This eleventh edition of Spark Tank brings together nine founders pitching their startups live to a panel of about 45 VCs, hosted by Sunny Ray and Charles. The episode centers on Antonio Forensa, founder and CEO of Aware, a San Francisco based startup building a discreet wearable that sits behind the ear and continuously tracks brain activity via EEG to measure mental wellness and help users self-regulate emotions in real time. Forensa explains how his own experience losing 40 pounds with an Apple Watch inspired him to build a similar tool for stress, since most wearables track physical health but ignore mental health. He details the company's traction, technology, and fundraising plans, and fields pointed questions from VCs about accuracy, retention, competition, and future applications. The episode also features a strong secondary pitch from Braden Young of SLExperts, a platform connecting sales prospects with existing customers as references. VCs Sunny Ray, James Bates, and Mike Fineman offer candid feedback throughout, praising Aware's form factor while pushing Forensa on differentiation and long term platform vision beyond stress management.
Nine founders pitch bold ideas, from a mind-reading wearable to expert-powered sales tools, before a panel of forty-five VCs.
You've probably studied the Whoop model. Where have you seen potential failures in it, and how will you avoid them?
Our device is much more comfortable than Whoop since it sits behind the ear instead of being worn 24/7 on the wrist. It's very light and discreet, especially for women with long hair who don't want it visible. We're not trying to hook people into a rigid yearly subscription the way some wearables do.
Why would this be needed when Apple Health, Aura, or Whoop already exist?
We're very complementary to other wearables. Most track cardiovascular health, sleep, or metabolic health, but there's really nothing tracking mental health continuously. We see ourselves as a biomarker layer that plugs into platforms like Aura, Apple, or Google, specifically for mental wellness, not a replacement for them.
How accurate is the device today, and what makes users stick around?
It's very accurate. We started with ten years of academic research mapping EEG signals into emotional states, since EEG is the gold standard for measuring stress arousal. We've published multiple accuracy results. Retention is harder because there are so many life triggers for stress, making it less obvious what causes it, so we're building tools to help users notice patterns.
Does it record voice, so it could correlate a stressful call with the brainwave pattern?
Not yet. The beta version only captures EEG as the basic biomarker, but we're adding a microphone and speaker so it becomes a screenless, seamless experience. The AI coach will detect when you're heading into fight or flight, like before going on stage, and prompt a breathing exercise in the moment.
How does your form factor compare to competitors like Muse, and what's your real differentiator?
There are other neurotech devices out there, but most are headbands, headphones, or earbuds built for specific use cases. Our innovation is the form factor. It's the only one people can wear discreetly all day for continuous tracking, which is what makes ongoing emotional monitoring actually possible.
What future applications do you see so this becomes one device instead of eighteen?
We're discovering new applications through B2B partnerships. We've collaborated with Stanford for sixteen months on delirium detection, and we're also exploring seizure detection and sleep apnea. Tomorrow we're announcing a research platform letting people analyze their own brainwave data. Long term, we see Aware as a platform tracking brain health throughout life, starting with stress and expanding from there.
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