By JoJo Platt, senior contributing editor
September 14, 2026 | Reach Neuro’s job board is empty for the moment. That is not an indication of the growth stage of the company. In fact, one could argue that the recent hiring of Jennifer Ernst as the firm’s new chief executive officer and engaging Jordi Parramon as the chairman of the board of directors is a signal that this is the calm before the storm. In fact, one of the stated goals in their current $1.5 million seed-round funding pitch calls for building a “Series A Fundable Team.”
Founded in 2021, Reach Neuro aims to address the needs of the annual influx of 300,000 Americans that suffer upper limb deficit after stroke. With just under $11 million in total funding to date, more than $8 million of which is non-dilutive, Reach achieved Breakthrough Device designation with the FDA, completed a seven patient feasibility trial and is in the thick of their 10-patient pilot study. The Avantis device uses approved spinal cord stimulators paired with nerve-to-muscle mapping and programmable AI-optimized stimulation to “turn up the volume” of the signals between the brain and arm muscles that are degraded after a stroke. In the feasibility study, 100% of patients demonstrated improvement in at least one joint regardless of their initial impairment. The cohort reported clinically significant motor improvement and reduction of spasticity even without rehab in both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients.
The founding team of Reach Neuro includes Douglas Weber of Carnegie Mellon University as CTO, Marco Capagrosso at University of Pittsburgh as CSO, and Peter Gerszten also at Pitt as CMO. Ernst, as the new CEO, brings a decade of experience in the regulated medical device space including leading Tivic Health (now Valion Bio) through an initial public offering. Successful commercialization in the medical device field is no easy feat, but one that Ernst has successfully navigated. Complementing her installment as CEO is the appointment of Jordi Parramon as the chairman of the board of directors. Parramon’s most recent success at Nexus Neurotech Ventures and leadership at Verily signal that Reach is serious about raising capital and advancing against challenging scientific and technological benchmarks.
“Compelling science, clear biomarkers, exciting early clinical data, cost efficient operational plan to inflection point and now an experienced CEO to run it all. These are great ingredients to make this a worthy endeavor,” commented Parramon on LinkedIn and confirmed to Neurotech Reports. “It expresses exactly what I believe in the company.”
Reach is one of a handful of promising technology companies entering the fray of post-stroke mobility solutions. Epia Neuro, helmed by neurotechnology veteran Michel Maharbiz, made its public debut at Neurotech Reports’ Bioelectronic Medicine Forum earlier this year. Other players include Mobia Medical and Vivistim in the VNS space, Onward Medical, Cortec, and Neuvotion are looking at BCI based solutions—both wearable and implanted, and Botox and Baclofen round out the series as biologic and small molecule solution respectively and are only approved to address spasticity. Reach Neuro’s Avantis system can be a complementary therapy to assistive tools like Myopro and Bioness as well as robotic devices.
In a 2023 interview with SOSV.com, Heather Rendulic described her experience as the first user of the system “Having the stimulation working and being able to move my arm/hand again after nine years was one of the most surreal experiences of my life—it was as if my brain was in control of my arm again. This technology gave me such immense hope that one day I will regain a sense of independence again. This will change the lives of millions of people!”
“I have been incredibly impressed by the clinical results and grounded science at Reach Neuro,” said Ernst. “I’m thrilled to be leading this firm as we make the transition from scientific insight to commercial outcomes and patient impact.”
It’s clear that the mission and the science resonate with patients and the firm’s new leadership alike.
