Jordan DeKraker Talks Seed Funding, Brain AI and Epilepsy

How can academic brain-imaging research become a practical clinical tool for people with drug-resistant epilepsy? In this episode of The Business of Neurotech, Adam Fraser is joined by Jordan DeKraker, co-founder and CEO of BrainScores and a postdoctoral researcher at the Montreal Neurological Institute, to discuss how he went from hippocampal mapping to building an AI-enabled neuroimaging company. In their conversation, Jordan talks about how his personal experience with epilepsy sharpened the company’s focus, what it takes to package open-source science into trustworthy software and why clinicians still need to stay in the loop. They also discuss early-stage funding, regulatory and market-entry decisions, interoperability, explainable AI and the wider role of precision imaging across neurotech. Tune in for a look at the business decisions behind bringing brain AI from the lab into clinical care with Jordan DeKraker. Key Points From This Episode: 01:21 Jordan’s path from hippocampal research to founding BrainScores. 05:08 Find out what HippUnfold revealed and why its potential matters. 07:25 Hear how Jordan’s epilepsy experience shaped the company’s first focus. 12:05 Meet the co-founders and see how their skills support the company’s vision. 13:43 Examine BrainScores’ non-dilutive funding and ambitions for venture capital. 15:19 Understand the software as a medical device model and its go-to-market plan. 17:46 Learn how BrainScores is testing the market and the role of feedback from clinicians. 19:53 Uncover what the company hopes to achieve with its open-source platform. 23:17 Understand why clinicians must remain accountable within an AI-assisted workflow. 25:33 Whether healthcare AI should augment expertise rather than replace it. 27:24 The model interoperability needed to integrate various data sources and tools. 31:21 Compare funding, capital and opportunities between Canada and the US. 34:45 Explore BrainScores’ roadmap beyond epilepsy into age-related cognitive decline. 36:29 He shares his view on the future of BCI and transcranial stimulation. 38:10 Where to follow Jordan’s research and the latest work from BrainScores. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Jordan DeKraker on LinkedIn -   / jordan-dekraker-b70874125   The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) - https://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/ BrainScores - https://brainscores.ai/ BrainScores on LinkedIn -   / brainscoreai   McGill University - https://www.mcgill.ca HippUnfold - https://hippunfold.khanlab.ca/en/latest/ The Human Connectome Project (HCP) - https://www.humanconnectome.org/ Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives - https://www.mcgill.ca/hbhl/ Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation - https://www.cabhi.com/ Adam Fraser on LinkedIn -   / adam-fraser-23202133   Omniscient Neurotechnology - https://www.o8t.com/ The Business of Neurotech Podcast - https://www.businessofneurotech.com/