Bradley Hennessie, Co-Founder

Brad Hennessie’s career began at the Maryland Exercise and Robotics Center of Excellence (MERCE), where he conducted clinical trials and coordinated research for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease and Stroke. Working directly with hundreds of neurologically impaired patients, he gained deep insights into the requirements for functional recovery in mobility and activities of daily living. This experience led to a critical realization: for new technologies to truly impact patient care, they must be both effective in a research setting and feasible for clinical use. Consequently, he dedicated his career to research implementation and technology translation, developing a framework for assessing product-market fit that accounts for critical adoption barriers such as high cost, poor workflow integration, and a lack of intuitive design.

As the Founding CEO of NextStep Robotics, Mr. Hennessie spearheaded the company’s growth from inception to its position as an industry leader in neurorehabilitation robotics. He co-led the development of AMBLE, an FDA-registered Class I ankle exoskeleton, and served as Co-Principal Investigator for an NIH/NINDS-funded clinical trial. Under his leadership, the company secured $3M in venture capital and $5.5M in federal research grants (NIH). He successfully negotiated exclusive license agreements with the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and managed a global patent portfolio, achieving patent issuance in six additional countries.

In addition to his executive leadership, Mr. Hennessie is a recognized voice in the Maryland innovation ecosystem. He has served as a standing committee member for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and has delivered guest lectures at Johns Hopkins University and Loyola University on product production and startup financing. He remains active in mentoring the next generation of innovators through the Maryland Development Center (MDC) and the UM-BILD program.

Mr. Hennessie holds a B.S. in Exercise Science from Towson University, and both an M.S. in Health Care Administration and an MBA from the University of Maryland University College. He also served as a Specialist in the Maryland Army National Guard from 2003 to 2009. His published work appears in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, focusing on adaptive robotic training to improve gait biomechanics in stroke survivors.