Meredith Perry

Perry studied paleobiology and astrobiology at the University of Pennsylvania and conducted research with the NASA Ames Research Center and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. She was a NASA Astrobiology Institute Research Scholarship recipient and a NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant recipient, and co-authored two astrobiology research papers with Christopher McKay.^[2]

In 2011, Perry won the University of Pennsylvania's invention competition "PennVention" for her ultrasonic wireless power transmission system, which she named "uBeam".^[3] She founded uBeam later that year and raised about $40 million from investors including Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Mark Cuban, and Marissa Mayer.^[4]

In a TEDx talk, Perry argued that engineers are inherently linear thinkers and said she was able to approach problems differently by consulting public sources and asking basic questions.^[5] Commentators later contrasted these claims with the doubts raised by experts and former uBeam engineers, who argued that the company's ultrasound-based wireless charging faced fundamental technical and safety challenges and was unlikely to be practical on a commercial scale.^[6][7]

In September 2018, Perry stepped down as CEO as the company shifted toward business-to-business licensing and partnerships.^[8][9]

In 2019, Perry announced through a tweet that she was developing a new neurotechnology with Ed Boyden.^[10] She later co-founded Elemind Technologies in 2020.^[11][12] On February 6, 2024, Elemind emerged from stealth mode, with Perry saying that its wearable device could "suppress tremor for people with essential tremors" and "induce sleep, faster than leading sleep drugs", as well as assist in memory formation and pain management.^[13]. Elemind's first commercial product is a wearable neurotechnology headband that is clinically proven^[14] to help 76% of subjects with insomnia fall asleep 48% faster on average. Their clinical trial was published in Nature Portfolio^[15].

Perry's work with uBeam received widespread media attention in the early 2010s, where she was often portrayed as part of a new generation of young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.^[1] While some reporting highlighted her ambition and the high-profile investors backing uBeam, other coverage emphasized skepticism from engineers and analysts about the feasibility of the company's ultrasound-based charging technology.^[6][7]

She has been included in a number of "young innovator" lists, such as Fortune's "40 Under 40" Mobilizers,^[16] Forbes' "30 Under 30",^[17] and Vanity Fair's "The New Establishment".^[18] In 2014 she was named one of Fast Company's "Most Creative People",^[19] and in 2012 she received Elle magazine's Genius Award.^[20]