Join us as we sit down with Tan Le, co-founder & CEO of Emotiv, direct from Silicon Valley to share her incredible story from Vietnamese Refugee to a Silicon Valley powerhouse.

Tan is a renowned TEDx speaker, Australian of the Year, inventor, entrepreneur and one of the most influential pioneers in the emerging field of brain-computer interface.

At the EMOTIV headquarters in San Francisco (and their research arm resident at the Macquarie University Incubator), their mission is to improve understanding of the human brain and develop a platform for researchers, developers, and consumers around the world to be part of a global innovation task force.

The company’s non-invasive “brainwear” reads and interprets brainwaves, making it possible to control virtual objects with mere thoughts. Their technology has even allowed a paraplegic to drive a F1 racecar with mind control (check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhmXaeaHkDc)

More about Tan

Born in South Vietnam, Tan migrated to Australia as a refugee with her family in 1981. At 16, she began university studies and went on to complete degrees in law and commerce.

In 1998, Tan was named Young Australian of the Year for her community work, catapulting her into a prominent role as a social activist and public speaker.

She has been honoured by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a Young Global Leader since 2009 and currently serves on the WEF’s Global Future Council on Neurotechnologies.

Tan was featured in Forbes’ 50 Names You Need to Know in 2011 and named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2013.

She received the 2018 Industrial Research Institute Achievement Award for “outstanding accomplishment in individual creativity and innovation that contributes broadly to the development of industry and to the benefit of society.”

In 2018, a portrait of Tan was added to the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia—an honour bestowed on prominent Australians whose life sets them apart as an individual of long-term public interest.

In 2020, Tan was appointed to the Group Board of QBE Insurance.