Meet the doctor-turned-entrepreneur who aims to commercialize biological computing; how to get out of a career rut; and more

Welcome to Forbes Edge, your insider’s guide to career and entrepreneurial success, exclusively on LinkedIn. This week we’ll share how a 35-year-old doctor-turned entrepreneur created a human brain cell-powered computer chip. Then, we’ll give you some tips if you are feeling stuck in your career path, and we’ve got some advice for LGBTQ+ couples in terms of financial, estate and family planning.

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Success story of the week: This AI startup is building brain cell-powered computers

Atari released the game Pong to the world in 1972, and it changed the video game landscape forever (especially when the home version was made available a few years later). The ping-pong style game was a big success, and seemingly anyone could play it due to its simple mechanics.

Now, a brain cell-powered computer chip has mastered Pong. And there are many possibilities as to what else the technology can do.

In 2019, Hon Weng Chong cofounded Cortical Labs, a company that aims to expand the scope of biological computers. The 35-year-old former doctor-turned-entrepreneur is commercializing the innovation, hoping that it could one day upend various applications—from testing novel drugs for brain diseases to slashing the enormous energy bill for training AI.

The company has gotten the attention of some big names in tech: In late 2022, Chong received a call from Amazon and found out the company’s chief technology officer wanted to visit Cortical Labs’ home base in Melbourne. Werner Vogels, the CTO of the world’s largest cloud provider, was intrigued by the startup’s sci-fi innovation: A living human brain cell-powered computer chip that could play a video game while using energy equivalent to a pocket calculator.

In His Words: “Werner told us the biggest cost out of any data center or cloud provider is the energy that they pay for running the equipment and cooling the system,” says Chong. “And we have a system that consumes hardly any energy and outputs very little heat.”

In April, Cortical Labs netted $10 million in a funding round led by Horizons Ventures, the private investment arm of Hong Kong’s richest person Li Ka-shing. Joining the round was existing investor Blackbird Ventures, one of Australia’s largest venture capital funds, as well as In-Q-Tel, the venture capital arm of the Central Intelligence Agency, among others.

Chong says Cortical Labs’ biological computer could help test the efficacy and side effects of drugs targeting neurological disorders, such as dementia and epilepsy. This could be done through the human brain cells’ performance in programs like Pong, he says. The former doctor hopes to work with pharmaceutical companies like BiogenBIIB and Eli Lilly to replace animals with human cells in drug tests.

Now, amid the AI craze, Chong is busy getting Cortical Labs’ biological computers into production. Chong says he gets inquiries from companies asking what else the brain cells can do. One of the inquiries was “ludicrous,” which was whether the cells could learn to trade bitcoin, Chong says with a laugh. As crazy as it sounds, Chong didn’t dismiss the idea. Instead, he offered to build a software code so that the inquirer could feed the brain cells with bitcoin prices and experiment.

“If it works, this is great. This is your technology, this is your IP. Go make a lot of money that way,” Chong says. “We shouldn’t be outright dismissive because a lot of ideas start out sounding really stupid, but you never know where it could go.”

Read the full story here.

Tips and strategies: How to fight back against your career-limiting mindset

Are you feeling stuck at your job? You’re not alone. When you haven’t received a promotion or a raise and nothing seems to be going right, it can start to feel like you’re slowly sinking into quicksand.

If you find yourself in this uncomfortable situation, it’s time to take action. Decide what you want to do, and write down what you want to achieve and the steps you need to take. Set up a meeting with HR and your manager, and if your employer is not in tune with your wants, start searching for a new job. It sounds daunting, but start by seeking out recruiters who specialize in your sector, or by finding a professional to write a smart resume and LinkedIn profile. By taking these steps, you’ll feel in control of your career and gain a more positive outlook on your future.

Read the full story here from Forbes contributor Jack Kelly.

Practical advice: Financial, estate and family planning tips for LGBTQ+ couples

With Pride Month ending this week, let’s take a look at why family, estate and financial planning are essential for LGBTQ+ couples. Thinking about and discussing these topics early, working with professionals, and putting needed legal documents in place can help make these major decisions just a little bit easier down the road.

If an LGBTQ+ couple decides not to get married, decisions about your life if you are incapacitated will fall to your next of kin without proper planning. Take the steps to designate trusted individuals, including life partners, to make medical and financial decisions on your behalf. If planning on raising a family—either through adoption, surrogacy, an egg donor or a sperm donor—start by consulting a qualified family law attorney. This can work to protect your family today and allow you to make advance decisions about the future of the child if you passed away prematurely or became incapacitated.

Read the full story here from Forbes contributor Cicely Jones.?

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Thank you for reading! We'll be back next Tuesday with another Forbes Edge.?

This edition of Forbes Edge was written and curated by associate editor Chris Dobstaff.