Bryan Johnson (entrepreneur)

Bryan Johnson (born August 22, 1977) is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, writer and author. He is the founder and CEO of Kernel, a company making devices that monitor and record brain activity, and OS Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage science and technology companies.

He was also the founder, chairman and CEO of Braintree, a company which specializes in mobile and web payment systems for e-commerce companies. Braintree acquired Venmo in 2012 for $26.2 million; the combined entity was acquired by PayPal for $800 million in 2013.

Johnson has received media attention for his anti-aging attempt that he calls "Project Blueprint."

Early life and education

Johnson was born in Provo, Utah, and raised in Springville, Utah, as the middle child of three brothers and a sister. After his parents divorced, Johnson lived with his mother and his stepfather, the owner of a trucking company. At 19, Johnson became a Mormon missionary, customary for young men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), spending two years in Ecuador.

Johnson graduated with a BA in International Studies from Brigham Young University in 2003 and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2007.

Career

Early ventures
Johnson launched three startups between 1999 and 2003. The first, which sold cell phones, helped pay his way through Brigham Young University. Johnson hired other college students to sell service plans along with cell phones; Johnson earned about a $300 commission on each sale.

Johnson also started two other businesses. Inquist, a VoIP company Johnson co-founded with three other partners, combines features of Vonage and Skype. It ended operations in 2001. After that, he joined his brother and another partner on a $70 million real estate project later in 2001. The project did not achieve sales goals.

Braintree
Johnson founded Braintree in 2007. The company was 47th on Inc. magazine's 2011 list of the 500 fastest-growing companies and 415th in 2012. That year, Braintree purchased Venmo, an app that allows users to send and receive money from each other electronically, for $26.2 million.

By September 2013, the company announced it was processing $12 billion in payments annually, with $4 billion of that on mobile. Shortly afterward, on September 26, 2013, the company was acquired by PayPal, then part of eBay, for $800 million.

OS Fund
In October 2014, Johnson announced the creation of the OS Fund, which he backed with $100 million of his personal capital.

Kernel
Johnson founded Kernel in 2016, investing $100 million of his own money to launch the company. The company later shifted its focus to building hardware that measures electrical and hemodynamic signals produced by the brain. In 2020, Kernel demonstrated a pair of helmet-like devices that can see and record brain activity. Johnson hopes to bring the brain online with Kernel. Study may include Alzheimer's disease, aging, concussions, meditation states, and strokes. The company has said the devices may be used to help paralyzed individuals communicate, or people with mental health challenges access new therapies.

By July 2020, Kernel had raised $53 million from outside investors, following Johnson's investment of $54 million in the company since its inception.

Project Blueprint
On October 13, 2021, Johnson announced an anti-aging attempt that he calls "Project Blueprint." Johnson claims to have improved certain biomarkers via dietary practices including caloric restriction and intermittent fasting, large numbers of supplements and medications, a strict sleep schedule, and frequent diagnostic testing among other methods. He also underwent a series of six monthly 1-liter plasma transfusions with his son as the donor for one of the transfusions, but he says he will not repeat the transfusions due to lack of benefits. The FDA has stated that transfusions such as the kind Johnson had are without benefit and may be harmful. His attempts have been met with criticism from some experts in fields related to aging. Moshe Szyf, a professor of pharmacology and therapeutics at McGill University, has expressed skepticism that science is yet capable of achieving the remarkable results for which Johnson claims to be reaching. Andrew Steele, a longevity scientist and author, has stated that genetics play the largest role in determining a person's life expectancy and that no amount of the practices that Johnson is doing can change genetics.

Recognition 
Recipient of the University of Chicago Booth's 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Bryan was featured in the 2020 documentary, I Am Human, about brain–machine interfaces.

Published works 

Johnson contributed a chapter to the book Architects of Intelligence: The Truth About AI from the People Building It (2018) by the American futurist Martin Ford.

Personal life
Johnson has three children by his ex-wife. 

He was raised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but left the Church when he was 34. He is a pilot and has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, as well as Toubkal, the highest peak of North Africa.

Johnson follows a strict dietary and lifestyle regime in pursuit of life extension.

References

External links
 Sweeney, Brigid (2011). "Crain's 40 Under 40". Chicago Business
 Edwards, Jim (December 14, 2012). "We're Jealous Of This Startup's Hammock-Filled Treehouse Office". Business Insider.
 Mitroff, Sarah (October 17, 2012). "Braintree Seeks Online Payment Domination". Wired.

Living people
American venture capitalists
Brigham Young University alumni
1977 births
University of Chicago alumni
Former Latter Day Saints
American transhumanists
Life extensionists
People from Provo, Utah