Adrien Châtillon, GEM MIB 2013, Co-founder & CEO of Actipulse Neuroscience, begins public fundraising to finance FDA trial

Co-founded by Adrien Châtillon, Actipulse Neuroscience aims to advance fast and effective development of an at-home neuromodulation device for Major Depressive Disorder treatment. The company just recently opened to public fundraising to finance a FDA pivotal trial of their proprietary neuromodulation medical device. 

From business to brain science 

Adrien earned a Masters in International Business (MIB) from Grenoble Ecole de Management in 2013. After finding his calling as an entrepreneur thanks in part to the school’s courses on innovation and entrepreneurship, he launched a series of ventures in his native France, Mexico, and the USA, combining his passion for living abroad and developing new business ideas. 

 In 2017 he co-founded Actipulse Neuroscience, a medical company advancing neuromodulation treatments worldwide.The Boston-based company specializes in the clinical research of brain stimulation therapeutics that can be used for the treatment of diverse neurological and psychiatric disorders. Currently in the revenue phase for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in a hospital setting and under clinical trials for Alzheimer’s Disease, the technology deploys high-frequency and low-intensity magnetic pulses to achieve a non-invasive therapeutic effect. 

“Some people tend to ask me how on earth one studies business and ends up being the CEO of a medical tech company, in reality I was well trained in GEM, not only thanks to the academic courses, but especially thanks to the entrepreneurship culture, which ranged from the help and encouragement of professors, to the school’s incubator”, says Adrien, remembering fondly his first steps as an entrepreneur. “When I was a young master’s student, I was really scared of taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. Thankfully Professor Federico Pigni encouraged me to take a leap of faith, and 10 years later, here we are!” says Adrien. 

Alternative solutions to today's problems

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, around four in ten adults in the United States have reported symptoms of depressive disorder and anxiety, up from one in ten adults in 2019. Non-invasive brain stimulation has been used to provide a painless and non-pharmacological treatment to patients; with its compact and friendly-to-use design, Actipulse Neuroscience aims to enable a smarter application of the therapy.

Last week, the company announced a fundraising campaign with the goal of financing the pivotal trial of a proprietary neuromodulation medical device. Running from July 6th  until the end of October, the aim is to raise a total of $1.2 million.

“The funding injection will allow us to finance our clinical pipeline and ultimately bring neuromodulation treatment from the hospital to the home, as there are not enough hospital places to treat the more than 17 million Americans suffering from MDD,” says Adrien. “The objective of Actipulse is not to become a 1 billion dollar company, but a ‘1 billion patient company,’ meaning that our raison d’être, will always be to put the patient first.” 

Making mental healthcare more affordable

Having already secured funds from sales revenue, any financial benefit from the  public investment campaign will be exclusively directed towards the clinical trial. The company’s mission is to democratize access to better and affordable mental healthcare, and raising public investment allows it to keep control over the final pricing of the device once approved for sale in the US.

The funding is being raised on the Republic’s platform. Actipulse Neuroscience has already introduced a hospital-setting device in LATAM countries to test product-market fit, and is preparing to launch an at-home device for depression treatment in the US market, aiming for  FDA clearance by Q3 of 2023. 

Click here to learn more about the campaign . 

About Actipulse Neuroscience

Actipulse Neuroscience is a medical company specialized in the clinical research of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation therapeutics for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, focused on bringing neuromodulation treatment from the hospital to the home.

About Republic

Republic is a platform where both accredited and non-accredited investors meet entrepreneurs and access high-growth potential deals across a range of private markets.