At the heart of BrainMind’s mission is a simple but powerful question: What ideas and technologies in brain science would we choose to scale if our only goal were to improve human well-being? Since 2018, BrainMind has curated a community of over 4,000 leaders in neuroscience, technology, venture capital, and philanthropy to identify and support high-impact ideas that often fall outside traditional funding models. We refer to this gap as the “BrainMind valley of death”—where promising, ethically urgent brain-based innovations struggle to scale because they aren’t venture-backable. From the beginning, it was clear we would need our own ethical framework to guide how we identify and uplift these opportunities. That’s why, for the past five years, we’ve been convening salons, advisory sessions, and international collaborations—with groups like UNESCO and the OECD—to build a shared foundation for ethical neuro-innovation.

Now, as we prepare for Asilomar for the Brain and Mind in 2026, we’re taking the next step: co-creating actionable tools and standards that help ensure brain-based technologies are responsibly developed and aligned with human values. Inspired by the original Asilomar conference of the 1970s, we’ve spent the past several years listening carefully—across geographies, disciplines, and sectors—and what we’ve heard is clear: we don’t need another abstract charter. What we need are practical, co-created resources that reflect international perspectives, engage the private sector, and earn public trust. At Asilomar, we aim to offer precisely that: case studies, implementation tools, ethical design checklists, and training programs that can guide investors, founders, and researchers alike. This is not just a conversation—it’s the beginning of a shared commitment to stewarding the future of neurotechnology together.