Bryn Loftness
26 | CEO/Co-Founder, Biobe, Inc.
Residence: Chittenden
Career Highlights: The career highlights I’m most proud of are moments that have shaped my journey as a researcher, founder, and engineer for public good. As a senior undergraduate student at Colorado Mesa University, I worked under the advisement biomedical and computer science professors, Dr. Michelle Mellenthin and Karl Castleton, to explore my interests in wearables more independently and hands-on. Inspired by the early Fitbits being released at the time but frustrated by their lack of accessibility, I built a low-cost stress detection biosensor as a proof of concept to show how everyday sensors could unlock meaningful mental health insights without costing hundreds of dollars. I presented the project at a statewide research symposium funded by NASA through the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, which opened my eyes to the kind of impact-driven research I wanted to pursue. I returned the next year with a second-generation device and won the grand prize for the entire symposium—my first major recognition for a research project I created and led. That experience fueled my passion for developing technologies that can create real societal benefit and set the foundation for later milestones, like giving my TEDx talk, which reached tens of thousands of people and helped share our research on pediatric mental health more broadly. Most recently, winning LaunchVT (2024) was an unexpected and transformative milestone that gave Biobe the support and visibility it needed to grow, helping us reach our first product launch (Sprout Foundations) as I prepare to defend my PhD at UVM this spring. Each of these moments has inspired my creativity, curiosity, and motivation to keep building tools that make a meaningful difference.
Community Involvement: My community involvement includes connecting science, technology, and wellness through both my work with Biobe, my role as a NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the Vermont Complex Systems Institute, and my personal commitments across Vermont. Through Biobe, I’ve worked to make emotional wellness tools more accessible for families by partnering with clinicians, educators, and community organizations to co-design resources that meet real needs. I mentor an incredible team of undergraduate students through UVM’s ARC program, host interactive events, and stay engaged in Vermont’s med-tech, academic, and entrepreneurship ecosystem by guest lecturing at local universities and speaking at events that encourage students and founders to pursue socially impactful innovation.
Outside of Biobe and my role at the Vermont Complex Systems Institute, I serve as an educational speaker with NAMI Vermont, giving monthly Ending the Silence and In Our Own Voice presentations across schools and community organizations to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health. Beyond advocacy and entrepreneurship, I stay rooted in the Burlington community by playing weekly in local soccer leagues, practicing Aikido at a neighborhood dojo, taking dance or art classes around town, and spending time outdoors along the Burlington bike path or at community events like Art Hop and the farmers markets. I also love supporting local restaurants (Sherpa Kitchen is my favorite!) and value the creativity and connection that make this area such a cozy and welcoming place to call home.
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont: I was motivated to live and work in Vermont by the sense of connection, balance, and beauty I found here. I moved to Vermont for graduate school after living in many places across the country and abroad, and I quickly fell in love with how supportive the community feels, how easily new connections form, and how close we are to the outdoors. It is a place that feels both balanced and rejuvenating (and beautiful!).
Favorite part of your job: My favorite part of my work is translating complex research into tools that genuinely help families and communities. I love the creativity that comes from blending science, design, and storytelling, and the collaboration that happens when people from different fields work toward a shared goal. Seeing an idea move from data to something that makes someone’s life easier or more hopeful is incredibly rewarding.
What three words best describe you: Three words that best describe me are pragmatic, creative, and driven.
Where do you see yourself professionally in the next 5-10 years: In the next 5–10 years, I see myself continuing to bridge research, design, and community impact—leading Biobe as we expand our ecosystem of early childhood emotional wellness tools while advancing translational research that reshapes how science and creativity can support mental health at scale.
What career goal(s) would you like to accomplish in the next 5-10 years: Over the next 5–10 years, I aim to lead initiatives that merge science, art, and technology to reimagine how we support emotional wellness. My goals include establishing Biobe as a national model for equitable, family-centered mental health care, creating public-facing art and education projects that make science accessible, and writing a part memoir, part manifesto book about my life and work that explores how personal experience, creativity, and advocacy can drive systems change.