Startups

Cognixion

Santa Barbara, California, United States

Cognixion develops assistive communication technology that combines brain-computer interfaces, biological sensors and augmented reality. Its products aim to help people with complex speech and movement disabilities interact with digital systems and communicate.

Team

Andreas ForslandFounder and CEO

Investments

$12M2021-11-16	Prime Movers Lab, Northwell Health, Amazon Alexa Fund, Volta Circle
$1M2018-02-07	Tom Washing

team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
COMPETITION
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
BCI research snapshot, reviewed 2026-10-06. Company identity: Cognixion. This is the pre-import evidence dossier; historical statements about database absence or review are archival. Unverified claims remain research leads, not validated facts. Part 1/1 # Cognixion Research date: **2026-10-06**. Review material only; no adex data was modified. All linked sources and HTML image references were accessed on this date. ## Identity and operating status **Cognixion Inc.**, private assistive neurotechnology company, based in **Santa Barbara, California**. Founder/CEO Andreas Forsland is confirmed by company announcements and a 2026 firsthand interview. Exact legal founding/incorporation date was not established from primary records; earlier Smartstones history should not be silently treated as Cognixion incorporation. [Official company](https://www.cognixion.com/) Develops EEG and AI assisted-reality communication hardware. **Cognixion ONE Axon-R** is offered for research; official materials say investigational/not approved by FDA or Health Canada for clinical use. [Official product/press kit](https://www.cognixion.com/cognixion-one-axon-r-press-kit) ## Audit of pasted BCI.INTEL entry | Pasted claim | Assessment | |---|---| | Santa Barbara; Andreas Forsland CEO | Supported. | | $29M lifetime funding | Not reconciled to primary dated transactions; hold. | | Cognixion ONE | Genuine product family; Axon-R is research use, not general clinical approval. | | Active | Supported by live products, research pages and 2026 CEO interview. | ## Company profile image Direct official company logo: [PNG](https://www.cognixion.com/mirror/cognixion-logo-light.png) from named company image on official home/press pages. Product images also available in [press kit](https://www.cognixion.com/cognixion-one-axon-r-press-kit); product photography is not a founder PFP. ## Founders and public team | Person | Role / relationship | Profile and role evidence | Direct profile image URL | |---|---|---|---| | Andreas Forsland | Founder and CEO | [Role/profile source](https://www.thisiscruxx.com/article/leader-in-the-neurotech-spotlight-andreas-forsland-ceo-cognixion/) | [PFP](https://www.thisiscruxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Andreas-Forsland-Image-768x768-1.png) | | Chris Ullrich | CTO appointment 2022-04-06; 2026 employment unconfirmed | [Role/profile source](https://www.cognixion.com/blog/2022/4/6/cognixion-announces-chris-ullrich-as-chief-technology-officer) | [PFP](https://www.cognixion.com/mirror/blog/42bcd3ec784ed2f4667f81be3c85ca34586afe168b0778199819c047064ca8e9.webp) | | Mai Ling Chan | Director of Growth and Achievement in historical announcement; current role unconfirmed | [Role/profile source](https://www.cognixion.com/blog/leading-ai-assistive-technology-company-adds-innovative-speech-language-pathologist-to-the-team) | Unavailable; examined cited official/institutional profile; no named portrait URL verified | Ullrich image is a **welcome graphic containing his portrait**, not a clean standalone headshot. Forsland image is from a 2026 interview, not company-hosted. Leonard Zerman is named as a patent co-inventor; this alone does not establish a founder or current employee relationship. [Official patent account](https://www.cognixion.com/blog/signed-sealed-and-patented) ## Investments and financing | Announced | Instrument | USD amount | Lead / participants | Evidence | |---|---|---:|---|---| | 2018-02-07 | Angel seed | $1M | Tom Washing, identified as Sequel Venture Partners founding partner; firm cheque not independently established | [Issuer PRWeb release](https://www.prweb.com/releases/neurotech_a_i_startup_cognixion_secures_1_million_angel_seed_round_led_by_tom_washing_of_sequel_venture_partners/prweb15162708.htm) | | 2021-11-16 | Seed | $12M | Led Prime Movers Lab; Northwell Health, Amazon Alexa Fund, Volta Circle | [Official company announcement](https://www.cognixion.com/blog/2021/11/16/cognixion-raises-12-million-to-advance-assisted-reality-tech-for-millions-affected-by-communication-disabilities) | These rounds total $13M, **not a verified lifetime total**. Aggregators list later debt/equity offerings and totals around $29M–$30.7M; offering notices must be checked for sold vs target and amendments before import. No primary confirmation of these later closes was established. CABHI support and NIMH research support must be recorded separately if recipient/award amount is verified; no grant amount is inferred from an affiliation. No acquisition confirmed. ## Existing adex match and review decision No exact-name Org match. Review proposed PascalCase `Cognixion`. Import identity/verified seed announcements after review; hold $29M total, exact founding date and undated current team assumptions. Read-only exact-name lookup in `data/db.sqlite3` table `Org` found no matching record. Review aliases before creating a new PascalCase ID.