Zendo

Zendo is here to make meditation easy – giving users an almost immediate and transformative benefit without any prior experience or training required. Using gentle neurostimulation, our patent-pending device activates the parts of the brain involved in expert meditation practice. Created by an internationally recognized team of doctors and long-time meditators in Charleston, South Carolina, Zendo has been scientifically demonstrated to be 2.5X more effective than meditation apps and reduces stress by 75% in a single session. Zendo is currently being used to enhance human wellness, performance, and transformation. Having sold out of our public beta, join Zendo now as we are building the newest Zendo, a wireless headband with a companion app that is poised to disrupt the wellness industry. This next generation headset is currently in development and is planned to be released in 2023.

Meditation is Hard and Ripe for Innovation: The wellness industry is a $1.5T market (source). Between 200 - 500 million people meditate globally, but we believe technology like apps and trackers haven’t made meditation easier (source). In one study, it was found that 92% of a leading meditation app’s users quit using the app within 30 days (source). This is primarily due to the lack of immediate benefits and a difficult learning curve associated with meditation practice (source). Even with high quit rates and limited effectiveness, leading meditation app companies are worth billions of dollars. There is a clear need for technology to make meditation easier to allow users to gain the benefits of meditation immediately.

Scientifically Researched to Make Meditation Easier: We believe Zendo is the world’s first and only neurostimulation system that makes meditation easier and its benefits immediate. Zendo is a wearable device that uses tDCS-technology, which we have researched and scientifically demonstrated to be 2.5X more effective than meditation apps and can reduce stress by 75% in 20 minutes (source, source). Zendo was created by academic neuroscientists and doctors who have a deep passion for meditation, and all StartEngine investors that invest at least $1,500 will receive a special founder’s edition Zendo system for free when the next-gen Zendo launches.

There’s a Demand: The initial Zendo public beta sold out faster than anticipated. We are currently building a new Zendo. This next-gen Zendo is being developed to include a proprietary wireless headband that works with a companion meditation app and is ready to be marketed to a waitlist of over 3,000 people. Additionally, there are three exciting Zendo collaborations are in progress, including 1) Zendo will be used at the US Performance Center to incorporate Zendo into Olympic athlete mental training; 2) We are launching an exciting retail meditation offering in conjunction with Still Studio, Charleston’s first meditation studio, with plans to expand our in-person and virtual offerings; and 3) We plan to incorporate Oura Ring API into the Zendo App, allowing Zendo users to track their biometric data during their Zendo meditation sessions for an individually tailored experience. Lastly, multi-channel retailer Brookstone intends to list the newest Zendo device on Brookstone.com, which will expand our consumer sales network.

Bashar Badran, PhDCo-Founder, CEO, President & DirectorProfessor Bashar Badran is a co-founder and CEO at Zendo. Additionally, Dr. Badran is a neuroscientist, assistant professor of psychiatry, and runs the Neuro-X Lab at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Badran’s Neuro-X lab is a multidisciplinary neuromodulation, engineering, and innovation laboratory that fosters an environment of neurotechnology and innovation to begin addressing complex medical and neuropsychiatric disorders. He has been invovled in pioneering several new technologies and startups including: BabyStrong, a new feeding system for newborns; MAAVNS, an intelligent closed-loop neuromodulation platform for post-stroke motor rehabilitation, and brain stimulation platforms for zero gravity environments.
Bashar met his Zendo Co-Founder Dr. Baron Short at MUSC where together they both shared a unique interest and expertise in brain stimulation and meditation. Together, Bashar and Baron invented and co-founded Zendo, on the principle that neurotechnology has immense potential to change the way people interact with their body, mind, and each other.
Bashar currently spends 20-40 hours per week working with Zendo while also working approximately 40 hours per week as an Assistant Professor for the Medical University of South Carolina.
Baron Short, MD Co-Founder, CHO & DirectorDr. Baron Short is a co-founder and chief health officer at Zendo. Additionally, Dr. Short is an associate professor at the Medical University of South Carolina with dual appointments in the Departments of Internal Medicine and the Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is the medical director of brain stimulation services at MUSC, where he leads the clinical implementation of innovative brain stimulation treatments for a variety of treatment-resistant neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Short's MUSC service is one of the leading brain stimulation centers in the country.
Baron is a co-founder and serves as the Chief Health Officer at Zendo. He has a 29-year meditation practice and has experience in a variety of meditation techniques including shamatha, vipassana, dogzchen, and mindfulness with a variety of well-known meditation teachers like Allan Wallace, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Shinzen Young. Zendo actualizes his passion for meditation, science, and technology to improve the human condition.
Baron spends 20-40 hours per week working with Zendo while also working approximately 40 hours per week working as an Associate Professor for the Medical University of South Carolina., Christian StillerEarly Investor, Advisor & DirectorChristian Stiller is an angel investor, entrepreneur, and lifelong meditation student. After hearing the founders of Zendo present their research at a neuroscience conference, he invested in the business and helped create their first consumer device. 
Greg DitmerVP Partnerships and MarketingGreg Ditmer is a former Division 1 college baseball player at St. Mary's College and completed his MBA there in 2013. Greg has extensive expertise in creating strong and enduring communities, having worked for several years as part of the Hines @ Meta Community Events team, as well as served as the Senior Manager of Community Relations for the Oakland Raiders. Greg brings his experience in building communities and group experiences to make Zendo a unique and rewarding experience for all users.
Alan BadranVP Engineering and Supply ChainAlan is an experienced engineering and industrial design team lead at Zendo, with nearly a decade of manufacturing and supply chain experience at several publically traded multi-billion dollar companies. Alan's experience in sourcing materials and ensuring multinational supply chains run smoothly help Zendo create and offer the best hardware systems possible.
Sam HollandZendo Product Design EngineerSam Holland is the Co-Founder of Informal, a design services firm that helps startups achieve their goals by designing for manufacturing, assembly, and user experience.
Sam and his team at informal are working with the Zendo team to design and build the next generation Zendo systems.
Nate PadgettZendo Product Development TeamNate is the Co-Founder of Informal, a design services firm that helps startups achieve their goals by designing for manufacturing, assembly, and user experience.
Nate is passionate about people and technology. Software may be eating the world, but it's only as good as the people who build it and the hardware it runs on.,