Richard Little

Chief Executive

“At Exsurgo, our vision is to unlock the power of neuroscience to ease suffering and enhance human potential. We’re on a mission to transform the way the world treats neurological problems with effective, accessible and non-pharmaceutical solutions that harness the latest in science, technology, engineering and big data.”

Richard Little

Richard Little is driven by improving the lives of people through harnessing the latest in science and technology. An engineer by training, an inventor through passion, and an entrepreneur in spirit, Little has been involved over the past three decades as a founder, director or investor in a range of medical technology ventures.

Scottish by birth, New Zealander by choice, Richard’s personal journey to the Exsurgo endeavour began almost twenty years ago after his mother suffered a stroke. This event sparked an interest in exploring how technology and engineering could enhance and enable the science behind recovery from neurological diseases or injuries.

In 2003 Richard began working on a robotic exoskeleton and in 2007 co-founded Rex Bionics with his friend Robbie Irving. Robbie had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an illness of the central nervous system that progressively impairs mobility and muscle control. Richard was motivated to develop a robotic technology that could empower people with similar issues to regain their mobility. Rex Bionics publicly listed on the UK AIM stock exchange in 2014 and its robotic technology is now used in clinics, helping people with spinal issues and mobility impairments stand, move and exercise in an upright position.

Richard began exploring the potential of Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) to measure and influence how the brain communicated with the body via the nervous system. In 2015, he and former Rex Bionics colleague Faisal Almesfer co-founded Exsurgo, seeking to leverage neuroscience to enable breakthrough treatments for a range of medical conditions. Richard identified chronic pain management as a priority area, driven by the deep felt belief that everyone deserves access to affordable, drug-free, pain relief.

This led to the creation of Exsurgo’s flagship system Axon, which has already delivered impressive results in an initial proof-of-concept chronic pain trial in the UK, with further studies underway or planned in markets around the world.