Brian Ferguson has spent his career working in high-performance organizations, learning from leaders and decision-makers in US national security, the military, and technology. He has used those experiences to build Arena Labs, a company pioneering the field of High Performance Medicine®.
Arena Labs is on a mission to reimagine healthcare by treating doctors and nurses as elite performers. By investing in clinicians with the same training, tools and technology as elite military personnel, Olympic athletes, and creative masters, Arena Labs believes hospitals can reduce burnout and provide healthcare teams with the ability to flourish in the face of a demanding, stressful career.
Brian is also a Partner + Co-Founder of the Liminal Collective, a unique company human performance focused company “enabling humanity’s boldest endeavors.” Liminal is currently working in civilian space travel, deep sea exploration, and the digital future of cyberspace.
Before founding Arena Labs + Liminal Collective, Brian served in the military as a Navy SEAL Officer where he deployed to Afghanistan and various parts of the Middle East. Aside from his duties at the tactical level, he worked with senior leaders to understand the impact of accelerating technology on the modern battlefield. He built and directed the first innovation cell in undersea special operations, focused on human performance and emerging technology.
Prior to joining the military, he was a Presidential Appointee in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and worked in the White House.
Brian serves on faculty at Singularity University in Silicon Valley, working with Fortune 500 leaders on challenges related to exponential technology and change. He also co-chairs the “Limits of Human Performance” symposia at the Santa Fe Institute on Complexity and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received an MSc from The London School of Economics and speaks intermediate Persian/Farsi.
Brian serves on the Boards of Alder, Seatrec, and The Honor Foundation. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee and is most proud of being father to his daughter, Wynnen Valentine.