2025 was a year of building at Elata.
We ran a tournament where competitors moved paddles with nothing but their brains. Revealed the foundational infrastructure of an entirely new kind of brain network. Developed open-source EEG hardware from scratch. And deployed a completely new form of research protocol to testnet.
$400k raised from 214 participants. 9 public GitHub repos. 4 major media features. 180+ applicants for Brain Pong. Research-grade EEG at a fraction of legacy costs.
At a Glance
- $400k raised in an oversubscribed pre-sale from 214 participants
- Unveiled new infrastructure letting any developer build brain-controlled applications
- Built several EEGs, upgraded them from 8 to 32 channels, & improved signal quality by 2.6x
- 180+ applicants for 30 Brain Pong tournament slots at Token2049
- 4+ major media features (WIRED, Cointelegraph, Yahoo Finance, CCN)
- 100% open-source with 9 public GitHub repositories & counting
Brain Pong at Token2049
Token2049 Singapore. 30 competitors. Zero controllers. 100% brain-controlled.
Participants wore EEG headsets and directed on-screen paddles using focused intention alone. The event drew 180+ applications and packed a restaurant patio with spectators watching neural signals translate into gameplay as they battled for tournament prizes.
Benzinga called it a breakthrough that "eliminates every physical input traditionally required for gaming."
WIRED covered: "Competitors were fitted with a headset to track their brain signals. Their goal: Hit a ball on a screen with their paddle using just their thoughts."
Alongside the tournament, we participated in the Token2049 main event, ran brain mapping demonstrations, aura imaging, and guided meditation sessions in Singapore.
The Elata Protocol
We unveiled the core infrastructure of our upcoming Elata protocol: one that lets any developer build brain-controlled applications permissionlessly without any neuroscience background whatsoever.
How it works:
- Devs build apps on shared rails
- Every app carries its own token
- Users connect any compatible EEG or webcam
Some of the early applications include an emotional state detector for trading decisions and adaptive audio that responds to cognitive load and helps reduce stress and increase focus.
The thesis: Stripe never tried to become a bank. AWS never built consumer apps. Twilio never owned the telecom pipes. Yet every BCI company insists on controlling the entire stack, all the way from hardware, software, & data to distribution.
We're taking the platform approach. Building the infrastructure. Letting the ecosystem handle the rest.
Testnet access coming soon & rolling out to pre-sale participants first.
Learn more here.
ElataEEG & ZORP
ElataEEG hit prototype stage: research-grade signal quality at a fraction of legacy system costs. Rust-powered drivers running on compact hardware with a clean plugin architecture.
Signal noise dropped from 1300 to 500 nV/√Hz after voltage regulator optimizations, a 2.6x clarity improvement that puts us in range of clinical-grade readings.
ZORP reached testnet: encrypted data contribution, automated participant compensation, decentralized storage, fully permissionless. Health research where contributors actually benefit.
Privacy infrastructure conversations with Aztec at Token2049 are shaping ZORP v2. Permissionless research coordination coming.
Network School
During our time in Singapore, we visited Balaji's Network School at Forest City in Malaysia and two team members ended up spending a month there.
Takeaways from Network School
- Talent stacking matters more than raw intelligence. The standouts combined unexpected skills, engineers with design instincts, writers who could debug code. Singular expertise isn't enough anymore.
- Iteration speed compounds. Ideas got pressure-tested within hours, not weeks. The cadence was usually: concept developed at breakfast, critique at lunch, & dinner revision of the entire tech.
- Observation beats curriculum. Watching how different minds decompose problems, from founders to designers & engineers, taught more than formal sessions ever did.
- Physical capacity enables output. Training, nutrition, and recovery weren't optional but mandatory at Network School. Sustainable building requires sustainable bodies.
- Information flows freely among aligned people. Playbooks were shared immediately, from growth hacks to technical solutions & fundraising approaches.
- Context collapse creates serendipity. Walks became strategy sessions & workouts became market debates. High-agency environments turn everything into learnings.
Token Gating
We built wallet-based access control for the upcoming $ELTA token.
Pre-sale participants now have access to:
- Private updates
- Early features
- Private Discord sections
- Exclusive GitHub repository insights
Supporters must be rewarded even before the token launches & at Elata, they are.
GitHub & Open Source
Our public repositories have grown from 1 repo to 9 public repos by the end of 2025 spanning across our research protocol ZORP, Elata News, Elata EEG, the upcoming Elata Protocol & Elata apps, ML models & more.
Pre-sale holders get private repo access and development previews & general Discord access covers public commits and updates across our entire open-source stack.
Media & Events
Coverage:
- WIRED coverage of our Brain Pong Tournament & infrastructure
- Our co-founder, Andreas Melhede, examined Neuralink's model vs. open alternatives in Cointelegraph
- Yahoo Finance interview on brain data sovereignty and Big Tech
- CCN deep-dive on the intersection of brain data & blockchain
Community Events:
- Co-hosted DeSci Lisbon (3 times) with AthenaDAO, MicrobiomeDAO, Bio Protocol, PsyDAO, Cerebrum DAO, & Avinasi Labs
- DeSci London workshop ran 40 minutes over schedule & excessive demand required a 2nd session with PsyDAO
- London Blockchain Conference presentation on our upcoming Elata Protocol
2026 Plans
- Elata Protocol testnet
- First app launches on Elata Protocol
- Community Sale for the $ELTA token
- Elata Protocol mainnet
- $ELTA Token launch
- Ecosystem & Partnership expansion
Stay tuned for more.