Thinkie

What Thinkie does

Thinkie is a Seattle-based consumer wellness company that builds and sells a wearable fNIRS (functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) brain training sensor paired with a mobile cognitive-training application. The patented headband sensor uses near-infrared light (700-900 nanometers) to detect hemoglobin changes in the prefrontal cortex, providing real-time visual neurofeedback during 19 cognitive training games designed by Dr. Ryuta Kawashima (creator of Nintendo's Brain Age). The system includes a Brain Age assessment tool and a recently launched Brain Meter function for structured cognitive measurement. The core technology has its roots in Hitachi's foundational NIRS research and is manufactured by NeU Corporation, a Hitachi and Tohoku University spinout that serves as Thinkie's sister company.

The company operates a hybrid go-to-market model. Direct-to-consumer sales are conducted through a Shopify-powered e-commerce store at three pricing tiers: Basic Sensor ($299 one-time), Premium Bundle ($349 one-time with lifetime app access), and a Flexible Plan ($35/month for 12 months with sensor ownership thereafter), with HSA/FSA payment support via a Flex partnership. A separate B2B enterprise sales motion targets senior-living communities, where institutions such as Fairwinds Brittany Park and Franke Tobey Jones purchase sensors for group "Thinkie Sessions" facilitated by wellness coordinators. The company also markets to caregivers, competitive brain-training users, and women's cognitive health segments.

Thinkie was previously owned by Mitsui Corporation (Japan) and transitioned to become an independent US enterprise wholly owned by its founders. The company is currently operating with 1-10 employees from its Seattle headquarters, with strategic partnerships providing scientific credibility (Dr. Kawashima, Tohoku University, UCSB research collaborations) and distribution access (AARP AgeTech Collaborative). No venture funding rounds are disclosed in the available data, and the company has not publicly reported revenue figures.

Name

Thinkie

Legal name

Thinkie Inc.

Website

https://thinkiesystem.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Thinkie is a Seattle-based wellness company that sells a patented fNIRS brain-training headband paired with a mobile app containing 19 cognitive games designed by Dr. Ryuta Kawashima. It serves both direct-to-consumer buyers and senior-living enterprise customers with real-time neurofeedback brain training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cognitive Training Wearables

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Wellness & Stress Management Devices (Biofeedback, Meditation/Neurostimulation Devices) (CRACAQAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Neurological Monitoring (EEG, Seizure/Sleep/Neuro Wearables) (HLAHACAE), Cognitive Stimulation & Reminiscence Therapy (Non-Clinical) (HSABAEAH), Meditation Apps, Digital Courses & Online Communities (HSADAJAH)

Keywords

• Cognitive training device
• Brain health wearables
• Neurofeedback technology
• FNIRS brain sensors
• Cognitive assessment platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Thinkie Sensor: Sale of the Thinkie fNIRS brain training sensor headband. One-time purchases available with Basic ($299) and Premium Bundle ($349) options. The sensor is the core hardware component required to use the platform.
2. Premium App Subscription: Monthly subscription ($8.99/month) to unlock all 19 games across 6 cognitive categories and advanced data tracking. Basic version includes 4 free cognitive training games.
3. Flexible Financing Plan: $35/month for 12 months includes Thinkie Sensor and Premium app access. User owns sensor after 12 months. Cancel anytime with free returns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thinkie sells a wearable fNIRS (functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) brain sensor headband paired with a mobile app that delivers 19 cognitive training games designed by Dr. Ryuta Kawashima. The system provides real-time neurofeedback by measuring prefrontal cortex blood flow, enabling users to track brain activity, complete monthly Brain Age assessments, and engage in adaptive cognitive training. The platform is offered to individual consumers via direct e-commerce sales and to senior living communities as part of wellness programming.

Product overview

Thinkie is a cognitive training platform consisting of a wearable fNIRS headband sensor and a mobile application. The core product is the Thinkie Brain Training Sensor, which uses functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to measure real-time brain activity in the prefrontal cortex. This sensor pairs via Bluetooth with the Thinkie App, which contains 19 cognitive training games designed by Dr. Ryuta Kawashima. The system includes a Brain Meter feature for real-time visual feedback on brain activity and a monthly Brain Age Test for tracking cognitive performance. Users purchase sensor plans at various price points ($299-$349 one-time or $35/month flexible), with game libraries unlocked through basic or premium tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thinkie Brain Training Sensor with Real-Time fNIRS A wearable headband sensor that uses functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology to measure brain blood oxygen levels in the prefrontal cortex non-invasively. The sensor pairs via Bluetooth with the Thinkie app and provides real-time visual feedback on brain activity during cognitive training exercises for adult consumers and senior living community residents.
• Thinkie App Mobile application for iOS and Android containing 19 cognitive training games across 6 categories (mental speed, memory, concentration, prediction, attention, and divided attention) designed by Dr. Ryuta Kawashima. Includes brain age testing and progress tracking features that pair with the Thinkie sensor.
• Thinkie Brain Meter A cognitive measurement platform that provides real-time visual feedback showing focus and mental effort levels through color-coded displays (cool colors indicate low activity, warm colors indicate high neural engagement). Tracks patterns in brain activity over time within a structured framework.
• Thinkie Brain Age Test A gamified cognitive assessment available at brainagecheckup.com that measures processing speed, working memory, and attention to calculate a Brain Age score. Recommended for monthly testing to track cognitive performance improvements over time.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.7-year average brain age reduction after 3 months of consistent training (178 participants, ages 40-90+)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, foundational and supporting.

• NeU CorporationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017NeU Corporation emerged from collaboration between Hitachi and Tohoku University's Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer (IDAC). NeU is Thinkie's sister company and sensor manufacturer, providing the core fNIRS technology. Dr. Ryuta Kawashima serves as CTO of NeU. Thinkie and NeU share research and user outcome data, with NeU conducting longitudinal brain age studies on Thinkie users.
• Dr. Ryuta KawashimacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading neuroscientist and professor at Tohoku University, best known as the scientific mind behind Nintendo's Brain Age series. Supports Thinkie by shaping cognitive training design, setting right intensity, and defining periodic measurements to track progress. Serves as Thinkie's scientific advisor and NeU's CTO.
• Tohoku UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute of Development, Aging and Cancer (IDAC) has collaborated on NIRS brain research. Dr. Kawashima's research team at Tohoku conducted foundational studies on brain training and prefrontal cortex activation. Tohoku-Lorraine study published in PubMed demonstrated Thinkie's cognitive improvements.
• HitachifoundationalTechnology or IntegrationHitachi developed the foundational NIRS/optical topography technology starting in the mid-1980s, launching first fNIRS device in 2001. Hitachi's research and development of wearable optical topography devices enabled NeU Corporation's formation and Thinkie's technology access.
• University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences conducted Effects of Cognitive Training (ECT) study investigating Thinkie vs Tetris over 4 weeks. Study sponsored by Mitsui, conducted by Drs. Acevedo and Collins. Data collected May-December 2021.
• AgeTech Collaborative from AARPsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerThinkie is spotlighted as one of six startups developing innovative brain health solutions in AARP's AgeTech Collaborative initiative for Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month.
• Fairwinds Brittany ParksupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSenior living community in Woodinville, WA partnered with Thinkie to provide residents with cognitive training technology. Conducts regularly scheduled Thinkie Sessions in group settings and allows individual sensor checkout.
• Franke Tobey JonessupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSenior living community in Tacoma, WA partnered with Thinkie to enhance Holistic Wellness Program with Thinkie Tanks (30-minute brain training sessions) guided by Wellness Center staff.
• Flex (HSA/FSA)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership enables HSA/FSA card payments for Thinkie sensor purchases. Users can complete eligibility forms and enter HSA/FSA card details through checkout.withflex.com.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Muse: Muse sells consumer EEG brain-sensing headbands paired with a meditation and neurofeedback app. Like Thinkie, Muse combines a wearable headband sensor with a subscription app targeting mental wellness, making it the most direct comparable in the consumer brain-training category.
• BrainCo: BrainCo produces wearable EEG/fNIRS headbands (Focus series) for attention training and cognitive performance, used in both consumer and education markets. It competes directly with Thinkie on real-time neurofeedback hardware and on the consumer-plus-institutional dual GTM motion.
• Emotiv: Emotiv makes consumer and research-grade EEG headsets with associated software for brain monitoring, meditation, and performance. It is a direct peer on consumer brain-sensing hardware with an accompanying app, although its product leans more toward research/developer use than Thinkie's brain-training focus.
• Dreem: Dreem (formerly Rythm) developed a sleep-focused EEG headband paired with a coaching app. It is a direct peer in the consumer brain-sensing headband category with subscription software, overlapping Thinkie's product form factor and GTM even though Dreem's focus is sleep rather than cognitive training.

Broad incumbents

• Posit Science (BrainHQ): Posit Science's BrainHQ is a clinically validated cognitive training platform with exercises targeting memory, attention, and brain speed. It is a broad incumbent in cognitive training that competes with Thinkie's app and Brain Meter layer, although without Thinkie's hardware/fNIRS feedback.
• Akili Interactive: Akili (makers of EndeavorRx) develops prescription and consumer digital cognitive therapeutics with FDA clearance. It is a broad incumbent in evidence-based cognitive training that competes with Thinkie's clinical/outcomes narrative, particularly in attention and pediatric/adult cognition.
• NeuroSky: NeuroSky is a long-established consumer EEG chip and headset maker powering numerous third-party brain-training and meditation devices. It is a broad incumbent in the consumer brain-sensing supply chain and a likely alternative hardware platform for any direct competitor to Thinkie.

Emerging players

• Neurable: Neurable builds EEG-based brain-computer interface hardware and software, initially for productivity/focus tracking. It is an emerging player whose consumer neurotechnology roadmap overlaps with Thinkie's neurofeedback positioning, particularly around everyday attention and focus use cases.
• Kernel: Kernel develops non-invasive brain-measurement hardware (e.g., Kernel Flow TD-fNIRS) primarily for research and eventually consumer applications. It is an emerging player in fNIRS-class brain sensing that shares Thinkie's underlying measurement modality and could eventually compete in the same consumer category.

Others

• Cleveland Clinic / CogniFit: CogniFit offers a scientifically validated cognitive training and assessment platform used by clinicians, insurers, and consumers. It is an adjacent peer in evidence-based cognitive training and assessment, competing with Thinkie's Brain Meter and brain-age claims, though delivered as software without hardware.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ThinkieInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Thinkie-Inc/100089190632389
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thinkie-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/thinkiesystem

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thinkie