Independent. Open by default. Built to outlast its founders.
Why we exist
Commercial cycles reward velocity. Public trust requires patience. The Foundation exists because some questions — about safety, about dignity, about what we owe the people our systems will touch — cannot be answered on a quarterly cadence.
The hyphenated name marks a commitment, not a credit. It binds the Foundation to two principles drawn from its founders' families — that science is accountable to the people it serves, and that the next generation has a standing claim on the choices we make today.
The Foundation accepts no funding that conditions a research outcome and holds no equity in the commercial entities its principals have founded. Every grant decision is made by an independent investigator panel; donor influence ends at the moment of the gift.
David and Janalynn Walker established the Foundation in MMXXV after a decade of work across biology, robotics, and applied AI. Their role is custodial: to protect the charter, recruit the board, and step out of the way of the research.
David Walker
Co-Founder & Chair
A career executive who recognized the critical need for an independent body to oversee the safety and humanity of emerging technologies. Founder of three commercial entities operating at the intersection of biology, robotics, and applied AI; the Foundation exists in deliberate separation from each.
Janalynn Walker
Co-Founder & Director of Ethics
Co-architect of the Foundation's ethical charter and the framework under which the affiliated research programs operate. Leads the annual external ethics review and chairs the conflict-of-interest committee.
The board is comprised of three independent directors with no commercial stake in Foundation principals' affiliated entities. Seats are filled on three-year staggered terms. The board reviews ethics complaints, approves grant programs, and may halt any research activity.
TBD
Independent Director — Sciences
Academic appointee
TBD
Independent Director — Ethics
Bioethics or law appointee
TBD
Independent Director — Public Trust
Civic or journalistic appointee
Academic partners, philanthropic funders, prospective board members, and independent researchers — please reach out. Every inquiry is read by a member of the leadership team.