About / Charles Hornbaker
A builder drawn to
the edge of the map.
I founded CognitiveForest as a home for serious curiosity: a place to explore difficult questions and build things that make those questions tangible.
My work moves between product strategy, software, data science, emerging technology, and independent inquiry into cognition and consciousness. I am most useful where the problem is ambiguous, the path is not obvious, and clear thinking still needs to become working software.
Data science and health product work at Apple; AI systems, analytics, and consumer application development.
Harvard MBA; early-stage company leadership, product definition, and translation between technical and business decisions.
Former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer with experience leading technical teams in complex environments.
Ten 100-mile trail ultrarunning finishes, including Hardrock and Leadville—alongside a long-running interest in mind, perception, and human potential.
CognitiveForest is intentionally personal: independent enough to follow a strange question, and experienced enough to turn a promising one into something real.