from Bryan Johnson, a $53 million round in July 2020 led by General Catalyst with participation from Khosla Ventures, Eldridge Industries, Manta Ray Ventures, and Tiny Blue Dot, and a $250 million round in November 2024 earmarked for production scale and platform expansion. The company holds multiple patents across applications, optics, signal processing, and system architecture, and was founded as HI, LLC (d.b.a. Kernel) operating from Culver City, California. The leadership team is led by Ryan Field (CEO/CTO) and includes VPs of applied science, data science, software engineering, and hardware engineering.
Kernel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kernel
- Legal name
- HI, LLC
- Website
- https://kernel.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kernel is a neurotechnology company that develops non-invasive TD-fNIRS brain measurement systems (Kernel Flow, DevKit) for global research institutions and a US partner-clinic network, with consumer wellness products, a cloud platform, and a clinical marker pipeline for depression and cognitive decline.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kernel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Neuroimaging Systems
- NAICS
- Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neurological Monitoring (EEG, Seizure/Sleep/Neuro Wearables) (HLAHACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- On-Device Inference Runtimes & SDKs (mobile/embedded) (HDAAAJAB)
Keywords
Where Kernel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Kernel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Neuroimaging Hardware Systems: Kernel sells its Flow and DevKit neuroimaging systems to research institutions, clinics, and academic organizations. These are production-grade TD-fNIRS systems with whole-head coverage.
- Cloud Services and Data Platform: Kernel Cloud platform for data acquisition, processing, analysis, and storage. Researchers access the platform through the Kernel Portal for managing studies, viewing datasets, and downloading processed data.
- Brain Scans at Partner Clinics: Consumer-facing brain scans sold through partner wellness and longevity clinics. Scans are booked through the Kernel platform and delivered at clinic locations.
- Clinical Research Services: Kernel conducts paid research studies through KerneLabs, offering compensation to participants. Also developing clinical markers for depression treatment prediction and mild cognitive impairment detection.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Kernel Flow - Production neuroimaging system |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Kernel DevKit - Research development system |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Brain Age Scan - 7 minute passive scan |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Cognition Scan - 30 minute active scan |
| Subscription | Annual | Cloud Platform Access |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Kernel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kernel develops and manufactures time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS) neuroimaging hardware systems—Kernel Flow (production-grade, 40-module whole-head system with 3500+ channels) and Kernel DevKit (modular research system). The company also delivers consumer-facing brain scans (Brain Age Tracker, Cognition Tracker) through partner wellness and longevity clinics, supported by the Kernel Cloud data platform.
Product overview
Kernel offers a hardware-software platform for non-invasive brain measurement. The core products are Kernel Flow (production-grade whole-head TD-fNIRS system with 40 modules and 3500+ channels) and Kernel DevKit (modular research system with up to 12 modules). Wellness products include Brain Age Tracker (7-minute passive scan) and Cognition Tracker (30-minute cognitive assessment). Clinical products in development include Depression Marker and Cognition Marker for treatment prediction and disease diagnostics. The platform includes Kernel Cloud for data acquisition/processing, Kernel Unity Tasks for standardized experiments, and a Sync Accessory Box for external device integration. All systems use time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy combined with EEG for neuroimaging.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kernel Flow: Production-grade TD-fNIRS neuroimaging system providing whole-head coverage with 40 module locations for brain activity measurement
- Kernel DevKit
- Kernel Flow2
- Kernel Cloud
- Brain Age Tracker
- Cognition Tracker
Products and services
- Kernel Flow Production-grade time-domain fNIRS neuroimaging system with 40 modules, 120 dual-wavelength laser sources, 240 time-resolved detectors, and integrated EEG (Flow2). Designed for research and clinical research use, combining portability with lab-grade precision.
- Kernel DevKit Modular research-grade TD-fNIRS system with up to 12 modules and soft cap design for configurable optode placement. Targeted at researchers developing tailored experimental setups for specific brain regions.
- Kernel Brain Age Tracker Wellness product offering a 7-minute passive brain scan delivering a single Brain Age score to monitor overall brain wellness. Booked through partner clinics.
- Kernel Cognition Tracker 30-minute active cognitive assessment combining individual performance data with TD-fNIRS and EEG measurements, delivering a detailed composition report of key cognitive domains and age comparisons. Supports intervention planning and progress tracking.
- Kernel Cloud Cloud platform for organization management, data acquisition, processing, storage, and analysis from Kernel neuroimaging systems. Includes the Kernel Portal for managing studies, viewing datasets, and downloading processed data.
Quantifiable outcome
- High test-retest reliability across neural features including hemoglobin concentrations and functional connectivity
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Kernel
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Kernel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature9 records
Kernel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Next HealthcorePartner clinic in Los Angeles, CA offering Kernel Flow brain scans to consumers for wellness and longevity assessment.
- Acacia ClinicscorePartner clinic in Sunnyvale, CA and SF Bay Area offering Kernel Flow scans and hosting depression TMS treatment studies.
- Optimum TMSminorPartner clinic in Columbus, Ohio offering Kernel Flow brain scans.
- Blue Mountain PsychiatryminorPartner clinic in Easton, Pennsylvania offering Kernel Flow brain scans for psychiatric evaluation.
- AlthedaminorPartner clinic in Pittsburgh offering Kernel Flow brain scans.
- Hoskinson HealthminorPartner clinic in Gillette, Wyoming offering Kernel Flow brain scans.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kernel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NIRx Medical Technologies: Direct fNIRS neuroimaging competitor selling research-grade systems and software to neuroscience labs globally; highly comparable hardware-software platform targeting the same research institution buyer.
- Artinis Medical Systems: Specialist fNIRS device manufacturer offering portable and lab-based systems for neuroscience research; competes head-to-head with Kernel Flow in research grants and academic procurement.
- Brain Products GmbH: Leading EEG hardware vendor increasingly bundling fNIRS and multimodal solutions for neuroscience research; competes for the same research customer wallet as Kernel.
- ANT Neuro: Research-focused EEG and multimodal neuroimaging vendor (including fNIRS-capable systems) selling to academic and clinical neuroscience labs worldwide; directly comparable buyer profile to Kernel's research customers.
Broad incumbents
- Hitachi (ETG fNIRS series): Established large-cap incumbent whose ETG-4000 and successors are the most widely deployed research fNIRS systems; provides overlapping capability as part of a much broader technology portfolio.
- Neuralink: Invasive brain-computer interface company with substantially larger funding ($280M+ referenced); overlaps thematically in brain measurement and neuromedicine but operates in an entirely different (invasive) modality.
- Synchron: Stentrode-based BCI company ($135M+ raised) competing in the broader brain-interface narrative; thematically adjacent rather than directly competing, but useful as a neuromedicine capital and exit reference point.
Emerging players
- Emotiv: Consumer and research EEG headset maker with overlapping NeuroAI/wellness positioning; competes in adjacent rather than identical hardware category but targets similar developer and consumer use cases.
- Interaxon (Muse): Consumer EEG brain wellness brand with subscription and SDK ecosystem; targets similar longevity/wellness clinics and consumer use cases as Kernel's Brain Age and Cognition Trackers.
Others
- iMotions: Biometric/neuroscience data platform integrating EEG, fNIRS, eye tracking, and GSR; serves as an adjacent software ecosystem where Kernel's data could be analyzed, with overlap on research buyer workflows.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kernel social profiles
Digital presenceKernel compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Kernel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kernel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Kernel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kernel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kernel
What does Kernel do?
Kernel develops and manufactures time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS) neuroimaging hardware systems—Kernel Flow (production-grade, 40-module whole-head system with 3500+ channels) and Kernel DevKit (modular research system). The company also delivers consumer-facing brain scans (Brain Age Tracker, Cognition Tracker) through partner wellness and longevity clinics, supported by the Kernel Cloud data platform.
Is Kernel a public or private company?
Kernel is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Kernel founded?
Kernel was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kernel based?
Kernel is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kernel make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Neuroimaging Hardware Systems are the primary driver. The others are cloud Services and Data Platform, brain Scans at Partner Clinics and clinical Research Services.
Who are Kernel's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NIRx Medical Technologies, Artinis Medical Systems, Brain Products GmbH and ANT Neuro. Broad incumbents are Hitachi (ETG fNIRS series), Neuralink and Synchron. Emerging players are Emotiv and Interaxon (Muse). iMotions is listed as an others.
Does Kernel have an API?
Yes. Kernel provides a Task SDK for Python that allows developers to create custom tasks that interface with Kernel Flow and DevKit systems. The SDK (kernel.sdk.task) includes TaskClient and ClientProtocol classes for TCP-based communication, enabling synchronization with external devices and experiments. Documentation available at https://docs.kernel.com/v1/docs/kernel-tasks-sdk. Custom SDK also available for Sync Accessory Box real-time signal display and control. Developer documentation is at docs.kernel.com/v1/docs/kernel-tasks-sdk.
What industry is Kernel in?
Kernel's product category is Neuroimaging Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHACAE, Neurological Monitoring (EEG, Seizure/Sleep/Neuro Wearables), with a secondary code of HDAAAJAB, On-Device Inference Runtimes & SDKs (mobile/embedded). Its NAICS code is 334519 and its SIC code is 3826.