Holi Labs is conducting the first human trial using blood analysis to determine whether velocity or strength training is more effective at increasing BDNF, the key molecule for brain health and longevity.
Project Overview
Holi Labs is launching a controlled 12-week human trial comparing velocity-based vs strength-based resistance training to quantify their effects on serum BDNF, cognition, stress resilience, sleep, and mood inside Holi’s fully instrumented AI-enabled GymLab in Berlin.
The goal: Create the world’s first validated, licensable protocol for boosting BDNF in real-world training, turning exercise neuroscience into a reproducible, on-chain asset.
The study uses 200+ BDNF blood draws, cognitive testing, HRV time-series, and continuous biometric tracking to isolate which stimulus drives bigger, lasting neuroplasticity gains.
Team Quality and Track Record
- Daniel A. García Rodríguez: Founder | Tech & Protocol Lead Exited Serial founder and technology strategist with deep experience in building complex, data-driven systems. Daniel founded RapidApe (acquired) and co-founded KREATIZE, a cloud manufacturing platform backed by leading European industrial and deep-tech investors. He serves on the Google Developer Advisory Board (GDAB), where he contributes to technical ecosystem strategy, cloud infrastructure evolution, and developer tooling. Daniel is a trainer with a focus on applied neuroscience, sensor-based training, and computational modeling of human performance. At Holi, he leads protocol architecture, data infrastructure, and the tokenized IP framework, integrating scientific insights with scalable product systems.
- Robert Harting: Co-Founder | Elite Athlete Relations & Brand Olympic Gold Medalist (London 2012), three-time World Champion, trainer specializing in biomechanics, neuromuscular adaptation, and high-performance conditioning. Robert works with elite European athletes across Olympic disciplines and professional leagues, advising on load management, injury-resilience, and force-velocity profiling. He collaborates with federations, sports-science labs, and performance centers to translate research into field-ready training interventions. At Holi, he leads the applied performance validation of the BDNF Protocol, focusing on protocol fidelity, movement standards, and measurable physiological outcomes.
- Holi Collective: Interdisciplinary team combining certified trainers, performance scientists and researchers from Charité, ML engineers, and product researchers and experts from OpenAI, Google and other leading tech companies. Members bring experience from elite training centers, university labs, and applied health-tech environments. The Collective develops AI-enabled gymlabs and executes micro-randomized trial, gym-based intervention studies, and continuous monitoring pipelines to analyze BDNF response patterns and neuroplasticity markers. Their work includes protocol standardization, sensor integration, data-quality assurance, and the development of tokenized IP assets derived from validated training methods. The group serves as the R&D engine behind the Holi BDNF Protocol, ensuring reproducibility, scientific rigor, and translational applicability across consumer and professional environments.
Scientific Merit (Quality of Science)
HOLI by Holi Labs operates Europe’s only fully instrumented, fully owned GymLab capable of producing continuous physiological, psychological, and biomarker datasets at scale. The first core study is a randomized, head-to-head trial comparing velocity-focused versus strength-focused training on chronic BDNF elevation and brain-health markers.
Inside the Berlin GymLab, 100 experienced members are randomized 1:1 into two 12-week arms. The study includes 200 high-sensitivity plasma BDNF blood draws (baseline and week 12, standardized 24 hours post-workout). Every participant receives continuous heart-rate monitoring during every session, alongside validated psychological batteries at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12, including PANAS, BRUMS, Cognitive Function Battery, Perceived Stress Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.
All plasma BDNF assays are processed by a certified clinical laboratory. All raw data is published on-chain within 48 hours.
The pilot phase is completed with 4,000+ tracked workouts and demonstrated VO₂ max and body-composition gains.
Value Capture Model
The core revenue engine is dataset and protocol licensing. The multimodal dataset (BDNF, HRV, heart-rate dynamics, psychometric data, and training adherence) and the winning protocol are licensed to:
- Wearables and health platforms
- Coaching apps
- Training marketplaces
- AI physiology labs
- Insurers and clinical partners
All other revenue exists only to reinforce dataset growth. No revenue is ever distributed to holders. All inflows are directed into permanent liquidity locks and the Research Escrow to strengthen the ecosystem and token value without creating financial entitlements.
Value accrual to $HOLI token holders occurs through two mechanisms:
- A fixed percentage of every licensing payment flows into automated buyback and burn.
A second fixed percentage accumulates into the Research Escrow, automatically funding new experimental arms (HIIT, Zone 2, concurrent training, women-only cohorts, etc.).
Secondary reinforcement streams may include a $HOLI-certified development journey (training plans and certifications) and a proprietary high-margin supplement and recovery stack (in development).
Because the gym is fully owned, the sensors are fully controlled, and every datapoint is published on-chain, each new cohort runs at near-100% marginal margin and compounds the same dataset that drives token demand. The GymLab template can be cloned via partner gyms using the same measurement backbone.
Roadmap & Feasibility
The pilot phase is completed with 4,000+ tracked workouts and proven VO₂ max and body-composition gains.The $HOLI token will fund the start of the BDNF trial in January 2026, including blood draws, laboratory analysis, and open-science infrastructure.Each new cohort increases the temporal resolution, multimodal breadth, and follow-up depth of the same dataset. Once validated, the GymLab template can be cloned in other cities via partner gyms using the same measurement backbone, turning HOLI into a distributed, revenue-generating research network.
Real-World Product/Impact
HOLI delivers a direct comparison of velocity-focused versus strength-focused training on sustained resting BDNF, recovery capacity (HRV), mood, cognitive performance, and sleep architecture over 12 weeks.
The resulting multimodal dataset (BDNF + HRV time-series + heart-rate dynamics + psychometrics) becomes a benchmark dataset for brain-optimized training. Because the gym and data pipeline are fully owned, follow-up arms (HIIT, Zone 2, concurrent, etc.) can be run indefinitely, compounding a longitudinal exercise-neuroscience dataset.
The superior protocol and the full multimodal dataset become licensable intellectual property governed and revenue-shared through the $HOLI token.
Alignment with Bio & Community Benefits
The study is designed for continuous iteration inside DeSci standards. All assays, sensors, questionnaires, and workout streams follow reproducible on-chain formats (IP-NFT), enabling future cohorts to reuse the same validated data pipeline without reinventing operational overhead. HOLI contributes a fully on-chain, multimodal human performance dataset and establishes a replicable GymLab research model that can be distributed through partner gyms.
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