- Dr. Franceschi currently serves as Director of Dementia Imaging and Director of Molecular Neuroimaging at Northwell Health, where she has led advances in brain MRI and PET imaging technologies
- Neurophet aims to strengthen the clinical evidence for its key products and accelerate its expansion into the North American market, enhancing its global business competitiveness
SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Neurophet (Co-CEOs Jake Junkil Been and Donghyeon Kim), an artificial intelligence (AI) solution company for brain disorders diagnosis and treatment, announced today that it has appointed Ana M. Franceschi, MD, PhD, a globally recognized expert in dementia imaging, as a scientific advisor.
Dr. Franceschi is a globally renowned expert with more than 20 years of experience spanning clinical practice, research, and hospital-based care in the field of neuroimaging. She is widely recognized for her expertise in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Franceschi currently serves as Director of Dementia Imaging and Director of Molecular Neuroimaging at Northwell Health, which operates an extensive healthcare network primarily across the New York metropolitan area. In this role, she has led advances in brain MRI and PET imaging technologies for dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. She also serves as an associate professor of radiology at Lenox Hill Hospital, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Health at Hofstra/Northwell, where she has built extensive clinical expertise while continuing to conduct research in the field.
Dr. Franceschi is a key member of the Imaging Workgroup of ALZ-NET, which is sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association and operated and managed by the American College of Radiology (ACR). In addition, she serves as Chair of the ACR Neuroradiology Research Committee, Chair of the ACR Neuro Commission Dementia Committee, Secretary of the ISMRM PET/MRI Study Group, on the Board of Directors of the Brain Advisory Committee of the SNMMI, and on the leadership team of the ASNR Alzheimer Disease, ARIA and Dementia Study Group.
Through the appointment of Dr. Franceschi as a scientific advisor, Neurophet plans to expand the clinical applications of its brain imaging analysis technologies and leverage its global clinical network, particularly in North America, to broaden collaborations with leading medical institutions.
"Neurophet's AI-powered brain imaging analysis solutions have established global competitiveness in imaging analysis related to the prescription of Alzheimer's disease treatments," said Dr. Franceschi. "I look forward to actively contributing to the generation of meaningful clinical evidence for Neurophet's key products in real-world clinical settings."
"Dr. Franceschi is one of the world's leading experts in brain MRI and PET imaging analysis," said Jake Junkil Been, Co-CEO of Neurophet. "With her appointment as a scientific advisor, we aim to strengthen our clinical competitiveness on a global scale and expand the foundation for our international business growth, particularly in the U.S. market."
About Neurophet
Neurophet specializes in developing solutions for diagnosis support, treatment guides, and treatment devices targeting brain disorders based on cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The company was founded in 2016 by Co-CEOs Jake Junkil Been and Donghyeon Kim, who developed the next-generation neuro-navigation system.
Major products include brain MRI analysis software "Neurophet AQUA", PET Image Quantitative Analysis Software "Neurophet SCALE PET", Brain imaging treatment planning software for electric and magnetic brain stimulation "Neurophet tES/TMS LAB", Alzheimer's Disease treatment prescription and monitoring software "Neurophet AQUA AD" for tracking treatment efficacy and side effects, and Multiple Sclerosis image analysis software "Neurophet AQUA MS".
Neurophet has set its top priority to helping patients suffering from brain disorders. Based on expertise in neuroscience, Neurophet will continue to challenge and grow to explore the human brain's health and pioneer solutions for brain diseases with AI technology.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Neurophet Appoints Leading U.S. Dementia Imaging Expert Dr. Ana M. Franceschi as Scientific Advisor
Eightco treasury composition as of September 2, 2026: $90M OpenAI equity (indirect), $18M Beast Industries equity, 16,278 ETH, nearly 302 million WLD holdings, and $122M cash and equivalents, totaling approximately $380 million
Eightco recently repurchased over 25 million shares of common stock in the last month under its previously announced $125 million share repurchase program
Eightco previously participated in World Foundation's $52.5M funding round, led by Pantera with participation from Bain Capital Crypto, Selini Capital, Susquehanna Crypto, and additional investors
Eightco provides indirect exposure to some of the most innovative private companies including OpenAI and Beast Industries
EASTON, Pa., Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Eightco Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ORBS) ("Eightco" or the "Company") today provided an update on its total holdings, highlighting its position across digital assets and strategic investments in leading private technology companies. Over the past month, Eightco has repurchased over 25 million shares of its common stock under its previously announced $125 million share repurchase program.
As of September 2, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. ET, ORBS' holdings include a $90 million investment (indirectly, through SPVs) in OpenAI, an $18 million funded investment in Beast Industries, a $1 million investment in Mythical Games, 301,971,219 Worldcoin (WLD) at $0.37 per WLD (per Coinbase), 16,278 Ethereum (ETH), and approximately $122 million in total cash and stablecoins, for total holdings of approximately $380 million.
Top Headlines Driving the News:
Eightco's management believes the Company's treasury portfolio holds some of the most critical components for the future AI and digital financial system. This week's top headlines include:
- On September 2, World announced it has open-sourced ProveKit, a zero-knowledge identity proving toolkit. The launch makes ProveKit available to developers outside World. ProveKit is built into World ID and powers the privacy-preserving features that make proof of human useful for enterprises, consumer platforms, and developers (World).
- On September 1, SB Energy, an AI power infrastructure company backed by Softbank, OpenAI and Nvidia, filed for a potential IPO. In its initial filing, the company said it is "substantially dependent" on the performance of OpenAI as both a tenant and equity investor in SB Energy (CNBC).
- On September 1, MrBeast released a book with one of the world's bestselling authors James Patterson, called The Most Dangerous Games (HarperCollins).
- On August 31, OpenAI announced that its advertising business, ChatGPT Ads, reached $1 billion in annualized revenue run rate less than 200 days after launch. The platform is now used by tens of thousands of advertisers and continues to expand globally (Axios).
- On August 31, OpenAI announced its support for the California Senate Bill 1119 to advance youth AI safety. This legislation is intended to establish meaningful safeguards for how young people use AI while preserving their access to tools that can help them learn, create, and prepare for the future (OpenAI).
- On August 21, it was announced that peaqOS and World ID partnered to enable Proof of Human for robots and machines. A machine can check that the person in front of it is a real human, and the same one who placed the order. It never learns a name, a face, or a number (peaq).
"AI stocks have been under pressure recently, partly a result of backlash against data centers. This seems to be an issue resonating with voters," said Tom Lee, Board Member of ORBS. "But despite this setback, AI progress continues at a rapid pace as evidenced by the multiple meaningful announcements in the past week."
"Eightco executed additional share buybacks as the Company has judged that accretively acquiring shares is a high return use of capital," stated Lee.
Eightco: Exposure to key mega-trends
Eightco is built around three mega-trends the Company expects to shape the next decade of innovation: artificial intelligence, digital identity, and the creator economy, with positions in each trend through indirect investment in OpenAI (24% of ORBS' treasury holdings), Worldcoin (29%), and Beast Industries (5%).
Artificial Intelligence — OpenAI
Eightco has invested approximately $90 million in special purpose vehicles with exposure to equity interests in the parent company of OpenAI, representing approximately 24% of treasury assets, one of the highest disclosed concentrations of any listed vehicle.
ChatGPT, OpenAI's consumer app, is the #1 consumer AI app worldwide (Sensor Tower). On July 31, 2026, OpenAI announced that its models now reach more than one billion active users and more than two million businesses. Six months after signing up, people send roughly 50 percent more messages each day and use ChatGPT for about twice as many kinds of work.
Digital Identity — WLD Token
Eightco holds nearly 302 million WLD, approximately 8.3% of circulating supply, the largest publicly disclosed institutional position globally and approximately 29% of the Eightco treasury's assets.
Worldcoin is the native token of World, a global Proof of Human network built by Tools for Humanity (co-founded by Sam Altman and Alex Blania) and stewarded by the World Foundation. Its Orb devices issue a privacy-preserving World ID that verifies a user is a unique human, not an AI agent.
Under World's announced business model, applications pay per-verification fees while end-user verification remains free, with both credential issuers and the World protocol monetizing verified-human authentication. World identifies a $6.35 trillion combined addressable revenue opportunity across 13 industries spanning banking, e-commerce, gaming, social media, and agentic AI (per Tools for Humanity).
Creator Economy — Beast Industries
Eightco has invested $18 million in Beast Industries equity, approximately 5% of treasury assets.
Beast Industries operates one of the largest direct-to-consumer reach footprints in the world, with a combined 500 million-plus follower base across platforms, anchored by MrBeast as the most-watched person on YouTube globally. As AI commoditizes content production, distribution and audience trust become increasingly scarce assets.
About Eightco Holdings Inc.
Eightco Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ORBS) is a publicly traded company executing a first-of-its-kind Worldcoin (WLD) treasury strategy, providing investors single-ticker indirect exposure to three of the defining trends of this cycle: artificial intelligence through its indirect investment in OpenAI, digital identity through its position as the largest public holder of WLD and the Proof of Human protocol, and the creator economy through its equity stake in MrBeast's Beast Industries. Backed by leading institutional investors including Bitmine Immersion Technologies Inc. (NYSE: BMNR), MOZAYYX, World Foundation, Discovery Capital Management, FalconX, Payward/Kraken, Pantera, and GSR, Eightco is building the infrastructure layer for human verification in the agentic AI era.
For more information:
X: @iamhuman_orbs
Website: 8co.holdings
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ORBS stock?
Eightco Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ORBS) is a publicly traded company on Nasdaq. ORBS provides indirect exposure to OpenAI and Beast Industries, and holds one of the largest publicly disclosed positions in Worldcoin (WLD).
Who owns the most Worldcoin (WLD)?
Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS) holds nearly 302 million WLD, approximately 8.3% of circulating supply and the largest publicly disclosed institutional position globally.
What is Proof of Human?
Proof of Human is cryptographic verification that a user is a unique, living person, not a bot or AI agent. It is foundational infrastructure for social networks, banking, agentic commerce, and any system requiring "one person, one account" in the agentic AI era.
How does Eightco (ORBS) relate to Proof of Human?
Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS) is the largest publicly disclosed institutional holder of Worldcoin (WLD), the token powering World's Proof of Human network.
Who is the CEO of Eightco Holdings?
Kevin O'Donnell is the CEO of Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS). The Company's Board includes Tom Lee (Managing Partner and Head of Research at Fundstrat, and Chairman of Bitmine Immersion Technologies (NYSE: BMNR)) and, as an advisor to the Board, Brett Winton (Chief Futurist at ARK Invest).
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward-looking, including, without limitation, statements regarding: the Company's expectations that artificial intelligence, digital identity, and the creator economy will shape the next decade of innovation; management's belief that the Company's treasury portfolio holds some of the most critical components for the future AI and digital financial system; management's belief that accretively acquiring shares is a high return use of capital; statements that AI progress continues at a rapid pace; statements regarding World's addressable revenue opportunity of $6.35 trillion across industries spanning banking, e-commerce, gaming, social media, and agentic AI; statements that distribution and audience trust become increasingly scarce assets as AI commoditizes content production; statements that the Company is building the infrastructure layer for human verification in the agentic AI era; statements that Proof of Human is foundational infrastructure for social networks, banking, agentic commerce, and systems requiring verified human identity; statements regarding the Company providing indirect exposure to defining trends through its investments in OpenAI, WLD, and Beast Industries; and statements regarding continued share repurchases under the Company's $125 million share repurchase program. Words such as "plans," "expects," "will," "anticipates," "continue," "expand," "advance," "develop," "believes," "guidance," "target," "may," "remain," "project," "outlook," "intend," "estimate," "could," "should," "positioned," "view," and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: the Company's inability to direct the management or operations of private businesses where it is not a controlling stockholder, including OpenAI and Beast Industries; risk of loss or markdown on the Company's strategic investments, including its indirect position in OpenAI equity (held through special purpose vehicles), its position in WLD, and its position in Beast Industries equity; the Company's ability to maintain compliance with Nasdaq's continued listing requirements; unexpected costs, charges, or expenses that reduce the Company's capital resources or otherwise delay capital deployment; inability to raise adequate capital to fund or scale its business operations or strategic investments; volatility in digital asset prices, including WLD and ETH, which could materially affect the value of the Company's treasury holdings; regulatory changes, future legislation, and rulemaking negatively impacting digital assets, artificial intelligence adoption, or biometric data collection; risks related to the development, adoption, and market acceptance of Proof of Human technology and the World network; uncertainty regarding the pace and trajectory of agentic AI deployment in enterprise and consumer applications; uncertainty regarding OpenAI's product roadmap, business model developments, and any future liquidity events; risks related to Beast Industries' ability to achieve its growth projections; competition in the digital identity and AI infrastructure markets; reliance on third-party sources for the valuation of certain investments; uncertainty regarding MrBeast's continued success and the performance of Beast Industries' creator-driven business model; risks related to the Company's concentrated positions in certain digital assets and private company investments; risks related to the Company's share repurchase program, including the timing, pricing, and amount of any repurchases; shifting public and governmental positions on digital assets or artificial intelligence-related industries, including potential backlash against data centers; risks related to the timing, features, and commercial reception of OpenAI's model releases; risks related to OpenAI's advertising business and its ability to sustain revenue growth; and risks that WLD supply dynamics may not result in anticipated market effects. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause Eightco's actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements herein, see Eightco's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the risk factors and other disclosures in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2026, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 15, 2026 and other publicly available SEC filings. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Eightco undertakes no duty to update this information or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect actual results or any change in its expectations.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS) Reports Total Holdings of Approximately $380 Million, Includes OpenAI, Beast Industries, More Than 16,000 ETH and Nearly 302 Million WLD Tokens
Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS) Reports Total Holdings of Approximately $380 Million, Includes OpenAI, Beast Industries, More Than 16,000 ETH and Nearly 302 Million WLD Tokens
