View source for Bryan Johnson

{{Infobox person
| name               = Bryan Johnson {{Verified}}
| image              = File:Bryan Johnson Flow.jpg
| caption            = 
| birth_date         = 22 August 1977
| birth_place        = [[Provo, Utah]], US
| alma mater         = [[Brigham Young University]] (BA)<br>[[The University of Chicago]] (MBA)
| nationality        = American
| occupation         = Entrepreneur, business executive
| known_for          = Founder, CEO of [[Kernel (neurotechnology company)|Kernel]], [[OS Fund]], [[Braintree (company)|Braintree]]
| website            = http://BryanJohnson.co
}}

'''Bryan Johnson''' (born August 22, 1977) is an American entrepreneur,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Altucher|first1=James|title=How To Go From $0 To $1,000,000 In Two Years|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/04/how-to-go-from-0-to-1000000-in-two-years/|publisher=TechCrunch|date=May 4, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Where>{{cite web|last1=Kravitz|first1=Seth|title=How Bryan Johnson has Taken Braintree to Explosive Growth in Three Years|url=http://technori.com/2010/12/116-how-bryan-johnson-has-taken-braintree-to-explosive-growth-in-three-years/|publisher=Technori}}</ref> venture capitalist,<ref name=WSJ>{{cite web|last1=Mims|first1=Christopher|title=Humanity's Last Great Hope: Venture Capitalists|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/humanitys-last-great-hope-venture-capitalists-1413817498|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=October 20, 2014|url-access=subscription}}</ref> writer and author.<ref name=PT>{{cite web|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-future-brain/202005/kernel-launches-neuroscience-service-naas|last1=Rosso|first1=Cami|title=Kernel launches neuroscience as a service (NaaS)|publisher=Psychology Today|date=May 7, 2020|accessdate=2020-09-15}}</ref> He is the founder and CEO of Kernel, a company that can monitor and record brain activity,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statnews.com/2017/03/28/elon-musk-brain-interfaces/|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Elon Musk's latest target: Brain-computer interfaces|work=Statnews|agency=Associated Press|date=March 28, 2017|access-date=2018-03-27}}</ref><ref name=Vance>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-05/brain-startup-wants-to-read-your-mind-with-a-helmet|last1=Vance|first1=Ashlee|title=A neuroscience startup uses helmets to measure brain activity|publisher=Bloomberg Businessweek|date=May 20, 2020|accessdate=2020-09-15}}</ref> and OS Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage science and technology companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=279565373|title=OS Fund LLC: Private Company Information|publisher=Bloomberg|accessdate=February 22, 2018}}</ref>

He was also the founder, chairman and CEO of Braintree,<ref name=Founder>{{cite web|last1=Mangalindan|first1=JP|title=Crazy, insane start-ups are this tech investor's meat and potatoes|url=http://fortune.com/2014/10/20/crazy-fund-startups/|publisher=Fortune}}</ref> a company which specializes in mobile and web payment systems for ecommerce companies. Braintree acquired Venmo in 2012 for $26.2&nbsp;million; the combined entity was acquired by PayPal for $800&nbsp;million in 2013.<ref name=Wortham>{{cite web|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/payments-start-up-braintree-buys-venmo-for-26-2-million/?_r=0|title=Braintree, a Payments Company, Buys Venmo for $26.2 Million|last1=Wortham|first1=Jenna|date=August 16, 2012|work= The New York Times|access-date=May 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/09/26/ebay-buys-payments-startup-braintree-for-800m-yet-another-win-for-paypal/|title=Ebay buys payments startup Braintree for $800M, yet another win for PayPal|last1=Hardawar|first1=Devindra|publisher=VentureBeat|access-date=May 3, 2015}}</ref>

==Early life==

Johnson was born in Provo, Utah,<ref name=Johnson>{{cite web|url=http://www.bryanjohnson.co|title=Bryan Johnson|access-date=May 3, 2015}}</ref> and raised in Springville, Utah,<ref name=Founder /> 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.<ref name=Where />

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.<ref name="Johnson" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagobooth.edu/daa/2016_honorees/bryan-johnson|title=Bryan Johnson|publisher=The University of Chicago Booth School of Business|access-date=June 28, 2016}}</ref>

==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. In that business, Johnson hired other college students to sell service plans along with cell phones; Johnson earned about a $300 commission on each sale.<ref name="Founder" /><ref name="Ferriss2">{{cite podcast|url=http://traffic.libsyn.com/timferriss/TFS_Bryan_Johnson_Edited_Final.mp3|title=The Rags to Riches Philosopher: Bryan Johnson's Path to $800 Million|website=fourhourworkweek.com|host=Tim Ferriss|date=June 12, 2015|accessdate=October 6, 2015}}</ref>

Johnson also started two other businesses. Inquist, a VoIP company Johnson co-founded with three other partners, with combined features of Vonage and Skype. It ended operations in 2001.<ref name="Where" /> After that, he joined his brother and another partner on a $70&nbsp;million real estate project later in 2001. The project did not achieve sales goals.<ref name="Where" />

===Braintree===
Johnson founded Braintree in 2007.<ref name="Stories2">{{cite web|date=July 12, 2012|title=Founder Stories at 1871: Braintree's Bryan Johnson|url=http://doejo.com/blog/founder-stories-at-1871-braintrees-bryan-johnson/#.VGTuPfnF9EM|publisher=Doejo}}</ref><ref name="USAT2">{{cite web|last1=Barr|first1=Alistair|date=September 26, 2013|title=PayPal agrees to acquire Braintree for $800 million|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/09/26/paypal-braintree-acquisition/2874891/|access-date=May 3, 2015|publisher=USA Today}}</ref> The company was 47th on Inc. magazine's 2011 list of the 500 fastest-growing companies<ref>{{cite web|title=The 2011 Inc. 5000|url=http://www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2011/|access-date=May 3, 2015|publisher=Inc.}}</ref> and 415th in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 2012 Inc. 5000|url=http://www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2012/400/|access-date=May 3, 2015|publisher=Inc.}}</ref> That year, Braintree purchased Venmo, an app that allows users to send and receive money from each other electronically, for $26.2&nbsp;million.<ref name="Wortham" />

By September 2013, the company announced it was processing $12&nbsp;billion in payments annually, with $4&nbsp;billion of that on mobile.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Deamicis|first1=Carmel|date=September 20, 2013|title=Mobile payments are one-third of Braintree's business|url=http://pando.com/2013/09/20/mobile-payments-are-one-third-of-braintrees-business/|access-date=May 3, 2015|publisher=Pando Daily}}</ref> Shortly afterward, on September 26, 2013, the company was acquired by PayPal, then part of eBay, for $800&nbsp;million.<ref name="USAT2" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Chowdhry|first1=Amit|date=September 26, 2013|title=eBay Buys Braintree For $800 Million To Accelerate Its Mobile Payments Revenue|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2013/09/26/ebay-buys-chicago-based-braintree-for-800-million/|work=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bomkamp|first1=Samantha|date=September 26, 2013|title=EBay buying Chicago-based Braintree|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-26/business/chi-ebay-buying-braintree-20130926_1_online-payments-pioneer-mobile-payments-braintree|publisher=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

===OS Fund===
In October 2014, Johnson announced the creation of OS Fund, which he backed with $100&nbsp;million of his personal capital.<ref name="Founder" /> The venture capital fund invests in companies that use artificial intelligence and machine learning in fields including advanced materials, computationally derived therapeutics, diagnostics, genomics, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology.<ref>{{cite web|title=OS Fund|url=https://osfund.co|access-date=2020-09-15|publisher=OS Fund}}</ref>

The fund has invested in companies including Ginkgo Bioworks,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Limas|first1=Marianna|date=March 18, 2015|title=Ginkgo Bioworks secures $9 million in a Series A financing|url=https://synbiobeta.com/ginkgo-bioworks-secures-9-million-in-a-series-a-financing/|accessdate=2020-09-15|publisher=SynBioBeta}}</ref> NuMat Technologies<ref>{{cite web|date=April 26, 2018|title=NuMat Technologies closes $12.4M funding round|url=https://www.finsmes.com/2018/04/numat-technologies-closes-12-4m-funding-round.html|accessdate=2020-09-15|publisher=FinSMEs}}</ref> and Arzeda.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cosgrove|first1=Emma|date=November 30, 2017|title=Update: Arzeda closes Series A on $15.2m for plant-based computational protein production, led by OS Fund|url=https://agfundernews.com/arzeda-raises-12m-series-a-for-computational-protein-production-from-plants.html|accessdate=2020-09-15|publisher=AgFunderNews}}</ref>

===Kernel===
Johnson founded Kernel in 2016, investing $100 million of his own money to launch the company.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mannes|first1=John|date=October 20, 2016|title=Bryan Johnson invests $100 million in Kernel to unlock the power of the human brain|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/20/bryan-johnson-invests-100-million-in-kernel-to-unlock-the-power-of-the-human-brain/|access-date=October 31, 2016|publisher=TechCrunch}}</ref> 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{{Dubious|date=November 2022}}. Study may include Alzheimer's disease, aging, concussions, meditation states, and strokes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://theweek.com/health-and-science/1001592/a-california-tech-millionaire-is-weeks-away-from-selling-helmets-that|author=Weber, Peter|date=June 16, 2021|access-date=June 17, 2021|work=The Week|title=A California tech millionaire is weeks away from selling helmets that can read your mind|publisher=Dennis}}</ref> The company has said the devices may be used to help paralyzed individuals communicate, or people with mental health challenges access new therapies.<ref name="Vance" />

By July 2020, Kernel had raised $53&nbsp;million from outside investors, following Johnson's investment of $54&nbsp;million in the company since its inception.<ref>{{cite web|last1=O'Brien|first1=Chris|date=July 9, 2020|title=Kernel raises $53 million to bring neuroscience insights to businesses|url=https://venturebeat.com/2020/07/09/kernel-raises-53-million-to-make-neuroscience-insights-accessible-to-businesses/|accessdate=2020-09-15|publisher=VentureBeat}}</ref>

=== Blueprint ===
Johnson announced Project Blueprint on October 13, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 13, 2021|title=Project Blueprint|url=https://medium.com/future-literacy/project-blueprint-360eaf1d8ea2|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-29|website=Future Literacy|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013193810/https://medium.com/future-literacy/project-blueprint-360eaf1d8ea2 |archive-date=2021-10-13 }}</ref> The project aims to measure and maximally reverse the quantified biological age of over 70 of his own organs.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Blueprint|url=https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.co/|access-date=2021-10-29|website=Blueprint|language=en}}</ref> Johnson claims that the project has so far resulted in an epigenetic age reversal of 5.1 years and that he now has the heart of a 37-year-old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Lloyd |date=January 25, 2023 |title=A 45-year-old biotech CEO may have reduced his biological age by at least 5 years through a rigorous medical program that can cost up to $2 million a year, Bloomberg reported |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bryan-johnson-45-reduced-biological-age-5-years-project-blueprint-2023-1?amp |url-status=live |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Vance |first1=Ashlee |title=How to Be 18 Years Old Again for Only $2 Million a Year |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-01-25/anti-aging-techniques-taken-to-extreme-by-bryan-johnson |access-date=28 March 2023 |work=Bloomberg.com |date=25 January 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

== Recognition ==
Recipient of the University of Chicago Booth's 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bryan R. Johnson|url=http://www.chicagobooth.edu/daa/honorees/bryan-johnson|access-date=2020-10-15|website=www.chicagobooth.edu|language=en}}</ref>

Bryan was featured in the 2020 documentary, ''I Am Human'', about brain–machine interfaces.<ref>{{Cite web|title=I AM HUMAN {{!}} 2019 Tribeca Film Festival|url=https://www.tribecafilm.com/films/i-am-human-2019|access-date=2020-10-15|website=Tribeca}}</ref>

== Published works ==
Johnson has published two children's books: ''Code 7: Cracking the Code for an Epic Life'' (2017) and ''The Proto Project: A Sci-Fi Adventure of the Mind'' (2019).<ref name="PT" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Bryan R. Johnson|url=https://www.amazon.com/Bryan-R-Johnson/e/B01MCVJE3X/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1|accessdate=2020-09-15|publisher=Amazon}}</ref>

''Code 7'' has received Wishing Shelf Book, Royal Dragonfly Book, and Mom's Choice awards. ''The Proto Project'' has received the Mom's Choice and Purple Dragonfly Awards.{{cn|date=May 2022}}

Johnson has also contributed one chapter to the book ''Architects of Intelligence: The Truth About AI from the People Building it'' (2018) by the American futurist Martin Ford.<ref name="BK102">{{cite news|last=Falcon|first=William|date=November 30, 2018|title=This Is The Future Of AI According To 23 World-Leading AI Experts|website=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamfalcon/2018/11/30/this-is-the-future-of-ai-according-to-23-world-leading-ai-experts/#60939b2b62f2|access-date=March 20, 2019}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Johnson has three children.<ref name="Johnson" /> He was previously engaged to Taryn Southern. In October 2021, she sued him after he allegedly reneged on an agreement to pay for her living expenses after she got breast cancer.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-09 |title=Anti-aging mogul 'dumped fiancée after she got breast cancer' |url=https://nypost.com/2023/02/09/anti-aging-mogul-dumped-fiancee-after-she-got-breast-cancer/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |language=en-US}}</ref>

He was raised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but left the Church when he was 34.<ref>{{cite podcast|url=http://thisweekinstartups.com/bryan-johnson-os-fund/|title=Episode 579: Founder Bryan Johnson sold Braintree to build an extraordinary world with OS Fund and next-level synthetic biology, A.I., space tools, transportation, and more|website=This Week in Startups|host=Jason Calacanis|date=September 18, 2015|access-date=October 8, 2015}}</ref> He is a pilot and has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, as well as Toubkal, the highest peak of North Africa.<ref name="Johnson" />

==See also==
* 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.

==References==
* "Bryan Johnson, founder and chairman, Braintree Inc.". SBNOnline.com. July 1, 2012.
* "The 2012 Inc. 5000 List".
* "Crain's Tech 25". Chicago Business.
* "Crain's Tech 50". Chicago Business.

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