Bright, a New York-based leader in smart home technology for seniors and consumer health-tech company, has announced it is heavily investing in Beacon40 40Hz light therapy, which it says can help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

The announcement comes as Bright is participating in the Techstars Future of Longevity programme, in partnership with Pivotal Ventures, to slingshot continued growth and expansion, and funding of US$4m (€3.55m) has been raised with participation from New York-based business leader Terry Moore and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Charles Huang.

The fundraise also comes one week after research announcing the positive effects of 40Hz light therapy in Alzheimer’s patients to improve sleep, reduce brain atrophy and boost memory, which was presented by Dr Li-Huei Tsai at a recent TED Conference.

With this funding, the smart lighting innovator will build on its success making 40Hz lights universally available without a doctor’s prescription. The company says it will also expand its product offering and “form partnerships helping to establish a world where this much-needed, science-based solution for cognitive health is the norm, not the exception for aging adults”.

^{Bright is led by a team of three female founders, Wendy Bronfin, CEO, Irina Tanenbaum, COO, and Veronica Price, CKO.}

Bright co-founder Wendy Bronfin commented: “This financing allows us to continue to develop new, needed solutions for the ageing population and individuals who want to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Riding the wave of the past years’ successful growth, we are ready to stride toward the future we imagined when we founded Bright – a future without Alzheimer’s.”

Sean O’Brien of Stanley Healthcare added: “It’s exciting to work with health tech innovators like Wendy and the Bright team, who are providing incredible new solutions for memory care. More than 50% of seniors over the age of 65 report experiencing forgetfulness and all of them are worried about cognitive decline. I see a huge and growing opportunity to bring user-friendly technology into senior communities – and I see Bright leading the way.”

Terry Moore, The Radius Foundation, commented: “When my wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, we were devastated. There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s, but research indicates that 40Hz therapy could slow the progression of the disease. That research is the inspiration for Beacon40. I originally invested in Bright because I understand that families battling cognitive decline are running a race against time. I continue to support Bright because we’re bringing hope and help to families who need it now.”

Charles Huang, Co-Founder of Blue Goji Corp, Indigo 7 and Advisor of Berkeley SkyDeck continued: “Investors are paying more attention to the Silver Tsunami. There are 73.4 million baby boomers in the US alone who are close to or already in retirement years. Three out of four adults over 50 plan to stay in their homes as they age. With COVID, that number is on the rise. New easy-to-use, impactful home health-tech solutions are critical now more than ever. Beacon40 is beautifully designed and takes only seconds to set up. This is a health-tech solution that is a pleasure to use everyday.”

Founded in 2018, Bright brought Beacon40 to market, helping more than 5,000 families live more engaged lives with better sleep, improved focus and attention, the company says.

Unlike 40Hz solutions being developed for research, Bright products are universally available to families today without a prescription. Beacon40 lights can be configured with multiple, synchronised lights and have personalised settings to deliver passive light therapy while users go about their daily routines.

Prior funding for Bright also included Moore and Huang, Ario Keshani, Martin Medicus, Kim and Tom Athan, Slava Kuznetsov, Ron Rothman, Larry Meehan, Katya Sverdlov, and Techstars.

Learn more about Bright’s potential and next steps, join the virtual Future of Longevity Accelerator demo day on Feb. 17, here…

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Photo – top of page: Alina Grubnyak / Unsplash