Rudi Komi Adigbli - ReeWire ventures

Welcome to another VC Wisdom pod. We have Rudy Komi Adigle. He's on a quest to rewire the brain for optimal mental health, cognitive performance, productivity. Yeah, co-chairman of Broadreach Global, but we're having here— we're having him today for Rewire Ventures, a founding partner at this firm in Zurich, Switzerland. So Rudy, welcome to the pod. Tell us a bit more about yourself, what you've been up to.

Yeah, thank you, Charles. Yeah, as you mentioned, um, I'm one of the founders of Rewire Ventures, uh, a company we founded, um, in '23. So basically the whole story, or, um, how it ended up to— and that we founded that company was basically that I had an observation of a sharp decline in mental health, and, um, I saw very directly that is probably caused by the digital, mental, the digital lifestyle that we have today. And back then, although it's not that long ago, this was more a theory. I think now the recent events, when we have seen like Meta and also Google being charged with, with certain things like that the platforms are harming people and their internal research proved that. Is also an indication of that, that back then my observations were right. And that was the reason, because my basic theory was that if we can rewire the brain for bad cognitive abilities and bad mental health, we can do also the opposite. So, and this was the reason why I wanted to found that company and look for these kind of startups. They are having or building their technology and building these kind of businesses that will help with alleviate that problem.

So Rewire, how would it potentially solve that problem? How big is the fund? Have you pulled out investments yet? Tell me a bit more about the venture capitalist side of things.

Yeah. So basically the initial setup was a $50 million fund. We started fundraising in around end of '23. So we are still fundraising and pulling things together. As you might know, fundraising is a pretty hard thing to do, in particular in the environment. 2024, also '25, was very, very challenging in that moment, in that time. So I have a lot of contacts. We knew from a couple of other VCs that there were barely any funds closed, only like first or third, third funds were closed. And for instance, one of the biggest here in Europe, which is Speedinvest, they have over €2 billion assets under management. And for them as well, they were not able to close their funds. So it was a very challenging time. So what we did as a consequence after our anchor investor pulled out, we, um, we, let's say, refocused and, uh, we'll set up now a different team with a smaller fund and then eventually go to a bigger one.

There you go. So what does a day in your life look like? Are you still fundraising? What companies are you running? Tell me a bit more about your day today.

So at this point of time, um, As you might know, through the, like, fundraising process and also validating of the investment thesis, we created a large extensive network of different people, different stakeholders, like for instance researcher, famous researcher or leading researchers, of course entrepreneurs, and all these different, let's say, contacts and networks. I'm engaging them as similar like you with my own podcast. The Rethink podcast. And, um, and my day-to-day operation is more focused on like engaging my network while also like keeping the deal flow alive. And, and the other things are more preparation work in terms of like my authority. So for instance, we are, um, one of the founding sponsors of the Neuro Summit. So I'm, um, and that's my engagement with Broadreach Global. And there we are looking for a location, for instance, and these kind of things, like, let's say, all the things that are, let's say, secondary, or, let's say, tasks that are mandatory to build the next phase of the fundraising. These are more the day-to-day operations at this point of time.

Tell me a bit more about your podcast. So what's the ideal customer persona that you target as a guest and as an audience? And yeah, tell me about like the full podcast strategy there.

Yeah, so that's an excellent question. So I have, let's say, 3 different, let's say, personas that I like to have a discussion with. One is the typical researcher, typical in, let's say, maybe neuroscience. However, there is also a slight deviation from purely like, let's say, a scientific perspective, because in the recent history, through my discovery, through the podcast, I have a bit of a different picture of cognition. So for instance, like the typical or the classical way of seeing cognition or intelligence is just through the brain. But now what I found is also in terms when you think about neuroplasticity, so the ability for the brain to rewire itself is something that can be heavily enabled by movement, for instance. So the brain, so let's say the change of the brain, or let's say also things like trauma resolution or getting into flow, all these things are able to be, let's say, enabled by movement in the body. So one thing that I more did more or did focus more to speak to people were people who are, for instance, very let's say, knowledgeable about the breath because the central nervous system can be accessed easily by the breath. And you can also do a lot of, let's say, modulations over the breath. So there's a deviation. And then of course, also entrepreneurs, because I'm super fascinated about the tech and the research that was used for the tech, but also how they navigating, like the typical things that you have in venture, in particular for neurotech, what is Like, let's say, one of the biggest challenges is how you basically commercialize the venture and how you find pathways to a sustainable business. Because you can imagine that in that space, when you name it mental health and all these different things, so there's an intersection with the medical space, but sometimes it's not very cut and clear. And whenever you when you are in the, let's say, restricted or medical space, then we talking about FDA approvals and all these different things. And these are very, very complicated in terms of setup and also resource intensive. So other companies or different companies are also looking for a different way to find a way to monetize their, let's say, intervention gadget or You name it. And then the last pillar is, and so far I just had one guest, is an investor in that space. And that was also one of the reasons why we focused on that space, because we could clearly see that we have different angel investors operating in that space. And then of course in the growth stage we had also a lot of investors, which is logical. If you have a running business, everybody wants to invest in a way. However, we didn't find VCs are dedicated in that space. But one of the biggest is Remind, and I had an investor from Remind at my podcast. So yeah, and the audience, the audience are entrepreneurs, but also day-to-day people, because the topics that we are touching are basically everything that is related to human potential, cognitive performance, and mental health. And it's basically for everybody, but I think it's a— let's say, uh, the basic touch is entrepreneurs who are working in that space or are interested, as well as researchers in that space, and of course investors, potentially LPs as well, when they want to know what sectors might be hot in the next coming 10 to 20 years.

And the neurotech scene in Europe, are you seeing something, or is it still companies from the US leading that race?

That's a really great question. So we can see a lot coming also from Europe. So of course you have like the typical hubs, which is the US, but there's also a hub which is UK, for instance, because they have like a really great institutional facility with the Imperial College, who is leading in neuroscience in that case. But for instance, also in Switzerland, we have also, like, through our universities, uh, some companies that are operating in that field. So we can see, like, across the board a lot of innovations, but of course, like, the leading innovations are mostly coming from the US.

Your own day-to-day, uh, cognitive stack, what does it look like? Like, any habits, routines, supplements that you take to optimize your own performances?

Oh, that's, that's a really great question. But I have to tell you, like, this evolved from, from time to time. So I had been like, let's say, very, let's say, data-driven at some point. So I had all these gadgets, I had an Oura Ring, I had a Whoop strap. And at this point of time, what I focus more is simplify things. So one thing that is more, at this point of time, more important for me is that I don't indulge in certain things that distract the, in a way, how my brain works. And one particular thing is that I don't consume any things like YouTube in particular in the morning, ideally the whole day. And the same goes also with podcasts, although I love podcasts. I find myself that it's a form of distraction. And I, and the other things that I actively doing is basically one thing that I took away is breathwork. So I use breathwork in particular in the morning, sometimes just 5 minutes are just enough. And, and then the other things that I also recently starting doing is in particular things with the body. For instance, I started Muay Thai because it's, it's very challenging. And one thing that I also learned speaking with a lot of neuroscientists is that, for instance, that martial arts are cognitive more stimulating than, for instance, chess. And the reason being is because you have to navigate complex 3D environments coupled with the potential to get hurt. So there's a lot of, like, cognitive load on you. And then you have also the, the whole thing of, let's say, of seeing your opponent, study their behavior, and then also, of course, you have also the coordination aspect. So all these different things coupled together is— it's like a strength training for the brain and the body as well, but in particular more for the brain that one can imagine. And then the other thing that I indulge is for supplements. I keep it also very simple at this point of time. There was a time that I had almost like, let's say, maybe 20 supplements, but today I just have one, which is M&M. And the other thing that I also do is just that I focus on my metabolism in a way that I don't— that I keep my focus, that I don't be in, let's say, in, in that I don't build insulin resistance, which is also very important for optimal cognitive function, because you can imagine, like, the brain needs a sustainable fuel source in that sense, and insulin resistance leads to a lot of problems down the line, not only for the body. So these are like the most important things, but I think Besides of that, the most important is sleep, but sleep in combination with like going to the gym, doing some coordination works, and breathwork are the most important. And one thing that is also very important, which I learned is more that I focus more on the central nervous system. So how I regulate that. And that was one of the reasons to, for instance, avoid overstimulation.

I use this app, othership.us, for breathwork. Have you tried this one? Are you bullish on such apps?

That's an interesting one. No, actually not. But I, I'm familiar with Breath. Oh, sorry. Something happened with Breath. Yes, but it really depends on how it's made. Because I think I'm bullish for breathwork in general. As an app, I can easily see that it can work beautifully. But there again, I think when you look at an app, besides of the content, you look at also other things like, for instance, churn rate, retention, how they keep the people engaged. But on the other hand, how you create results that let the consumer keep on coming back. And I think that's also a really hard thing when you like work in the space of mental health is, for instance, efficacy. So for instance, when you have like a meditation app, for instance, Calm is one, is we know for a fact that meditation has an effect, but, uh, how do you prove that, um, this particular, uh, app is something that helps? And, and then we talking about also certain feelings and stuff like that. So it's very— let's say I'm not general, I don't have a general, uh, bullish idea on, uh, let's say breathwork apps in that particular— it really case to case. But breathwork as a form of neuromodulation and also enabling, uh, neuroplasticity and all these different things. I'm very bullish on—

yeah, I have one idea for you. So an app that allows— an AI app that allows you to create your own breathworks. So two commercialization paths for that one. One, publishing your own breathworks with an AI agent, right? Um, into white labeling, slash, uh, yeah, API partnering with other, uh, conscious-minded folks that want to create their own meditations with their voice, right? And it's like a prompt, like the suno.com of, uh, breathwork. Uh, just if you ask like Suno or ElevenLabs nowadays to build your own breathwork, they won't be able to do it. And I feel it's just like a a few couple of tweaks, um, away from working. So that would be a good one that I would, uh, definitely fund. Um, I'm curious, for your podcast, if you're raising capital, why don't you interview venture capitalists?

Uh, which I, I did. I did. Yeah, but I think, um, one thing that is— yeah, LPs. That's a— um, that's also something that I was thinking about. The only thing where I'm, I'm at this point of time I, I don't— didn't find a way to bring it together is how I fit it in, in the context of the podcast. Um, because, um, I had to frame it in a way that they are already bullish, uh, in— or they are actively researching Neurotech, for instance, and how they are doing this. And so far I'm not very— I'm not familiar with a particular LPs that are already investing in that. And from all the LPs I have engaged so far, um, nobody was investing in that particular, uh, space. However, those that are, um, uh, that I had contact with, they are in my email list. So I have a Substack which is, uh, acts as a summary of my podcast. So I engage them over that. But, uh, in particular, if I find an angle that would work for my audience and also for, um, for the content. So I, I'm definitely open for that idea as well.

And I had a couple of neurotech guests on my podcast as well because it is, um, an obsession of mine, I would say. Uh, in Europe I had a couple ones too. My first company was a nootropic, so 10 years ago we made the best nootropic for entrepreneurs, uh, first for students and for entrepreneurs, right? Uh, had the best formula scientifically researched and so far. Um, wouldn't call it neurotech for sure, but nootropic slash pharma category. I think, uh, if you pitch it like not just neurotech but, uh, technology that helps with the mental health or— yeah, with like brain performances, I think you can get a couple. I would probably launch like a second edition of the podcast because the core focus with them wouldn't be necessarily to talk about like the, the brain and all of that, but just like investments and returns, right? Um, yeah, investors, it doesn't matter what it is, most of them they just want to return on their capital. So it's, uh, yeah, it's an entire different category. Launch probably a second podcast for that, and then you can funnel them in to investing with you because you're also in Switzerland, which is, uh, the capital of family offices.

So Indeed it is, it is. But one thing that struck me in terms of like Switzerland as a place, it's really like, and that's also part of the culture, they are very close-guarded. So meaning there are certain conversations that can only be started when you have an association with them in a way that it doesn't mean that somebody you had a chance to speak to them is more like, hey, we don't know you. And, and when you tell them like, yeah, then we can start engaging with each other. It's like, no, it's more, it's more in a way like, you have to come from a, let's say, very trusted source. And then coupled with like engaging over a longer period of time, until they feel comfortable, like really engaging with you. And the other thing that struck me as well is although like Switzerland is like, um, the, the, the country for innovation. So one thing that is particularly keen is that we have, um, for this small countries, we have, uh, like, uh, I think the most, um, like Fortune 500 companies. And then we have also a lot of like, uh, in, in like hidden leaders in that sense, like very innovative companies that are global. And but when it comes to like venture capital, and we are very conservative, so we just— there was just recently a new law that allows like, for instance, pension funds to invest into venture capital. And so we see a lot of like, for instance, family offices that don't invest at all in venture capital. And also, like, the pension funds who, like, now are able to invest in this, um, in this sector, they will not touch for the time being First Time Funds. So they will probably end up, like, investing in Sequoia and all these other brands, uh, funders, funds which are well established. And it's a shame because I think like for this small country, for the talents, and also the, let's say, the innovation drive, which is buried in that country, it's a shame because I think we could similar drive, just like the US, like focusing really hard on venture capital and enabling other players in that market, because I think the innovation comes from the smaller ones, not the big ones.

Yeah, fully agree with that. Rudy, where can people find out more about you and your podcast?

Yeah, that's great. So you find me on rewire.vc, that you find also more information about my podcast Rethink, or just head hit Rethink Podcast in Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

So that was Rudy and Charles Cormier for an