Carboncopies Foundation

What Carboncopies Foundation does

Carboncopies Foundation is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 81-4083638) founded in 2018 by Dr. Randal Koene and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its mission is to identify, facilitate, and conduct research that will deliver whole brain emulation — a long-horizon technology to reverse-engineer biological brains and functionally emulate their neurobiological processes on alternative substrates. The foundation structures its activities around three pillars: research, education, and operations, supported primarily by tax-deductible donations, supplemented by workshop registration fees and branded merchandise.

The foundation's core technical asset is BrainGenix, an open-source virtual brain platform with a Python client API, neural circuit simulations (Ball-Stick Neurons, Simple Compartmental Neurons), virtual electrode capabilities, virtual electron microscope rendering, visualization tools, and calcium imaging modules. On top of BrainGenix, CCF has built the Brain Emulation Challenge, an open-science initiative with structured levels and evaluation metrics for accelerating WBE progress. The foundation publishes peer-reviewed research (10+ papers), maintains a Zotero-curated reading collection, runs a podcast and newsletter ("Carboncopies Connect"), and hosts an active calendar of workshops, memory-decoding and consciousness journal clubs, and ethics panels — total documented events exceed 25, with the most recent Brain Emulation Challenge workshop launched February 22, 2025.

CCF's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: a distributed network of 150+ volunteers across 5 continents contributes as scientists, programmers, ML/AI specialists, philosophers, writers, web developers, and event organizers. Distribution is primarily digital (website, GitLab at gitlab.braingenix.org/carboncopies, Eventbrite, Discord, YouTube, podcast platforms) with occasional in-person workshops in Palo Alto. In addition to donations and workshop fees, the foundation has begun monetizing its expertise via Due Diligence Services for investors and press evaluating neuroscience technology claims, signaling a modest expansion of its revenue model beyond charitable giving.

Name

Carboncopies Foundation

Legal name

Carboncopies Foundation

Website

https://carboncopies.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carboncopies Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances whole brain emulation research through the open-source BrainGenix platform, the Brain Emulation Challenge, peer-reviewed publications, and a global 150+ volunteer community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Computational Neuroscience Research Software

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• Whole brain emulation
• Computational neuroscience research
• Virtual brain platform
• Brain preservation research
• Open-science neuroscience

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 81-4083638), Carboncopies Foundation relies on tax-deductible donations from supporters to fund operations, education, and research activities. The organization explicitly states that finances support their three pillars: research, education, and operations.
2. Workshop Fees: Revenue generated from workshop registrations including the Brain Emulation Challenge workshop. The organization offers student discounts and fee waivers for those needing financial assistance. All proceeds are marked as general operating funds for the mission.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise through the Carboncopies Store on SpreadShop platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Carboncopies Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates BrainGenix, an open-source virtual brain platform enabling whole brain emulation research via Python client libraries, neural circuit simulations, virtual electrodes, virtual electron microscope rendering, and calcium imaging tools. It also runs the Brain Emulation Challenge open-science initiative, hosts technical workshops and journal clubs, publishes peer-reviewed research, and convenes a global community of 150+ volunteer researchers, students, and contributors working to deliver whole brain emulation technology.

Product overview

Carboncopies Foundation operates as a research and education nonprofit offering a platform-plus-community model centered on whole brain emulation (WBE) science. The core product is BrainGenix, an open-source virtual brain platform that enables neural circuit simulation, electron microscopy rendering, and brain emulation challenge participation via Python client tools. The organization also runs the Brain Emulation Challenge—an open-science initiative with structured levels and evaluation metrics. Beyond the technical platform, Carboncopies provides education programs including technical workshops, public lectures, learning resources, and the Carboncopies Podcast. Community engagement is delivered through regular workshops and journal clubs on topics spanning memory decoding, consciousness, and ethics. Due diligence services for investors and press analyzing neuroscience technology claims round out the portfolio. All offerings serve to advance the mission of developing whole brain emulation technology to preserve and restore brain function.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BrainGenix: Open-source virtual brain platform for whole brain emulation research, including simulations, virtual electrodes, and electron microscope rendering capabilities
• Brain Emulation Challenge
• Carboncopies Connect
• CarbonGPT

Products and services

• BrainGenix Virtual Brain Platform An open-source, open-science virtual brain platform for whole brain emulation research, including NES (Neural Emulation System), EVM (Emulation Virtual Machine), and API components. Distributed via Python client libraries that enable simulation creation, virtual electrode interaction, virtual electron microscope rendering, visualizer functionality, and calcium imaging tools. Targeted at computational neuroscientists and WBE researchers.
• Brain Emulation Challenge An open-science initiative and structured challenge platform designed to accelerate progress in whole brain emulation through standardized evaluation metrics, the virtual brain platform, and collaborative problem-solving across multiple levels. Targeted at computational neuroscience researchers, students, and AI/simulation specialists.
• Whole Brain Emulation (WBE) Research Program Core research and development program focused on advancing the science and roadmap for whole brain emulation - a technology to preserve and restore brain function by reverse-engineering biological brains to functionally emulate neurobiological processes on different substrates. Includes fidelity, microscopy, philosophy and ethics, inverse problem, and proof-of-concept systems roadmaps. Targeted at the global neuroscience and neurotechnology research community.
• Education Programs and Workshops Technical workshops, public lectures, and learning resources covering whole brain emulation science, neuroscience, and related topics. Includes recommended readings, books, podcast episodes, and educational content. Workshops are delivered virtually via Eventbrite with student discounts and fee waivers. Targeted at researchers, students, and the general public.
• Community Events and Journal Clubs Regular workshops, journal clubs, and panel discussions on topics including memory decoding, consciousness and subjective experience, reverse engineering the brain, and ethics of whole brain emulation. Features expert speakers from neuroscience and related fields. Targeted at scientists, students, and engaged enthusiasts.
• Due Diligence Services In-depth evaluation services for investors, grantors, and press covering startups, research claims, and proposals involving brain interfaces, brain emulation, and related topics in the neuroscience technology space. Targeted at investors, grant-making bodies, and journalists assessing WBE-related ventures and claims.
• Carboncopies Podcast Podcast series exploring whole brain emulation topics including why WBE from preserved brains is probably you, brain preservation to reconstruction, and philosophical discussions on consciousness and identity. Targeted at the general public, enthusiasts, and researchers seeking accessible content on WBE science and ethics.
• CarbonGPT (Experimental) Experimental AI tool for the Carboncopies Foundation community, mentioned in the education resources section of the website. Targeted at learners and community members exploring AI-assisted educational content.
• Branded Merchandise Store Branded merchandise sold through the Carboncopies Store on the SpreadShop platform to support the foundation's mission. Targeted at supporters, volunteers, and enthusiasts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12+ institutional collaborations established with universities, research institutions, and technology companies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Aspirational NeurosciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Memory Decoding Journal Club, including the Memory Decoding Prize discussions. Joint events with expert presentations on topics like dendritic engram, functional connectomics, and memory consolidation mechanisms.
• University of Southern CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Dong Song presented research on clinical hippocampal memory prosthesis at workshops. Dr. Diana Deca participated in panel discussions on whole brain emulation. Research collaboration on neural prosthetics and memory restoration.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute / Janelia Research CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Kenneth Hayworth, affiliated with HHMI/Janelia, presented on Aldehyde-Stabilized Cryopreservation at Carboncopies workshops. His research on brain preservation and WBE requirements informs the foundation's ethical and technical frameworks.
• New York UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerJonathan Gornet from NYU presented on dynamical modeling of extracted connectomes and Drosophila brain emulation research at Carboncopies workshops.
• OpenWorm ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Stephen Larson from OpenWorm participated in panel discussions on whole brain emulation at Carboncopies workshops. The OpenWorm project, focused on C. elegans connectome emulation, represents analogous research to CCF's mission.
• BrainGenixcoreTechnology or IntegrationBrainGenix is CCF's open-source virtual brain platform for whole brain emulation. Visit braingenix.org for ongoing WBE research and development. Includes Python client libraries, simulations, and the Brain Emulation Challenge platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OpenWorm: OpenWorm is an open-source project aiming to build a complete simulation of the C. elegans nervous system at the cellular level. It is Carboncopies' most direct conceptual peer—both pursue digital emulation of biological neural circuits from connectomics data, and CCF has a documented collaboration with OpenWorm's Dr. Stephen Larson.
• Blue Brain Project (EPFL): Blue Brain Project at EPFL builds biologically detailed digital reconstructions and simulations of rodent and eventually human brains. It is the most well-funded direct competitor in whole-brain simulation, sharing Carboncopies' goal of reverse-engineering neural circuitry at scale.
• Brain Preservation Foundation: Brain Preservation Foundation funds research into preserving brain structure at death as a prerequisite for future whole-brain emulation. It operates on a similar small nonprofit, prize-driven model and is a natural partner/peer for CCF's preservation-to-reconstruction work.
• Aspen Brain Institute: Aspen Brain Institute focuses on advancing brain science through convenings, education, and research collaboration. It is a comparable small nonprofit in the brain science space, sharing CCF's mission of education and public engagement around neuroscience.

Broad incumbents

• Allen Institute for Brain Science: Allen Institute is a major nonprofit research organization producing large-scale brain atlases, cell-type databases, and neural circuit data that Carboncopies' WBE roadmap depends on. It is a broad incumbent that supplies foundational data and tooling across the brain emulation ecosystem.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute / Janelia Research Campus: HHMI Janelia develops connectomics, electron microscopy, and neural imaging technologies that feed directly into WBE pipelines. Dr. Kenneth Hayworth of Janelia is a documented CCF collaborator, and Janelia represents the type of well-resourced research campus that produces foundational data CCF relies on.
• DeepMind (Google): DeepMind conducts neuroscience-inspired AI research and has published influential work on grid cells, memory, and brain-like learning algorithms. It is a broad incumbent whose AI/neuroscience intersection shapes the scientific environment CCF operates in and competes for talent against.
• Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering: The Wyss Center develops neurotechnologies for brain disorders and neural interface platforms. It is a broader institutional player with adjacent neurotech infrastructure, comparable to the larger research ecosystem CCF engages with via its USC, NYU, and Janelia partnerships.

Emerging players

• Neuralink: Neuralink develops brain-computer interfaces with the long-term ambition of merging human cognition with AI. While focused on interfaces rather than emulation, it shares the transhumanist/longevity-adjacent investor community and addresses an overlapping end-goal of cognitive extension.

Others

• Future of Life Institute: Future of Life Institute is a nonprofit focused on reducing existential and technological risks from advanced AI and biotechnologies. It is thematically comparable to Carboncopies via shared focus on ethics, existential safety, and governance of transformative brain-related technologies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carboncopiesorg
• GitHubgitlab.braingenix.org/carboncopies
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@carboncopiesfoundation4122
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/carboncopies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carbon-copies
• Instagraminstagram.com/carboncopies_foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Carboncopies Foundation