HBCU students builds brain-controlled invention, wins big money

With his innovative brain-computer interface, Mycelium, Joey Taylor, a 2024 graduate of Oakwood University, an HBCU in Huntsville, Alabama, recently took first place and received a $15,000 award in the HBCU Founders Initiative's (HBCUFI) 2025 Better Futures Competition.

HBCUFI was established in 2021 by Nex Cubed with the goal of assisting HBCU students and alumni in starting tech-driven businesses in order to reduce the wealth gap. HBCUFI released statistics with AFROTECH™ showing that since launching the Better Futures Competition in 2023, the organization has given more than $75,000 to 11 innovators. After building his first computer out of salvaged parts in Costa Rica, where he had little access to technology, Taylor's victory marked the end of a journey. He now integrates innovation, AI, and neurology in his work.

Prior to starting Mycelium, Taylor worked in research laboratories and developed a strong resume as a freelance data engineer. But his future was changed by his experience at NASA, where he started working at the age of 18. In his interview with AFROTECH™ Taylor talked about his time at NASA as well as how supportive his parents have been.

“I got recruited immediately, and the investment that strangers were making in me gave me a confidence boost that I’d never had before,” Taylor told AFROTECH™.

“Of course, you appreciate it,” Taylor notes, “but sometimes you think that’s just their job. It felt really motivating and encouraging to get these words of motivation from these older people that were working for the government for all these years and didn’t really know me,” he continued.

His determination to start his own business was motivated by this confidence. Taylor continued to take part in HBCUFI programs, testing concepts related to food technology, gaming, and AI. However, the breakthrough came from Mycelium. His idea creates new avenues for technology interaction by using nodes and magnets to record the electromagnetic activity of the brain, translating data into computer code, and mimicking controller inputs. Taylor was one of five finalists for HBCUFI's 2025 Better Futures Competiton. Investors, tech experts, and HBCU graduates attended the event to hear startups present ideas that would address critical issues.

Mycelium was able to relax once Taylor was chosen as the winner of the $15,000. In response to a question about his plans, he stated that the money will be used to pay for important costs like business taxes, patents, and the expensive hardware required to enhance the system.

“In my head I was like, ‘Lord Jesus, please let me at least get third place,’” he said. “When second place was called and it wasn’t me, I thought, ‘If I don’t get this money, it’s going to be really bad.’”

Beyond technology, Taylor has a strong commitment to representation. He frequently makes appearances in his NASA lab coat at schools in Georgia and Alabama to motivate students.

“The reason I do it is because…I didn’t have representation of someone who was Black, let alone Costa Rican doing physics or engineering,” he explained.

“Most of the time, it’s not people of color. And in mathematics, you rarely see someone of color. That’s why movies like ‘Hidden Figures’ was really cool when it came out. It was the only movie I could name that has Black people doing math. And not just Black people, but Black women too,” Taylor added.

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