Mave Health aims to improve attention and mood with its brain-stimulating headset

In recent years, startups have increasingly been using wearable technology to address issues such as depression, period pain, PMS, anxiety, and insomnia. These devices use electrical, magnetic, or ultrasonic signals to stimulate the brain.

Mave Health, based in San Francisco, has joined this wave of innovation with its $495 neuromodulation headset. The company claims the device can enhance attention and mood, manage stress, and even assess mental health. By marketing the headset as a non-medical device, Mave Health avoids the need for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for sales in the United States.

Dhawal Jain founded the company in 2023 with college friends Jai Sharma (CMO) and Aman Kumar (CTO). Jain was motivated to create the device following the suicide of his flatmate’s fiancée during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

“In India, suicide is a legal offense, which involved police and required us to speak to her psychologist. The responses we received made us question their validity, prompting discussions with other psychologists who provided similar insights,” Jain explained.

The founders realized the difficulty in measuring progress in mental health. Jain noted, “A psychologist’s standard response to queries about progress is that it’s about the process. However, for someone with depression investing time in therapy, progress is crucial. How do you gauge if they’re improving? Such basic questions went unanswered.”

To address this, the team delved into neuroscience through expert consultations. They found advancements in neuromodulation in labs but noticed a gap in consumer access.

Collaborating with medical and mental health specialists, Mave Health conducted technology trials. Ultimately, they opted to market the headset as a lifestyle device, a strategy Jain believes will broaden its appeal.

The device and technology

Mave Health’s headset utilizes transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive method that delivers low-intensity currents to the brain to activate neurons. This technique is occasionally used in psychology and is regarded as safe, with mild and temporary side effects such as itching or discomfort.

Delivering 1-2 mA of current, the device is lightweight at approximately 100 grams and can be used anytime. Daily sessions of 20 minutes are recommended for the initial weeks.

Mave Health also offers an app to monitor long-term changes in mood, focus, and stress. It can integrate with other health data, tracking metrics like Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Users begin with a self-reported baseline assessment and complete follow-up assessments every two to four weeks to evaluate the device’s long-term effectiveness.

Although no clinical trials or studies have been published, Jain reported that a private beta test with over 500 users in 2024 and 2025 showed that 80% experienced a 60% boost in productivity, while 75% reported reduced stress within two months.

Mave Health has conducted four observational studies with 200 participants, currently under academic review with plans for publication this year.

Dr. Himanshu Nirvan, a psychiatrist from Delhi who consulted for Mave Health, acknowledged the efficacy of tDCS devices for mental health concerns but noted he had not evaluated the technology from a lifestyle perspective.

The company conducted a program in India with Dr. Nirvan to test the device and its technology.

“We selected many patients, and it was a commendable program,” Dr. Nirvan commented. “Such devices are not easily accessible, even in the mental health field. I believe tDCS is an effective modality for many, given its portability for home charging and travel.”

Leigh Elkin Charvet, a clinical neuropsychologist and Professor of Neurology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, stated via email that while tDCS is safe and effective for neuromodulation, proper electrode alignment and consistent sessions are crucial.

“A challenge is that consumers may use the device without clinical screening or guidance on its suitability for their symptoms. Additionally, measuring outcomes in a structured manner is essential to determine the device’s effectiveness,” she noted.

Charvet added that tDCS use for lifestyle enhancement in healthy individuals is not well-studied. “Most research has focused on clinical populations or structured cognitive training. Clear guidance or strong evidence for tDCS improving performance in healthy individuals is lacking. A lifestyle application may develop, but will depend on defining target outcomes and demonstrating measurable, reproducible effects,” she explained.

The device is available for pre-order, with the first batch expected to ship to customers in the U.S. and India in April 2026.

Mave Health secured $2.1 million in seed funding led by Blume Ventures, with contributions from individual investors, including Tesla Autopilot AI lead Dhaval Shroff. To date, the startup has raised nearly $3 million in funding.