memoryOS co-founder Jonas von Essen, a two-time World Memory Champion, set a Guinness World Record by naming 47 capital cities in one minute while riding a rollercoaster, proving that the company’s memory training techniques work under extreme conditions that mirror real-world stress.
The record attempt tackles a significant market problem: half of information is forgotten within the first hour, and 90% by the week’s end. This memory retention crisis costs businesses billions in lost productivity and forces people to constantly re-learn information.
“I’ve seen how fast people forget. Half of what we hear is gone in an hour, and 90% by the week’s end,” says von Essen. “If I can recall 47 capitals while my body’s getting thrown around on a rollercoaster, imagine what people can do in their daily work when they have a stable chair and desk.”
The company’s mobile app has over 500,000 early adopters worldwide who improved their memory, boosting recall accuracy by 70% and recall speed by 60%. Users include students, professionals, older adults, and knowledge seekers.
The rollercoaster record wasn’t just publicity. It demonstrated that memory trained through the platform remains reliable under conditions similar to high-pressure work situations: distractions, stress, and mental overload.
“This record wasn’t about showing off,” von Essen adds. “It was about proving that memory training actually works anywhere, even upside down at 60 miles per hour. Your memory isn’t broken, it just needs the right training.”
Jonas von Essen previously achieved a world record by memorizing 100,000 digits in the Pi Matrix Challenge, won Jeopardy and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in Sweden, and memorized 500 names live on Sweden’s Got Talent.
Guinness World Records verified the achievement, which creates a new benchmark category.
Background
memoryOS is an EdTech company co-founded by Jonas von Essen, a two-time World Memory Champion, alongside serial entrepreneurs Alex Ruzhytskyi, Paul Deretsky, and Vadym Kovtun. The company raised over $1 million in its latest funding round to expand its platform that helps users overcome information overload. It uses AI and Virtual Mind Palace technology, an advanced digital adaptation of the proven learning and memory techniques that organizes and stores information visually for easy recall.
In 2021, memoryOS raised over $642,000 in pre-orders through Kickstarter in one month and became the most funded app in the Memory Improvement Category. It remains the most crowdfunded app on the platform.
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