Inspiring Conversations with Brendan Michaelsen of Our Wave

In October 2021, VoyageRaleigh featured Our Wave co-founder and CTO Brendan Michaelsen in its Inspiring Conversations interview series. Brendan talked about his path from engineering school to building technology for survivors, and about where Our Wave was headed next.

From Purdue Startups to Survivor Support

Brendan began his career as an engineering student at Purdue University, where he co-founded the software company PearCircuit with fellow students and led it for more than seven years. He later served as CTO at Nicotrax, a smoking cessation startup, and helped reimagine the mobile experience at ExpiWell. He also reflected on the hard lessons of those early years, from late nights and equity negotiations to leading a team remotely after moving from Indianapolis to Raleigh.

In late 2018, his longtime collaborator Kyle Linton approached him about a scalable way to support survivors of sexual assault. Both had loved ones affected by trauma, so they gathered a volunteer team of researchers, designers, and engineers. Our Wave launched its first platform in 2019, and Brendan took charge of the platform, its security, and its data work.

Why Survivors Need an Anonymous Space

Brendan explained that the #MeToo movement helped many people come to terms with their own experiences, yet many still felt unsafe speaking on public social media. That gap left countless stories untold, especially in underserved communities. Our Wave set out to offer an anonymous place where survivors could share stories, receive tailored support, and find a community that understands. He described stories of struggle, strength, and healing as a way to build empathy and inform smarter prevention.

Partnerships and a Virtual Healing Curriculum

Looking ahead, Brendan pointed to partners such as It's On Us, End Rape on Campus, USA Gymnastics, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, which helped bring the platform to more people. He also shared early plans for a virtual healing curriculum, built by content experts and engineers, that would draw on machine learning and natural language processing to support survivors.

Read the full story in VoyageRaleigh.